Wearing a fedora, Jang Myung-jin shouts “Hello,
comrades!” as he starts his YouTube broadcast,
titled “A North Korean man, Tango.” Then, he talks
about whether North Koreans raise pet dogs,
what type of profanity they use and whether
there are any transgender people in the country.
The 32-year-old Jang is among a handful of
young North Korean refugees in South Korea
who have launched YouTube channels that offer
a rare glimpse into the everyday lives of people
in North Korea, one of the world’s most secretive
and repressive countries.
While mainstream outside media reports on
North Korea focus on heavy subjects like the
North’s nuclear program or its internal power
hierarchy, these young YouTubers feed a
growing demand for softer news related to daily
life in their former home country.