Author's Note: If you do nothing, nothing changes.

| Prologue | Why I Chose to Defect North Korea

PART 1: The 'Dream' of a Nuclear Power

1 Nuclear Diplomacy for Survival
- North Korea will even sell out its own grandmother if the price is rightㆍMake participation in the Dubai Space Competition a successㆍ“I hope Wang Jin approves”… Saudi Arabia steps in to mediate the North Korea-US talksㆍCreate immunity in the international community against our possession of nuclear weaponsㆍKim Il-sung’s teachings on the four powers diplomacyㆍThe unfortunate fate of the participants in the Kim Jong-un-Trump summitㆍThe reason the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was excluded from the North Korea-US summitㆍThe ‘Hanoi North Korea-US summit’ disguised as an ‘official friendship visit to Vietnam’ㆍA report on the US situation placed on Kim Jong-un’s desk every morning at 9:00ㆍThe two major mountains of North Korean diplomacy, party diplomacy and state diplomacyㆍThe reaction of North Korean diplomats to Lee Myung-bak’s ‘denuclearization, openness, 3000’ㆍThe truth about the disguised peace revealed at the joint event in Kuwait on the 100th anniversary of the March 1st Movement

2 The Difficult Daily Life of a Diplomat
- Received a first-class medal for $500,000 'begging diplomacy'ㆍ200,000 tons of phosphorite donated by Syria and a personal letter from Kim Jong-ilㆍDiplomat training system changed under Kim Jong-il's instructionsㆍRi Su-yong's 'individual diplomacy' that boiled down to a 'Kuwaiti prince'ㆍPresented a 'sincere gift' to Kim Jong-un with $30,000 that he had donatedㆍKim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un love horses... Find out the price of Arab thoroughbredsㆍMiracle 3 days... North Korea wins the U-17 Women's World CupㆍTreating three meals a day: oxtail soup, braised beef feet, and seasoned tripeㆍBecomes a 'disabled person' after undergoing revolution due to 'lese majeste'ㆍUS$30 million ransom for a doctor and his wife kidnapped in Libya by ISISㆍNorth Korea's military situation where even sheep semen cannot be frozenㆍNorth Korean diplomats begging for 'congratulatory messages' to send to Kim Jong-unㆍWhy North Korean diplomats engage in illegal businessㆍTwin sisters' lives changed, rules for sending diplomats' children overseasㆍThe front of the neck should be short and the back of the neck should be longㆍDiplomats worried because of their children who drank the 'water of freedom'ㆍ300,000 euros allocated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Workers' Party's Office 39 for propaganda of the Juche ideologyㆍDubai, a 'shopping paradise' that emerged as a transit point for executive business tripsㆍNorth Korea's own developed 'Red Star 2.0' is a specialized OS for encryptionㆍSecret talks between North Korea and Israel

3. Cold-blooded disregard by the international community and international isolation
- They call me a 'hermit leader', so I should go out and make some noise.ㆍThe Egyptian president met with a South Korean minister but not the North Korean head of state.ㆍDiplomatic isolation caused by Park Geun-hye's visit to Uganda.ㆍThe Negroes are not just dark on the outside, but also dark on the inside.ㆍThe UAE withdrew approval for the opening of the North Korean embassy in Abu Dhabi.ㆍThe 60th anniversary of the war victory ceremony without a single head of state.ㆍChina's three major aid programs for North Korea.ㆍThe North Korean Foreign Ministry on edge over KOTRA's active performance.ㆍJeong Dong-hak, the faceless spokesperson for the North Korean Foreign Ministry.ㆍSpread the Juche ideology in Saudi Arabia.ㆍCongratulatory messages should go to the Marshal, not Kim Yong-nam.ㆍKim Jong-un's capricious change of title.ㆍPersonnel regulations changed due to the mass defection of Ryugyong Restaurant employees.ㆍSecurity agents breaking the legs of healthy defectors and escorting them.ㆍThe Ministry of National Security wiretapping device installed in the Foreign Ministry interview room.ㆍThe chairman of the Albader Group's rebuke, "Young "Mobilizing students for mass gymnastics is a violation of human rights"ㆍA North Korean defector's memoir, "Pyongyang's Fishbowl," is being sold in Dubai bookstores - North Korean elementary schools are handing down textbooks due to a shortage of textbooksㆍHow to put Kim Jong-un's name in booksㆍOtto Warmbier's pitiful death and 'hostage diplomacy'ㆍThe North Korean human rights resolution is Kim Jong-un's Achilles' heel

4 The Tsunami of Poverty Driven by North Korean Sanctions
- Sanctions on North Korea that have completely dried up North Korea's lifelineㆍAir Koryo's Pyongyang-Kuwait route closedㆍOverseas North Korean workers denied residency visasㆍMeetings with shouting and shouting, "The ambassador should leave Kuwait within a month"ㆍNational Day banquet with no guests, collective boycott of the diplomatic corpsㆍBuy the Masikryong Ski Resort lift and gondola!ㆍKim Kye-gwan: "Don't even mention reform and openness"ㆍHow did Egypt's Orascom invest in North Korea?ㆍKim Jong-il: "Thank you, Mr. Naguib, for covering the Ryugyong Hotel with glass"ㆍKang Sok-ju and Ri Su-yong are like dogs and cats on bad termsㆍ1 million euros disappeared from Ora BankㆍMasikryong Ski Resort is a winter entertainment center 'exclusive to Kim Jong-un'ㆍThey boasted about being an 'AIDS-free country', but...ㆍPyongyang citizens who would rather have a bowl of cold noodles than pizza

5 Weapons of the Plains Flooding the Middle East
- 21.6 million euros transported to Pyongyang in a diplomatic pouchㆍ19 hackers specializing in cryptocurrency theft in DubaiㆍChoi Jin-myeong, an agent who transported Hamas fundsㆍTransport 10,000 RPG-7 rockets to Iran!ㆍJi Seon-ho transported 24,000 rocket-propelled RPGs to EgyptㆍDispatching training instructors to Algerian special forcesㆍChange the route to avoid exposure to foreign intelligence agencies!ㆍThe reason the North Korean military called it “Libya that lays eggs”ㆍKim Jong-il, enraged by Gaddafi’s demand to give up nuclear weapons, says, “You two-headed bastard…”ㆍThe “courageous” People’s Army chief of staff who revived Libya’s foreign currency earningㆍ“Withdraw all but seven military attachés from the seven countries”

6 The Double Life of Pyongyang's Elite
- Wives of high-ranking officials: “Anything from South Korea is OK”ㆍDaughters of high-ranking officials who are ‘unpopular’ with the ‘top groom’, the bachelor of the Ministry of Foreign AffairsㆍBeer festival held on the banks of the Taedong River… The secret of North Korean ‘Taedong River Beer’ㆍNorth Koreans visiting South Korean restaurants and marts in search of ‘soul food’ㆍWhich countries do North Korean diplomats want to work in?ㆍ“Sincere goods are like tributes given to kings in the feudal era”ㆍFemale employees who were turned into labor revolutionaries for the ‘crime’ of watching South Korean moviesㆍTwo unidentified people broke into the office of First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Kye-gwanㆍStrange radio waves flying from the building… There's a 'spy' in the Foreign Ministry. A feud over the appointment of Choi Son-hui, director of the North American Affairs Bureau. The Moranbong Band returned to Pyongyang just before its Beijing performance. A Russian art troupe paid to be brought to Pyongyang. Loyalty assessed based on donations to the Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-un funds. Party cell secretaries are North Korea's version of the 'Red Guards.' How does Pyongyang communicate when the internet is cut off? An elevator carrying a high-ranking party official suddenly stops.

PART 2 Baekdu Bloodline

1 Uncontrolled power, Baekdu bloodline
- “Ju-ae is glucose to me” Kim Jong-un’s daughter Kim Ju-aeㆍKim Yo-jong’s wedding held at Mokrangwan “The princess’s husband is handsome”ㆍKim Yo-jong and her husband met at the grave of Kim Jong-un’s biological mother Ko Yong-huiㆍ‘Great General’ Kim Jong-chul who lit up Kim Jong-il’s birthday partyㆍKim Jong-chul whined for opiumㆍKim Ok’s family, ‘Kim Jong-il’s fourth wife’ who disappeared into a political prison campㆍKim Pyong-il returned to Pyongyang after 40 years of wanderingㆍKorean movie and drama mania is none other than the Kim familyㆍKim Jong-il’s father-in-law’s nickname ‘high-pressure rice cooker’ given to himㆍ“Director, father...” ‘Comrade General’ Kim Jong-un met at the hospitalㆍ“Thank you, dear General” Kim Jong-il and Ko Yong-hui’s wedding giftㆍNever-ending rumors of Kim Jong-un’s health problems and the medical staff at Bonghwa HospitalㆍKim Jong-un’s drunkenness puts him at the crossroads of life and deathㆍ“Comrade, did you brush your teeth today?” "You bad breath, don't show up. Why do North Korean officials kneel before Kim Jong-un?" "Why did you do that?" Han Gwang-sang, slapped by "drinker" Kim Jong-un.

2 Invisible Powers
- Why is the Workers' Party Organization and Guidance Department so powerful?ㆍThe mission of the Workers' Party Central Committee Secretariat OfficeㆍKim Jong-un's hidden secret safe, the 36th Bureau of the State Affairs CommissionㆍThe Workers' Party Document Filing Office that makes the leader an omnipotent GodㆍHow did Jo Yong-won ascend to the number two position?ㆍThe deaths of Hwang Pyong-so, Kim Yang-gon, and Ri Je-gang, the 'top contributors to the establishment of the Kim Jong-un succession system, were not assassinations but traffic accidentsㆍKim Jong-il's Yong In-sul: "Let us not change forever like gold"ㆍThe 'leadership phone' that provides a direct line to Kim Jong-unㆍKim Kye-gwan, the 'North Korean diplomatic command tower' who is respected and trustedㆍChoi Seon-hui, who lives a long and happy life and is blessed one after anotherㆍMyongya Bokya, my father-in-law who suffered from the Banco Delta Asia incident in MacauㆍI express my gratitude and respect to Mr. Choi Bul-am, the 'Korean's dining table'ㆍWho are the 'hardliners' in North Korea that Kim Jong-un mentioned?ㆍAll the veterans over 60 should be replacedㆍ'Anti-Japanese The Workers' Party's Cadre Policy Corrected by Hwang Sun-hee

2 Kim Jong-un's Reign of Terror
- The truth about the purge of Jang Song-thaek is revealed to the world!ㆍJang Song-thaek touched Kim Jong-un's 'sore spot'ㆍJang Song-thaek's 'explosive remarks' at a celebration partyㆍKim Jong-un has his eyes on his pocketbookㆍSupreme Commander's orders are not even in his sightsㆍKim Jong-un is furious, saying, "Are soldiers beaten to death by civilians?"ㆍRi Ryong-ha and Jang Su-gil foreshadow Jang Song-thaek's fateㆍAbandoned by his 'wife' Kim Kyong-huiㆍKim Jong-un confesses, "Ordered Jang Song-thaek's burning"ㆍAnti-factional struggle to liquidate the remnants... A purge of 3,000 people involvedㆍA campaign to force people to write criticism for three monthsㆍKim Jong-il's people who were 'thrown to the ground'ㆍSend the telegram for Kim Jong-nam's assassination as a 'personal telegram to the First Vice Minister'ㆍWho planned the 'Kim Jong-nam assassination'ㆍA standing order that remains in effect until executionㆍKim Jong-un who even executed the son of Hwang Sun-hee who raised Kim Jong-ilㆍThe 'Hyesan Incident' that resulted in a reshuffle in the Ministry of State SecurityㆍHwang Yong-chol, a 'foreign currency earning hero' executed out of angerㆍMinister of the People's Armed Forces Hyon Yong-chol, 'shot to death' while dozing offㆍChief of the General Staff Ri Yong-ho who lost his life in a wiretapping incidentㆍThe 'South Hwanghae Provincial Party Incident' involving sexual bribery of a female studentㆍVice Prime Minister Kim Yong-jin executed for treasonㆍThe inside story of the 'gift suspension' and the execution of the manager at the Taedong River Gizzard PlantㆍThe truth about the 'Foreign Ministry spy case' and the execution of Han Song-ryeol, an expert on the USㆍHe disappeared after being taken to the Organization and Guidance Department The Moon Sung-sul family was shattered by the "national civil servant" and "Sim Hwa-jo incidents."

PART 3 My Story

1. The difficult days of youth
- The Arduous March and starvation experienced in Chagang ProvinceㆍIn the operating room of a hospital without anesthetics or antibioticsㆍNo one would steal after starving for three daysㆍMother selling dumplings in front of the dormitory of Kim Il-sung UniversityㆍThe family was almost torn apart because of a commentary on the 'Quran'ㆍThe Republic of Korea, the 'South Korean national name' learned through leafletsㆍThe Air Force, which endures hardships when it snowsㆍThe 'Dalgi Mogaji' People's Army soldiers that 'Yeongsil' metㆍThe 'Stars and Stripes' and the 'Republic of Korea' that have permeated the military and residents

2. The agony before defecting from North Korea
- The First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs's '100-day reign' ended with a 'sad and funny' joke from a North Korean diplomat: "What's wrong with your country?" The truth behind the attack on the North Korean embassy in Spain The illegal business of a diplomat who can't even stop 'Kim Jong-un's policy' The 'red' Korean who became a North Korean spy The people of the Kaesong Industrial Complex who met again in Seoul The trouble caused by Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il's 'badge' The price for a lifetime of loyalty is 2kg of potatoes for 6 months

| Epilogue | A new day will surely come

Book Structure: Three-Part Structure

The structure is divided into three parts. Part 1, "The Dream of a Nuclear-Weapon State," vividly recreates the diplomatic battles and sanctions surrounding nuclear and missile development, the weapons and foreign currency networks in the Middle East and Africa, and the attempts at "diplomatic camouflage" at international organizations and scientific events. Part 2, "The Baekdu Bloodline," reconstructs the true nature of the Secretariat's lines, such as the Headquarters Secretariat, the Organization and Guidance Department, the 36th Bureau, and the 81st Division, the direct reporting system symbolized by the "Yeongdo Telephone," and the mechanisms of the reign of terror, including the purge of Jang Song-taek, through internal testimony and document flow. Part 3, "My Story," confesses the author's defection from North Korea and his resettlement in South Korea, as well as his motivation for recording this testimony now.
This triple structure allows the reader to simultaneously see how money, power, and violence justify and circulate among themselves, and how structure and human narratives are intertwined.

Part 2 in particular addresses head-on common misconceptions surrounding the Office of the Secretary.
The Headquarters Secretariat, often described as the "real power broker" in Korea, is not an organization that directly participates in actual policy decisions, but rather a "horizontal hub" that manages the entire governing environment, including the classification and approval of documents submitted to the leader, schedules, protocol, security, and "management of private life and slush funds," and this is presented with evidence.
At this time, the 36 countries and some departments have separate channels to report directly to Kim Jong-un without sharing the information even with the Secretary-General.
The core of the ruling system is 'security and concentration', and money closely supports that core.

An in-depth analysis of the closed North Korean regime!

The credibility of a narrative comes from its ‘approach’.
This book dissects the inner workings of a closed system through the testimony of the family of Jeon Il-chun, former head of Room 39 of the Workers' Party, and through observations of those closest to the life and vaults of the highest echelons.
The picture is not based on fragmentary rumors, but on accumulated work practices, the flow of calls and documents, and reporting systems between departments.
The title "Kim Jong-un's Hidden Secret Vault" is no exaggeration, as readers follow the operational questions: "Who moves the money, which doors go through, and who checks the ledgers?"

It is also definitely fun to read.
The secret code of the "Wang Jin approval wind" in the Middle East diplomatic scene, the diplomatic incident surrounding joining and participating in the International Astronautical Federation, and the detour to "earn foreign currency" arising from the sanctions situation go beyond dry internal documents and bring the story to life.
These episodes have one thing in common.
All roads eventually lead to the 'safe'.
The cold irony is that as sanctions become more stringent, the number of detours increases, and as the number of detours increases, the need and influence of the 36 countries increase.

Above all, this book targets not the 'secret' itself, but the institutions and systems created by people that make secrets possible.
The context surrounding the purge of Jang Song-taek, the "criticism" campaign and the Great Purge, the branching and direct reporting system of the security and protection lines, and the job titles, residence, and reporting practices within the Secretariat ultimately converge into a single conclusion.
North Korean rule is maintained through the triangle of 'security-direct reporting-funding', and the 36 countries are responsible for the base of that triangle.

The purge of Jang Song-thaek and the aftermath of the Great Purge

The content that was first revealed to South Korean society is also noteworthy.
By restoring the context surrounding Jang Song-taek's execution, the author shows how the reign of terror intertwined with the "channels of money" and how the entire organization underwent a series of reorganizations as a result.
After the Jang Song-taek incident, the party administration was designated as the "headquarters of a faction" and completely disbanded, and an anti-factional struggle and a "criticism writing" campaign were launched simultaneously at the party-wide and society-wide level.
In the process of clearing out the remnants that followed, executions, transfers to political prison camps, and demotions occurred on a wide scale, and the number of victims is estimated to have reached several thousand.

The anecdotes revealed in the process convey the ruthlessness of power.
The heads of organizations identified as conduits for "flattery and bribery" around Jang Song-taek were executed, and the tragic endings of a driver who committed suicide with his family at home immediately after the investigation began and a secretary who threw himself from a high-rise apartment followed.
This chain of arrests, executions, and suicides at the heart of power bears witness to the reality of a system that enforces loyalty and silence through the use of fear.

The division between foreign operations and the defense line is also a major axis of the book.
Overseas assassination, sabotage, and espionage operations have been led by the Reconnaissance General Bureau and the Cultural Exchange Bureau of the United Front Department, and the assassination of Kim Jong-nam can also be interpreted in that context.
The author demonstrates that the conclusion that "the only one with a reason to assassinate Kim Jong-nam was North Korea, or more precisely, Kim Jong-un" remained persuasive even amid the twists and turns of international investigations and trials, through the statements and personnel changes of local security officials, and the movements of the diplomatic network immediately following the incident.

The details of what happened at Kuala Lumpur Airport in Malaysia are grim.
A lethal dose of VX was detected on Kim Jong-nam's face, and a prolonged battle ensued surrounding the four North Korean suspects who fled the scene and the two women who were arrested.
While media outlets around the world covered this as top news every day, North Korean embassies in each country worked through the night to compile reports and send them to Pyongyang.
Just two days later, Pyongyang narrowed its reporting channels and centralized the flow of information, following an "ambassadorial" directive.
This 'contraction of reporting' reveals the regime's instinct to control the international repercussions of an event.

Ultimately, what moves history is 'people' and 'choices'.

Why did the author release this record to the world now?
This book, which begins with the confession that “nothing changes if you do nothing,” calmly conveys life in Korea after escaping from family and hometown, and the internal conflict between “silence” and “testimony.”
The resonance of personal narrative soon becomes the ethical basis for the entire book.
Beyond the shadows of documents and codes, logistics vouchers and budgets written in the language of power, it reminds us that ultimately, it is people and choices that move history.


'Kim Jong-un's Hidden Secret Vault' changes the way we view North Korea.
Behind the grand framework of "nuclear-diplomacy-sanctions," this narrative proves that what actually supports governance is invisible accounting and a small group of people who operate it, and that the practice, security, and life of that accounting are all one.


After closing this book, the reader will be left with questions:
How should we deal with the money that flowed into the "leader's coffers" rather than the national treasury, and the records of life and death, loyalty and betrayal surrounding that money?
For readers who seek not "immunity" but "responsibility" for the North Korean dictatorship and the horrific executions and human rights violations it perpetrates, this book offers a concrete starting point.