James Church
Drawing on his experience as a veteran intelligence operative, this well-known author is also an astute expert on the North.
Inspector O and the Porkpie Option
“Tell me the truth.” We were sitting in a small pub in the English countryside, and Inspector O had a curious, hang dog look on his face. “Do you think I am weird?” I was instantly on guard. This could lead nowhere good. “Did someone call you weird?” I ran my memory files, wondering who might be dyspeptic enough to use the [...]
Inspector O and You Know Who
You may recall that last month Inspector O (See “Inspector O and an Ancient Map,” October 17, 2010) invited me to sit with him in the skybox secretly (or at least unobtrusively) to observe the recently held party conference in Pyongyang. What you might not know is that at the last minute he sent me a message saying he had been assigned to [...]
Inspector O and an Ancient Map
It was dusk, and I was pacing around a bench in the big square near the Parliament Building, wondering if Inspector O had forgotten our meeting. He was more than an hour late, but the message at the hotel had been as clear as it was short. “Five square, be there.” A few minutes after 6:00, I spotted him strolling along the street, stopping and [...]
Inspector O and a Very Good Book
“Barbara Demick has won the Samuel Johnson prize.” I was looking at a copy of her book when Inspector O walked into my hotel room and closed the door. “I know. Wonderful writing. Well deserved.” He scanned the walls and then the ceiling before moving a worn green chair nearer to mine. “You know the book?” “Of course I know [...]
Inspector O and the SPA Music Hall
I didn’t suppose it was by chance that Inspector O was standing next to a gingko tree outside of my hotel. “Long time no see, Inspector.” “Yeah. Long time.” “I take it you were not at the meeting of the Supreme People’s Assembly last week.” “Actually, I was. I had duty downstairs. I’m the one that passes out the [...]
A Horse of a Different Color
“I assume this is part of Washington’s green strategy.” Inspector O rarely begins conversations so definitively. “It depends on what you mean by ‘this,’ ” I replied. We were in a hotel bar in Singapore. It was exceedingly dark, except for a small candle flickering in front of the only other person at the bar, a young woman with [...]
