The Life of a North Korean

Life as a North Korean

Tension between North Korea and the US has been rising this past year- mostly from threatening tweets between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. So far it has been a war on words. Recent news seems to be updating those in the US about how a possible nuclear war could possibly occur, but what about the 24 million ordinary people who are living their lives in North Korea? Since the famine of the 1990s, the North Korean government basically lost control of their economy. They were no longer able to function with a state socialist economy, provide rations to the people and so on. This lead people to take their livelihoods into their own hands; and they started to basically engage in survival entrepreneurialism. Civilians started to smuggle goods to and from China. From this, the rise of capitalism emerged- basically a market economy.

According to Sokeel Park, a director of research and strategy for Liberty in North Korea who works with a group that works with refugees from the North, “…the country is changing on the inside”. Park continues to mention that there is “more foreign information and media seeping into the country”. More North Koreans have access to materials like mobile phones, DVD players, computers. They are also increasingly watching South Korean movies and soap operas. Park further mentions: “We don’t have a civil society. We don’t have organized opposition. But some of the seeds for space outside of government control, some of those are starting to form. This is actually where I think a lot of the change and hope is on North Korea today”. However, Park’s points should not undermine the horrible living conditions North Koreans must endure day-to-day because of their totalitarian regime. Many North Koreans must fleet from their country in order to survive from poverty, starvation, and receive more human rights. Kim Jung Un describes his country to have, “the most advantageous human rights system”. He wants to create this picture to the public that North Korea allows it’s citizens to have a civilized living standard with a creative working life. If this was so, then why do thousands of North Koreans try to escape each year? A North Korean’s reality is that they face suffering from lack of food, expression, right to life, and discrimination.

    

Figure 2: A North Korean prison policewoman stands guard behind fences at a jail on the banks of Yalu River Reuters

We often hear about the politics behind North Korea’s nuclear weapon program through the media and global news, along with Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump’s action to create greater tension between the United States and North Korea. This raises the question, “What is life like from a North Korean perspective?” Hyeonseo Lee shares her story and discusses how she was brainwashed into thinking that North Korea was the best county in the world. Up until she was 14, she was taught to believe that Kim Jong Un was the greatest leader in the world and that she must constantly hold great pride in her identity as a North Korean. She was never taught to question nor have basic human rights such as creative expression, internet access, etc. As the famine in the 90s occurred, she soon realized that people in North Korea were suffering, including parts of her family who died from starvation. She then began to seek refuge in China with her distant family away from her intimate family as age 14. She learned through experience that being a North Korean refugee was dangerous because she was considered an illegal migrant in China. If she was identity was revealed as a North Korean, then she would face penalty such was imprison or execution. Hyeonseo’s story reveals that people who report about the life of a North Korean is flawed from what they actually face in real life. North Koreans face constant propaganda and are conditioned to believe that their country is leading as an example to the rest in the world as a socialist state with national self-reliance and state-run enterprises.

Figure 1: Hyeonseo Lee is a North Korean who successfully escaped the country

                                    

Terrorism

Six republican senators and six democratic senators have teamed up to send a letter to the state department regarding the addition of North Korea to the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. The Warambier family are accusing North Korea’s authoritarian government of kidnapping and torturing their son. The family is claiming that North Korea plays the victim, when in reality they are terrorists. The family met with lawmakers at capitol hill to discuss the issue that is currently being reviewed and processed. The secretary of State must determine that North Korea’s government has repeatedly provided support for international terrorism in order for the claim to go through. The Warambier’s son  returned to the U.S this summer while in a coma. He faced 17 years of imprisonment in North Korea. He died a few days after his return due to lack of blood and oxygen in the brain.

This issue is related to the subject of torture and terrorism that we have been learning in class. North Korea has been known for its terrorism and is currently being reviewed to be known officially as a State sponsor of Terrorism. The use of illegitimate violence is the issue that ties North Korea to global politics. The North Korean prisoner of the issue above, was released while facing the brink of death. Illegitimate violence is used to wear down an opponent’s moral resolve and inflict political change. As we can see,North Korea definitely got a severe response from its prisoner. The issue of terrorism is important for global politics because innocent lives are at the risk of danger and casualties. Global politics usually tries to aim for the greater good of all. Terrorism is the opposite of this ideology. Many tragic event have occurred due to the acts of illegitimate violence around the globe.

Media:

Trump and Kim could be facing a start of a war based off social media. Trump referred to Kim as the “little rocket man” and many other insults. These threats could lead to potential turmoil. Kim actually did respond to some of Trump’s tweets, he referred to him as a dotard. In this generation, a tweet can start a political debate or maybe even lead to war.

                                    

Figure 3: Sack cartoon: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un

We studied the effects of media in class and I felt that Trump uses a lot of his social media to get his political statements across the globe. There have been many controversial tweets and political debates regarding his use of twitter. As we learned in class, the use of media is used to spread the word of current issues and that is Trump’s main reason as to why he creates many political tweets.

Global politics in this generation, is important in the media and even social media. Many people start political debates through twitter and facebook. Media is an important resource for information and for political involvement. The Media is important for global politics because it allows for citizens to become aware of unknown issues. The media is a huge improvement for global politics because it sheds light on unknown issues to people who aren’t really kept up to date in politics.

Conclusion

North Korea's nuclear weapons should be a major concern to everyone as it can potentially affect everyone in the world. Nuclear weapons create both immediate and overtime effects that are not easily repairable. When a country as trigger-happy as North Korea has access to weapons of mass destruction, everyone should be paying attention. North Korea's nukes can impact several different countries. If they are to actually use one of their small country destroying weapons, this can lead to evacuations of certain areas, famines, radioactive diseases, and a country that needs help from major world powers. In our current global politics, a country being nuked will be several steps taken backward in the international globe of becoming a better world.

North Korea is a country that is hard for people not from the country to relate to, and that has people that aren't able to relate to the world outside North Korea. Due to the development of North Korea in recent centuries, it has created a disconnect between its people and the rest of the world. Citizens get their information directly from the government, and all the media they receive is filtered by the government. This has made it hard to relate to and understand  North Korea's citizens, making it impossible to come  agreement with the immature leadership of North Korea.

Works Cited

1. BBC. (2017, August 10). North Korea's nuclear programme: How advanced is it? Retrieved October 30, 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-11813699

2. Human Rights Watch. (2017, January 12). North Korea. Retrieved October 30, 2017, from https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/north-korea

3. Samuelson, K. (2017, September 22). All the Times Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump Swapped Insults. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from http://time.com/4953283/kim-jong-un-donald-trump-insults/

4. Westcott, B. (2017, September 26). Could North Korean, US threats of destruction cause an accidental war? Retrieved October 31, 2017, from http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/26/asia/north-korea-us-accidental-war/index.html

5. Everyday Life In North Korea. (2017, September 09). Retrieved October 31, 2017, from http://www.npr.org/2017/09/09/549690182/everyday-life-in-north-korea

6. T. (2013, March 20). My escape from North Korea | Hyeonseo Lee. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdxPCeWw75k

7. Park, M. (2014, September 15). North Korea: Human rights in DPRK is 'superior system'. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/15/world/asia/north-korea-human-rights-report/index.html

8. Robinson, M. (2017, August 10). A photographer captured these dismal photos of life in North Korea on his phone. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from http://www.businessinsider.com/photos-of-life-in-north-korea-2017-8/#there-are-nearly-no-fat-people-in-north-korea-everyone-looks-very-thin-chu-said-6

9. Secret State: A journey into the heart of North Korea. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2017, from http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2017/09/asia/north-korea-secret-state/

10. Greenwood, M. (2017, October 05). Senators ask State to designate North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/354034-senators-ask-state-dept-to-designate-north-korea-state-sponsor-of-terrorism

11. Park, M. (2014, February 17). North Korea: 'We were forced to eat grass and soil'. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/16/world/asia/north-korea-un-report/