As 2014 draws to an end, so to does another eventful year in North Korea.

While fallout from the execution of Jang Song Thaek was less significant than some analysts predicted, 2014 still saw several firsts in the world of North Korea news: unprecedented levels of transparency about a fatal Pyongyang building collapse in May, a never-before-seen push by diplomats to publicly address North Korea’s human rights record, and a surprising day-long visit to Seoul by three senior North Korean officials in October.

But in addition to NK News coverage of stories such as these, our readers – especially those of you who subscribe – helped NK News cast light on North Korea that was in many cases, truly unique. With three and a half million of these articles read by you in 2014 alone, we wrap the year up by highlighting the top ten stories on NK News this year:

10. The rapidly developing world of North Korean real estate – by Andrei Lankov

Picture: E. Lafforgue

In an article widely discussed in South Korean media, long-time North Korea watcher Dr. Andrei Lankov wrote about the unique – if surprising – characteristics of the North Korean real estate industry. Noting that apartment prices have risen some 30-fold in the past 12-13 years, Lankov explained how some 80 percent of all new apartments are today built not by the state, but by private companies. Click here to read

9. Kim Jong Il’s former sushi chef sees coup potential – by Kosuke Takahashi

Kim Jong Il’s former sushi chef Kenji Fujimoto told NK News in an exclusive January interview that Jang Song Thaek could have been purged due to Kim Jong Un’s opposition to his relations with multiple women and his role in being in charge of the Kippumjo – or the “Pleasure Brigade”. And while Kim Jong Il’s sister Kim Kyong Hui has not been seen in North Korea since the purge of her husband Jang, Fujimoto explained to NK News she may have committed suicide. Click here to read.

8. How long until North Korea collapses? Eleven defector perspectives – by NK News

As part of a ten part series, NK News spoke to eleven defectors of varying ages, backgrounds and hometowns about the past, present and future of North Korea. The series kicked off with a look at whether former North Korean citizens believed collapse would occur any time soon. With responses ranging from anywhere between two to ten years more, common factors explaining a future collapse included the side-effects of increased market activity, the formation of major differences of opinion among the elite, and increasing access of foreign information. Click here to read.

7. Why men’s Kim Jong Un hairstyle requirement is unlikely true – by Hamish MacDonald

When the internet erupted in March with rumors that the North Korean government had ordered all male college students to adopt hairstyles similar to Kim Jong Un, mainstream outlets were only too happy to republish the claims, without question. But NK News contacted a number of sources regularly visiting and working inside North Korea to investigate further, quickly proving the story to be untrue. Click here to read.

6. Matthew Miller’s excellent adventure in North Korea – by Nate Thayer

Arrested in April for attempting to “seek asylum” in North Korea, for a long period there was little public information on Matthew Miller, then a 24 year old American citizen from Bakersfield, California. But within just days of his November release, investigative journalist Nate Thayer conducted a lengthy NK News interview with Miller, revealing among other things the rather surprising hurdles he encountered in getting arrested in the DPRK. Click here to read.

5. How I unintentionally ended up spending 15 years of my life in North Korea – by Monique Macias

Commencing an exclusive column for NK News in February 2014, Monique Macias,the daughter of former President of Equitorial Guinea Francisco Macias, recounted how she was sent to live in Pyongyang at the young age of five in 1979. Not only would Monique end up spending the following 15 years growing up in North Korea, but she also did so as a guest of founding President Kim Il Sung, who was himself a friend of her father, Francisco. Click here to read.

4. Subverted Engagement – by B.R. Myers

A January opinion piece by B.R. Myers – author of The Cleanest Race – sparked immense debate among North Korea watchers for its suggestion that, far from subverting the North Korean government, it is those engaging North Korea in the fields of track-two diplomacy, tourism, the arts and business whom are most subverted and undermined by the relationship. The article drew a particularly noteworthy comments stream, with input from individuals such as Joel Witt of the U.S. Korea Institute and Tony Namkung, a consultant who works regularly in the DPRK. Click here to read.

3. Equipment at N. Korean ski resort may breach UN luxury goods sanctions – Chad O’Carroll and Leo Byrne

Dedicating immense manpower to building a full-scale ski resort in less than a year, NK News highlighted the unwitting role a number of European ski equipment manufacturers played in furnishing the resort with UN sanctions breaching snow blowers, snow ploughs and snow cats. While documents showed North Korean officials hoped for up to 5,000 visitors per day, the resort has had just a few handfuls of foreign tour groups visit. Click here to read.

After the Associated Press (AP) opened its Pyongyang bureau in early 2012, numerous North Korea observers questioned how statements from senior AP executives about the bureau not submitting to censorship could ever be true. Some suggested the AP’s local North Korean staff worked simultaneously for security or intelligence services, while others argued AP avoided contentious topics at its Pyongyang office, including on human rights and leader Kim Jong Un. But an NK News investigation by Nate Thayer suggested that – far from being a bastion of the free press – AP’s Pyongyang bureau serves primarily to distribute news approved and censored by the North Korean state. Click here to read.

Photos exclusively obtained by NK News provided independent corroboration to North Korean claims that a Pyongyang apartment block collapsed on May 13, confirming the subsequent search, rescue and clean-up operation was completed in under just four days. Building on sustained NK News investigation on the unprecedented May 13 apartment collapse, the article showed how the lives of survivors were put at risk, raising questions as to why North Korean authorities pushed to clear the area so rapidly. Click here to read.

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