Nothing to Envy Character Analysis

Barbara Demick

Barbara Demick is the author and narrator of Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea. Demick is an American journalist who worked for many years as the Los Angeles Times’s first bureau… read analysis of Barbara Demick

Mi-ran

Mi-ran is a young North Korean woman born into a family whose futures were marked by beulsun, or tainted blood, the result of her father Tae-woo’s South Korean origins. Mi-ran was a spirited… read analysis of Mi-ran

Jun-sang

Jun-sang is a young North Korean man who abandoned a promising career as a scientist and the prospect of admission into the Workers’ Party in order to defect to South Korea in 2004. While growing… read analysis of Jun-sang

Mrs. Song Hee-suk

Mrs. Song is an older woman who grew up in Chongjin in the 1950s and 1960s. Her father, who fought for North Korea in the Korean War, died in battle—and from a young age, Mrs… read analysis of Mrs. Song Hee-suk

Dr. Kim Ji-eun

Dr. Kim Ji-eun is a doctor who worked for most of her life at a hospital in Chongjin in the mountainous north of North Korea. Dr. Kim worked for no pay, yet she constantly added… read analysis of Dr. Kim Ji-eun

Kim Hyuck

Kim Hyuck is a former kochebi, or “wandering swallow,” who was just a child when the famine of the mid-1990s hit. Abandoned by his father and separated from his brother, Hyuck was forced to… read analysis of Kim Hyuck

Oak-hee

Oak-hee is Mrs. Song’s eldest daughter. Rebellious from a young age and contemptuous of the regime since her school years, Oak-hee deigned to take a job with her local propaganda department after graduating high… read analysis of Oak-hee

Kim Il-sung

Kim Il-sung was the founder and first Great Leader of North Korea, which he ruled from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. A charismatic totalitarian ruler, Kim Il-sung projected an image of… read analysis of Kim Il-sung

Kim Jong-il

Kim Jong-il was the son of Kim Il-sung and the leader of North Korea from his father’s death in 1994 until his own demise in 2011. When Kim Jong-il took control of the country, North… read analysis of Kim Jong-il

Kim Jong-un

Kim Jong-un is, as of 2020, the leader of North Korea. The son of Kim Jong-il and the grandson of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-un rose to power in 2011 following his father’s death. Considered… read analysis of Kim Jong-un

Chang-bo

Chang-bo was Mrs. Song’s husband. He was a tall, strapping member of the Workers’ Party with a lust for life and a great appreciation for food. Chang-bo’s high social standing, or songbun, enabled… read analysis of Chang-bo

Nam-oak

Nam-oak was Mrs. Song’s son. He was a rebel who defied North Korean social mores by engaging in premarital sex with a woman much older than he. As a result, Nam-oak’s childhood dreams of… read analysis of Nam-oak

Tae-woo

Tae-woo was Mi-ran’s father. Originally from South Korea, Tae-woo fought for South Korea in the Korean War and was brought to North Korea as a prisoner of war. The regime refused to release him… read analysis of Tae-woo

Mi-hee

Mi-hee is Mi-ran’s oldest sister, a talented singer who nonetheless struggled to use her talents due to their family’s beulsun, or tainted blood. Mi-hee was already married with children when Mi-ran, Sok-ju… read analysis of Mi-hee

Mi-sook

Mi-sook is one of Mi-ran’s older sisters. She did not defect with Mi-ran and the rest of their family in 1998. Mi-ran later learned that Mi-sook and Mi-hee were sent to labor camps as… read analysis of Mi-sook

Minor Characters

So-hee

So-hee is one of Mi-ran’s sisters. She defected with Mi-ran, Sok-ju, and their mother in 1998.

Sok-ju

Sok-ju is Mi-ran’s youngest brother.

Syngman Rhee

Syngman Rhee was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. He led a corrupt and authoritarian government, even as he condemned the totalitarian, communist government led by Kim Il-sung in North Korea.

Choi Yong-su

Choi Yong-su is Oak-hee’s cruel, selfish, and abusive husband. He regularly beats Oak-hee and refuses to let her share their vast stores of stockpiled food with her starving family.

Yong-hee

Yong-hee is Mrs. Song’s youngest daughter.

Minyuan

Minyuan is the Chinese man to whom Oak-hee sells herself as a bride after defecting to China from North Korea. Minyuan is a simple, kind, quiet man who genuinely cares for Oak-hee, even though their marriage is not recognized by any legal authority.

Mi-ran's Mother

The mother of Mi-ran and her siblings. She defected to China from North Korea along with Mi-ran and two other of her children.

Nothing to Envy Characters