Jia: A Novel of North Korea (2 page)

Over several months in 2001 and 2002, I met with the
woman who was the inspiration for Jia. When we first met,
she was quiet and shy, but she had the confidence and tranquility of someone who let her life progress with the flow
of time. The more time I spent with her, the more that
confidence came to the fore, along with her passion and firm hopes for a better life. Her eyes, full of enthusiasm for
the future as well as yearning for lost loved ones, continued
to stir my mind long after I left China. They led me to put
this story to paper.

My hope is that readers will gain a better understanding of
the lives of North Koreans-beyond the lens of geopolitics or ideology-and see what I have seen in one woman's
eyes.

Hyejin Kim

Singapore, March 2007