Burlington Public Library MA

The invitation-only zone, the true story of North Korea's abduction project, Robert S. Boynton

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

mapsillustrations

index present

non fiction

The invitation-only zone

bibliography

908176231

Robert S. Boynton

the true story of North Korea's abduction project

"Throughout the late 1970s and early '80s, dozens of Japanese citizens were abducted from coastal Japanese towns by North Korean commandos. In what proved to be part of a global project, North Korea attempted to reeducate the abductees and train them to spy on the state's behalf. When the project faltered, the abductees were hidden in a series of guarded communities known as "Invitation-Only Zones"--the fiction being that these were exclusive enclaves, not prisons. In 2002, Kim Jong Il admitted to kidnapping thirteen Japanese citizens and returned five of them (the other eight, he said, had died). From the moment that Robert S. Boynton first saw a photograph of these men and women, he became obsessed with the window their story provided into the vexed politics of Northeast Asia. In The Invitation-Only Zone, he untangles the logic behind the kidnappings and shows why some Japanese citizens described them as "their 9/11." He tells the story of how dozens were abducted and reeducated; how they married and had children; and how they lived anonymously as North Korean citizens. He speaks with nationalists, diplomats, abductees, and even crab fishermen, unearthing the bizarre North Korean propaganda tactics and the peculiar cultural interests of both countries. A deeply reported, thoroughly researched treatise on the power struggle of one of the most important areas in the global economy, Boynton's keen investigation is riveting and revelatory"--, Provided by publisher

Welcome to the invitation-only zone -- The Meiji moment: Japan becomes modern -- Reunited in North Korea -- Japan and Korea's "common origins" -- Adapting to North Korea -- Abduction as statecraft -- From Emperor Hirohito to Kim Il-sun -- Developing a cover story -- The repatriation project: from Japan to North Korea -- Neighbors in the invitation-only zone -- Stolen childhoods: Megumi and Takeshi -- An American in Pyongyang -- Terror in the air -- Kim's golden eggs -- A story too strange to believe -- The great leader dies, a nation starves -- Negotiating with Mr. X -- Kim and Koizumi in Pyongyang -- Returning home: from North Korea to Japan -- An extended visit -- Abduction, Inc. -- Kaoru Hasuike at home