Being a North Korea watcher is like being a dedicated watcher of a niche television show most people don’t watch. When one episode suddenly gets more views than usual, the people who don’t normally watch then claim to be big fans and act as if they’ve seen every episode.

One of the most frustrating trends in modern political discourse fueled by social media and 24/7 cable news is when the self-proclaimed experts suddenly come out of the woodwork and claim expertise on topics they previously showed no knowledge or interest about.

I have followers and colleagues who know way more about North Korea than me. But I’ve also read my share of books, interviewed experts, talked to defectors, visited the DMZ, written articles, and am doing my master’s on it. It’s fair to say I have more knowledge than the layman.