NORTH KOREA: Paintings exhibited in Brussels to illustrate the smuggled out book “The Accusation”
Over 20 paintings by North Korean refugees and defectors living in South Korea illustrating a collection of short stories of the book exposed at the Press Club in Brussels
HRWF (06.02.2026) – In 2014, a collection of seven short stories smuggled out of North Korea was published in South Korea. They were then published in around 30 countries, including France under the title “La dénonciation” (by Picquier in 2016). The author remained anonymous and called himself “Bandi”, which means “firefly” in Korean.
The exhibition in Brussels was organized by Prof. Do Hee-yeun (South Korea), the promoter of the book “The Accusation/ Forbidden Stories from Inside North Korea.” He commented on the paintings, the book and the political situation in North Korea with
Ms Yeong-hee Lim, the translator of the book (Korean-French), Pierre Rigoulot, author of the preface, and Willy Fautré, director of Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), who also read one of the “forbidden” stories.
Those interested in inviting the exhibition in their country, can contact HRWF at international.secretariat.brussels@hrwf.org. Photos of some paintings can be sent to them. There are more than 20 in all and the comments can be read in various languages through a QR Code.
Some introductory words by Prof. Do Hee-yeun
Today, we are not simply gathered to inaugurate an exhibition. We are here to witness a historic moment: the moment when a voice, long silenced, has finally crossed borders in written form, before being reborn in images. And what could be more meaningful than experiencing this moment here in Brussels, the heart of the European Union.
Bandi, a dissident North Korean writer, has denounced in his writing the violence of a regime that seeks to eradicate human dignity and freedom, while being forced into anonymity. This is why he is nicknamed the ‘Solzhenitsyn of North Korea’. But his work is not just a testimony to the past. It embodies a pain that is still very much present, a suffering that continues to this day.
It was in France that “The Accusation” was translated for the first time (under the title “La dénonciation”) and published for the first time outside Korea, paving the way for its distribution in some 30 countries.
In this journey, we can never forget the dedication of one person in particular. Without the efforts of Mrs Lim Yeong-hee, who devoted her entire life to promoting Korean literature in French. Without her, his cry of truth might have remained locked in silence for a long time to come. Nor do I forget Philippe Picquier Publishers, who contributed greatly to this endeavour. I would like to express my deep respect and heartfelt gratitude to them here.
The exhibition is the very first international presentation of Bandi’s texts transposed into visual works. This new language was chosen to break down language barriers and reach places that printed words cannot touch. While images do not speak, they force the viewer to confront their own conscience. This exhibition once again confronts us with the universal question: ‘Can we know, and still look away?’
Some introductory words by Pierre Rigoulot (*)
The book provides a powerful insight into daily life in a totalitarian state. In a straightforward style, using simple symbols and metaphors, “Bandi” reminds us that in North Korea, the population is divided into different categories according to the trust placed in them by the single party. This trust determines, for example, the right to reside in the capital.
The constant supervision, the incessant ‘solicitation’ of everyone to show their enthusiastic (inevitably enthusiastic) support for the regime, the ban on travelling within the country without police authorisation, the privileges and special rights granted to party officials and state civil servants; the paranoid atmosphere of a besieged fortress, are palpable throughout the book. And are reflected in the paintings.
A number of artists committed to democracy and human rights have illustrated these short stories with works that were exhibited from 29 to 31 January 2025 in Paris and from 2 to 4 February at the Press Club in Brussels.
(*) Pierre Rigoulot, author in French of « Les Aquariums de Pyongyang », « Pour en finir avec la Corée du Nord » and « Corée du Nord : Etat voyou ».
(See his bibliography HERE). Some on North Korea have been published in English as well.
Some introductory words by Willy Fautré
“In the totalitarian communist regimes that we experienced in Europe during the Cold War, one form of resistance practised by dissidents was the secret production of samizdat, i.e. a wide variety of clandestine writings denouncing the numerous aspects of Soviet totalitarianism under which they lived, and their equally clandestine export to the West to be made public there.
Black or caustic humour and disillusioned irony were also part of their arsenal of resistance, but the people in their daily lives in Czechoslovakia and other Communist countries did not shy away from it either. Making people smile and laugh in secret about their despots is a good antidote to propaganda and collective brainwashing by the state.
I would therefore like to share with you the subtle situational humour of the author of the book ‘La dénonciation’, a North Korean citizen living and writing under the worst dictatorship in place for more than 70 years. His pen name is Bandi.
Talking about this humour, which is sometimes reminiscent of the French humourist Raymond Devos juggling the absurdities of everyday life, is one thing, but reading or listening to it is another.
Rather than talking about a gourmet dish, it is better to taste it. So I am going to give you a taste of this North Korean-style humour by simmering its ingredients through a concentrated reading of extracts from his short story, entitled ‘The City of Ghosts’.
The city is Pyongyang, but who are the ghosts and what will happen in this story? I’ll let you find out as I read on.
The scene begins in the capital of North Korea, during rehearsals for the national holiday celebrations, an event of the utmost importance…
The scene opens with a mother and her two-year-old child. In the background, there is a ghost, I would say to you adults, but to children I would say it is a kind of bogeyman.”
