A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea (2017) by Masaji Ishikawa, translated by Risa Kobayashi and Martin Brown, is a memoir that recounts Ishikawa’s life and eventual escape from North Korea. Born in Japan to a Korean father and Japanese mother, Ishikawa moved to North Korea at the age of 13 under false promises from the North Korean government. Ishikawa faced a life of extreme hardship, oppression, and survival under North Korea’s brutal regime. Ishikawa’s account provides a glimpse into the dire circumstances faced by those living in North Korea, detailing governmental abuses and daily struggles for food, safety, and freedom.

This guide uses the paperback version published by Amazon Crossing in 2017.

Content Warning: The source material and guide contain depictions of anti-Korean racism, substance use disorder, domestic abuse, starvation, death by suicide, and murder.

Plot Summary

Masaji Ishikawa introduces himself with his Japanese and Korean names, Masaji Ishikawa and Do Chan-sun, respectively. Raised in Japan by his mother, Miyoko Ishikawa, he and his sisters have a happy childhood despite financial struggles. His father, Do Sam-dal, came from Korea to work in Japan during World War II but turned to crime to survive. After his prison release, Do Sam-dal turns violent toward Miyoko. Masaji’s early years in Japan are shadowed by his father’s violence and the pervasive anti-Korean sentiment in Japan. After a life-threatening altercation with Do Sam-dal, Miyoko flees, and Masaji and his sisters endure abuse from their father’s new partner. Do Sam-dal forces Masaji to attend a Korean school, where North Korean propaganda paints a utopian picture of the new country, urging the Korean population in Japan to repatriate. Members of a Korean institution force Miyoko to return home and urge Do Sam-dal to cease his abuses. The family relocates to North Korea in 1960 at Do Sam-dal’s insistence.

The family confronts the harsh reality of life under a totalitarian regime. Marked as outsiders due to their Japanese heritage and returnee status, they endure discrimination, surveillance, and squalor. Miyoko forages for food, as rations are only given to workers, and her lack of Korean language skills limits her employment. Do Sam-dal apologizes for his decision to relocate, rekindling his relationship with Miyoko. A house fire destroys their home, and they rebuild with minimal help. Masaji excels academically, but his heritage limits his opportunities. He works on a village farm.

Miyoko's mother's death devastates her, and a military takeover of the family’s village disrupts their lives. A political shift allows the family to return to their small home, where they find temporary solace. Masaji marries a returnee, Lee He-suku, under pressure from his father. They have a son, but Lee He-suku leaves shortly after. Masaji struggles financially and later weds Kim Te-sul, a divorced returnee, encouraged again by his father. Miyoko dies: She had urged Masaji to take her ashes back to Japan. Masako, Masaji’s sister, marries a returnee but soon comes home—expelled, pregnant, and with two stepchildren. Her newborn son dies after a few months, leaving her grief-stricken. Masaji looks for work and unwillingly survives a suicide attempt.

Masaji returns home as food shortages worsen. He builds a shack so that his family can live independently from the government. Masaji and his wife resort to stealing, foraging, and selling their blood to feed their children. After his wife's second pregnancy results in hospitalization, the family secures a small apartment. Returnees gain higher social status in North Korea, but Masaji's family remains marginalized. Following accusations of theft, Masaji’s eldest son flees persecution, losing contact with his family. Do Sam-dal dies after a violent attack, and Masaji reflects on his father’s dying wish for him to return to Japan. Masaji’s sister disappears after accumulating debt.

Kim Il-sung's death shocks North Korea, and public mourning quickly shifts to criticism of the new leader. The 1990s famine devastates the country, leading to widespread death, violence, and economic collapse. Masaji’s family faces starvation, and he and his wife decide he must defect. He sneaks onto a train and crosses the Yalu River into China, where Kim, an elderly Korean man, rescues him and helps him reach a Japanese consulate. Despite facing bureaucratic challenges, Masaji eventually boards a flight to Tokyo, expressing gratitude for the help he received along the way. In Japan, he grapples with relief and worry for his family, feeling isolated as his efforts to support himself and reconnect with his family fail. News of his wife and daughter’s deaths shatter him. His youngest son informs him of his eldest son's whereabouts, but letters cease, leaving Masaji uncertain of their safety. Despite newfound security, Masaji regrets escaping alone, clinging to hope of reuniting with his surviving children one day.