Fridae

In his autobiographical novel, 'A Mark of Red Honor,' Jang Yeong-jin divulges his journey from North to South Korea and how his sexuality played a big part in his search for freedom. The novel provides rare insight into everyday life in North Korea and attitudes to homosexuality in the isolated country.

Most crucially,"there are many homosexuals in North Korea who live a miserable life without even knowing why," Jang says. "What a tragedy it is to live a life without knowing who you are."

The book details how Jang had never heard of homosexuality while growing up in Chongjin on the eastern coast of North Korea. At a young age he developed a crush on another boy named Seon-cheol. They continued their friendship after moving to Pyongyang, where they attended different colleges.

"When the subway was crowded, I sat on Seon-cheol's lap, and he would hug me from behind," Jang said in an interview with the New York Times. "People didn't care, thinking we were childhood friends."

Jang also disclosed that there was homosexual contacts between young North Korean men during their mandatory 10 year military service. Jang describes how it is common for young soldiers to find partners to sleep with and that it is considered 'revolutionary comradeship.'

After entering into an arranged (and loveless and childless) marriage, Jang reconnected with his old flame, Seon-cheol. Both their wives allowed them to sleep in the same bed, thinking that it was an innocent habit from childhood. After experiencing rejection from Seon-cheol, Jang felt trapped and became determined to leave North Korea.

After swimming across and icy river to China, he found no passage to South Korea within 13 months. He swam back across the river to North Korea before crawling across the mine-strewn border with the South. As one of only a handful of defectors successfully taking this route, his defection made headlines.

The book goes on to detail his sexual awakening - seeing an advert for gay rights in magazine and visiting a gay bar. Jang's life in Seoul has not been entirely smooth sailing however and the book provides an interesting insight into a Korea's political history, cultural attitudes and questions of identity.