The world of North Korea’s elites is both extraordinary and fragile. Privileged but Powerless seeks to unravel that paradox by examining the grievances that exist within the country’s privileged class—grievances that, despite their families’ wealth and power, reveal deep-seated anxieties about their own security, status, and future. By exploring how this discontentment emerges, how elites navigate their precarious positions, and what their frustrations reveal about the regime’s vulnerabilities, the book offers a lens with which to view potential fractures within Pyongyang’s ruling system.

Based on extensive research on North Korea’s elite and leadership, the book combines in-depth interviews with elite escapees and analysis of government documents, North Korean state media, think tank publications, and journalistic coverage. Jieun Baek conducted over 230 hours of interviews with senior-level North Korean escapees and experts on North Korea. Every North Korean escapee interviewed for the book was born, lived, worked, or studied in Pyongyang, providing first-hand insight into the inner workings of the regime. Interviewees include former deputy and acting ambassadors, senior diplomats, high-ranking businessmen, senior Korean Workers’ Party cadres, graduate students, senior officers from Bureau 39, a former bodyguard for Kim Jong Il, and a computer engineer who represented and won medals for North Korea in international programming competitions.