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What if North Korea was Liberated?


          Imagine a situation in which the Kim regime was overthrown and in a swift and peaceful action the Korean peninsula becomes united once more. I understand that this situation is very unlikely, but I am interested in how North Koreans would begin their journey to assimilate into a sense of western culture. Many individuals living in this reclusive nation may be oblivious as to what is going on outside their boarders, thus their sense of reality would appear very different to outsiders. I want to explore the effects of life within North Korea and how individuals would adjust to live free from physical and political oppression, by analyzing the stories and experiences of escapees.
            Shin Dong-hyuk, was born into a life of slavery in a North Korean labor camp for political prisoners. He spent the first twenty-three years of his life farming, mining, or performing any other tasks that the guards instructed the prisoners to complete. A failure to follow the strict rules, resulted in fierce beatings or starvation. When in the camp, Shin Dong-hyuk, witnessed a young girl get beat to death for saving some scraps of food; a seemingly incomprehensible reaction to such an insignificant transgression. One of the defining moments of Shin Dong-hyuk’s life was when he reported his mother and brother to the guards for an attempted escape. He did this because he “had no sense of family,” only seeing his family as fellow prisoners who he could utilize to get rewarded by the guards for reporting on others (National Geographic). As a result, his mother and brother were gathered and were executed in front of the prisoners. Shin Dong-hyuk reports that after seeing this horrific scene, he “had no emotion” and believed that “it must have been a sin,” which his mother and brother committed (National Geographic). In January of 2005, Shin Dong-hyuk escaped the prison camp and made his way into China. He spent the following years trying to survive preforming small jobs in both China and South Korea. During this time period, Shin Dong-hyuk had a difficult time functioning because of his severe PTSD. This made it almost impossible to live a normal life, despite the fact that he was now free from physical slavery. Today Shin Dong-hyuk is married and is funneling his resources and experiences to help others in North Korea.
            Shin Dong-hyuk’s story illuminates the reality that the North Korean people cannot simply assimilate into a free life. The residual mental and physical problems serve as massive obstacles for escapees, or potentially for an entire post Kim regime North Korean population. The locations where these escapees arrive, are often not prepared to help these people recover and rehabilitate from their oppressive lives. It takes time and often professional help to allow these people to go on and live a somewhat normal life. If there were to be a liberation of North Korea, the South Korean leaders, as well as other world powers, would have to intervene and provide resources for these people to help them cope with experiencing some sense of freedom for the first time.
            Lee So-yeon, another North Korean escapee, served in the military when she was living in North Korea. As a soldier, Lee So-yeon recalls witnessing “sexual abuse and violence against female soldiers” (NPR). During this time, she also was bombarded with state propaganda, keeping the military in alignment with the goals of the Kim family. After one previous failed attempt, Lee So-yeon successfully made it into China in 2008. She recalls, “I was shocked by freedom — that I didn't need permission to do anything! [...] I couldn't believe there was hot water, hair dryers! I could vote for whomever I wanted. And all the food!" (NPR). Life is so different beyond the borders of North Korea, and once a person experiences a life of freedom, it takes time and a great deal of adjusting to move beyond the effects of isolation, oppression, and propaganda. Since her escape, Lee So-yeon has become involved in an organization which advocates for female defectors.
            Lee So-yeon’s story depicts the transition from soldier to a free woman; which is definitely different than Shin Dong-hyuk’s journey to freedom. Being so immersed in the military and propaganda, it was a life altering shock to experience a life without the constraints to which she was accustomed. These stories remind outsiders that there are real people suffering and if there is to be any change, the ordinary people must not be forgotten. Freedom is something that many people take for granted, but looking at North Korea and listening to the people’s stories, makes us appreciate all that we have in our country.

“The March of Freedom.” The Story of Us With Morgan Freeman. National Geographic. October 11, 2017. Television.


http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/05/26/528615440/defectors-reflect-on-life-in-north-korea

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 24, 2017 at 1:27 PM

    I think that you really bring up some good points in your analysis. The questions that you ask lead me to wonder about the extent of US or western involvement in North Korea, should the Kim regime fall. I think that your ideas really highlight a fundamental problem with humanitarian aid and government intervention in the world, in that there is no idea regarding how much aid or support or intervention outside forces should bring. If the Kim regime should fall, should America stay distant, should it provide some aid, or should it send a full fledged force to help rebuild North Korea, and help the citizens of North Korea assimilate. Is it the US's responsibility at all, should it be left to South Korea, in an attempt to reunite the countries like Germany did after the fall of the Berlin Wall? Should North Koreans be left to pick up the pieces of their own society with limited intervention?

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  2. UnknownOctober 29, 2017 at 4:11 PM

    I would fully agree with your point that it would be hard for the citizens to assimilate after the fall of the Kim regime. After going through the struggle to free these people from the oppression of the country they should not be thrown into a newly established government since they lived their lives only one way and could not cope with a change that big. Professional help could be the least of the problems people might have to deal with since possibly the citizens of the country view the place that they lived their whole lives a place where they do not want to stay which would get into relocation of these people. The assimilation into a western style government might also be tricky since you would run into the problem with the people having every decision politically made for them and this would be a giant step of power for the citizens.

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  3. AnonymousOctober 31, 2017 at 9:01 AM

    This is an interesting approach in considering the severe human security crisis that lies within North Korea. People are mistreated constantly, women are subjected and degraded, and fear has become the common denominator between all civilians. Also, the prospect of escaping in certain scenarios creates an even worse situation. From one of the readings for class, it explains how female refugees who escape from DPRK go into prostitution or become victims of sex trafficking; thus, displaying how escaping essentially puts North Koreans into a seemingly never-ending cycle of subjugation and oppression. Fear becomes inescapable and freedom becomes a far-fetched idea. The implications of 'western liberty' in theory sounds like a good idea for these escapees and refugees, but planting refugees into a western society would inevitably become a culture shock. It should be the responsibility of the western international community to supply refugees with humanitarian assistance and foreign aid in order to slowly implement democratic ideals into the North Korean mindset.

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