He is the author, with Pierre Rigoulot, of The Aquariums of Pyongyang and worked as a staff writer specialized in North Korean affairs for The Chosun Ilbo.

The amount of remittances being sent from Japan to North Korea deteriorated due to the wave of mass imprisonment.

[3] In 1992, Kang and An Hyuk escaped from North Korea by crossing the Yalu River into China.

After publishing The Aquariums of Pyongyang, Kang met with US President George W. Bush[5] and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.

[6] He has spoken with several organizations about human rights in North Korea[7][8] and visited Japan for a discussion about abductees.

In 2011, it was assumed that his sister, Mi-ho, and her 11-year-old son are in Yodok concentration camp, having been sent back there as retaliation for Kang's defection.