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Hyun Hee Kim

The Tears of My Soul Hardcover – January 1, 1993

by Hyun Hee Kim (Author)

65 ratings

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A North Korean spy, trained and indoctrinated by her government to kill ruthlessly and efficiently, offers insight into the rigors of her enforced service, which ended with a conviction for a plane bombing

Print length

183 pages
Language

English
Publisher

William Morrow & Co
Publication date

January 1, 1993
Dimensions

6.5 x 0.75 x 9.5 inches
ISBN-10

0688128335
ISBN-13

978-0688128333
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Jan Greenough
43
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Patricia Buckley Ebrey
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On November 29, 1987, two North Koreans were arrested in Bahrain, suspected of the terrorist bombing of Korean Air Flight 858 in which 115 people died. One of the suspects committed suicide on the spot; the other, the author of this memoir, swallowed poison but survived. Extradited to Seoul, Hyun Hee confessed, was tried, convicted and sentenced to death. The court later granted a full pardon, ruling that she was not the true culprit in the bombing but an innocent victim of North Korean indoctrination. Here Hyun Hee reveals how she was recruited and trained, and provides details of the bombing. Her depiction of North Korea's Orwellian society is convincing and vivid: it is a world where children patrol the streets and report the slightest ideological infraction and where a citizen speaking disrespectfully of "Beloved Leader" Kim Il Sung can be summarily bludgeoned to death. Also affecting are Hyun Hee's comments about the culture shock she experienced in Seoul and her search for redemption through Christianity. This is a chilling account of brainwashing and subsequent deprogramming. Photos.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Daughter of a senior North Korean official, Hee was trained as a covert-operations expert from age 19. Her career ended with her 1987 arrest for placing the bomb that caused the deaths of 115 aboard a South Korean airliner. Subsequently tried and sentenced to death, she was pardoned because the "real criminals" were in North Korea, and she was allowed to settle in South Korea. With this kind of memoir, there are always doubts about its authenticity as well as about how much translation and editing (neither a translator nor an editor is credited in prepublication proofs) may have altered even a genuine account. Making allowances for such doubts, however, one finds here an absorbing and moving tale that strongly suggests that North Korea, one of the world's last Stalinist dictatorships, is not going to die easily or without danger to the rest of the world. Roland Green

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (January 1, 1993)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 183 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0688128335
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0688128333
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.02 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 0.75 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #871,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,371 in Asian Politics

Customer Reviews:
65 ratings

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5 star		77%
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D B Cooper

Life Changing

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 24, 2021

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My holocaust collection was severely damaged in a flood a few years back. Instead of replacing all those many books, I have started collecting and reading books about the Korean Holocaust. This book.... How can you read it and not feel your own anguish for lives lost, dreams destroyed, and hope extinguished?

But there is, also, forgiveness in this world. Tears of my Soul? Yes. The same can be said about a person's feelings reading this book. This book haunts me. I read it, but could not keep it to myself. It is now making the rounds to many of my friends, all of whom come away..... Shocked.

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lakota

It almost felt like she was saying

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 14, 2014

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Surprising read. I had no idea ,that the criminal that blew up this Korean Flight was a woman.
She writes very clearly and almost in a matter of fact way.
I do feel, she took a long time realizing as to what she had done.
It almost felt like she was saying,I could not help, what I did.
I was a victim also.
She was, but at times I felt offended by this way of writing.
She gave a clear picture of what it was like to live under the communist regime.
She had had a rather privileged life.
I just finished a book by Lisa See, that tells about China under the communist regime.
The systematic brainwashing is unbelievable to us westerners.
The lack of food ,just like in China in those days and North Korea is mind boggling.
Unless you work for the regime. It was an eyeopener and I would definitely recommend it.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 14, 2015

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This was a really moving story, well told, and very sad. It captured my attention from the beginning, read it in one sitting.
From reading the book I came to understand the brainwashing, especially when it's started so early, in school kids, that the communist gov'ts impose, and how impossible it is to expect the population to think differently from what they're told. The people can't leave, never see anything but the communist TV and newspapers, so have nothing to compare their world with. It's no wonder people (traveling artists, Olympic athletes, etc) try to defect, when they see how they've been lied to, when they see how good and plentiful and happy life outside their regime is.
I think this would be a good book to put on the High School reading list. Def recommend!

One person found this helpful

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Patrick Bailey

True and Tragic

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 28, 2017

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The interesting story of a young woman who was the victim of circumstance. Kim Hyun Hee was a happy college student when at the age of 18 she is chosen by the Communist Party of North Korea to become a spy. After seven years of training and conditioning at the elite spy school she says she was like an obedient dog. She did not have a conscience when she put the bomb on KAL flight 858- she was only 25 at the time. After her capture and seeing for herself what life was like in South Korea it was like a curse had been lifted. The story is a great read but I feel that some parts of her story are a bit exaggerated.

3 people found this helpful

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kate2552

The Tears of My Soul

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 2, 2012

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As you read this book you are constantly aware of the ease with which a human can be programmed or brainwashed into thinking, acting and pretending they are
working for a greater cause, even to the point of murder for the betterment of their country and family. I was amazed at the training that goes into programming a spy and at times the amazing omissions that were not used. Read this to better understand the hatred that some countries employ to understand why they are capable of heinous crimes. Pray for the people in North Korea to see the truth.

4 people found this helpful

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Iz

This is what true Communism and Socialism is all about ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 12, 2017

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This is what true Communism and Socialism is all about. Written by someone who lived it and experienced it's devastating affects first hand.
Tears of My Soul is a heartbreaking, yet inspirational story all in one. It's fascinating and eye opening with no slow moments.It really is a must read if you desire to understand how these governmental systems work in reality and not in some fantasy scenario. Get it, read it. You won't regret it.

One person found this helpful

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Richard

A Gripping Story of Real Life Secret Agents, Lies, Murder, and Mercy

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 17, 2009

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A friend recommended this book - and I am so glad she did. Once I started reading it I could not set it down. The details are woven together beautifully in this first-person narrative of a beautiful North Korean girl who was selected to become an operative for the DPRK government. Details of her training - including the tests, physical fitness, fighting opponents, and mock missions - are presented before describing her overseas assignments and final mission.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the North-South Korea area of study, or anyone interested in James Bond-type stories. The difference between this and others is that these events actually happened.

2 people found this helpful

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Chiprj

I spent years of my military career focused on the ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 7, 2015

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I spent years of my military career focused on the Korean peninsula. This book is a must read for any folks with ties to Korea as it gives a strong insight into the inner working of North Korea and the mindset of folks that live there. It also shows how far a person can go with that mindset and how durable it can be. What eventually led to this book being written and the mindset being broken is very telling of the differences between the two countries.

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

R.F Job

Great book. It is interesting to read about the ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 12, 2015

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Great book. It is interesting to read about the training methods of the North Korean spies and her impressions of western society are novel.

Killgrave

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 23, 2016

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Propaganda but still good.

Andreas Eriksson

Highly recommended for anyone interested in World politics and/or DPRK

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 20, 2014

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Very interesting book. Highly recommended for anyone interested in World politics and/or DPRK.

UKReader

Excellent

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 29, 2013

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An excellent read. On one level an exciting page turner made all the better by the fact it's based on a real life story, on another level thought deep provoking. This book questions our concepts of right and wrong; and whether or not we are always responsible for our actions. Would we be able to pardon Kim Hyun Hee? What would it be like to be in her position? Definitely read this - beg, steal or borrow if you must.

2 people found this helpful

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The Tears of My Soul Hardcover – January 1, 1993

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