escapetofreedomlanglit-blog

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North Korean girls caught by Chinese police

These girls are one of the thousands of children who are caught or reported as escaped North Korean. As Hyeonseo Lee mentioned, if they are caught, they are usually sent back to North Korea, where they would most likely be tortured and executed in the public. However, these girls were lucky as they were released due to heavy international pressure. 

From this, we can learn the powerful impacts of international pressure. They can cause changes in the decisions and how they are treated if they are enforced in a strict and potent manner. 

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Facts

They strictly follow a rule “three generation punishment” where if one of the family members violates a law not only does the entire family gets a punishment but also the generation above and below them. 

Elections are held every 5 years but there’s only one candidate as a choice. If they would like to vote for someone else as their leader they could stretch off the name (Kim Jong-un) and write a different name. However, they can’t be done anonymously. 

It is year 105 and not 2016 due to the fact that they mark their years starting when Kim Il-sung was born. 

The internet is very limited as it is controlled and censored by the government.

 They have their own operating system called “Red Star” which are also filtered by the government.

They enlist about 2000 young, attractive women as a part of “Pleasure Squad” who provide entertainment and sexual services to top officials

The citizens of North Korea are forced to provide feces as a fertilizer for growing crops due to lack of resources. 

They enforce strict rules on hairstyles so hair salons have list of hairstyles that are approved by the government. 

There are about 34,000 statues in North Korea. 

Citizens are all required to wear a badge featuring his face 

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My personal opinion

I understand that because I have never lived in North Korea and have directly faced and experienced the horrific truths, it may be impossible for me to draw a conclusion just based on what I’ve heard and briefly saw. However, hearing from individuals who have seen, felt and experienced first hand ever since they were born, I was able to get a good sense of how they felt going through those situations. As I was hearing these speeches and personal anecdotes about how they first saw a public execution when they were just 9, and how they had to watch their families forced into jail enraged me. I was outraged by the injustice done to innocent civilians and the corrupted political and social system that doesn’t allow for any changes. And at the same time, I was ashamed for the fact that despite the few miles in between me and those who are suffering currently, there’s nothing I can do for them directly.

I wish I could take them out of the country where they are treated like animals. I wish I could take actions for those who have to live in constant fear. And I wish that those who are getting tortured and killed for seeking changes would be acknowledged and set free.

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North Korea Famine (1994~1998)

The inadequate food production, corrupt social services, and insufficient foreign affairs had led to this devastating famine that would result in malnourishment of 40% of children in the nation and destroy the lives of 2.5 million people. 

To this day, people in North Korea are still suffering from regular food shortages despite the previous aids that have been provided. 

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Yeonmi Park: “How I escaped the horrors of life under Kim Jong-il”

Yeonmi Park is another example of someone who escaped North Korea. Although she was able to successfully settle in Korea in the end, this followed excruciating phases and sacrifices by her family members and herself. First, her father was imprisoned and tortured by the officials for illegally selling gold and silver to Chinese over the border. Next, she had to cross three mountains and a frozen river that separated North Korea and China. She also faced local smugglers who refused to help them and even threatened them that they would turn them into Chinese officials if they refused to have sex with them. 

It is devastating to hear that these sickening and horrifying cases are still occurring even today. And through this media, I hope that it will attract more people to start caring and taking actions to protect those who are getting abused and suffering to this day.

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My experience in North Korea

I had the chance to tour around North Korea when I was seven years old as my mom was a tourist guide. Although it was possible to go on tour to North Korea, many of my friends gasped when I told them that I would be traveling there. Of course, I knew that it could be dangerous as both countries are technically still in war with each other, but it was far beyond what I have imagined when I got there.

We took a tour bus inside and as I remember, it only took us about an hour and a half. But despite the short distance, the mood drastically changed as we entered the 38th parallel border. The deeper we went into the border, there were increasing numbers of soldiers standing with their guns almost ready to shoot—even at slightest glitch. We had to stop at every gate (there were about 6 or 7) and the soldiers often came into our bus with their guns to make sure we weren’t carrying anything with us and to check to see if there were any suspicious activities going on.

When I stepped outside the bus and looked around in the center of the village, I could only find two things: silence and soldiers. The soldiers with their guns were in a perfect line with exactly 5 meters between them, and they were all facing the same direction without moving slightest bit. I stared with amazement as if I was looking at a robot exhibition but imagined how terrifying if must be for people living in this environment where they are watched 24/7. 

Fews weeks after I came back from the trip, there was a news: a South Korean tourist had been shot. She was a middle-aged woman around her 50’s who allegedly went out of the line while going through security. From that incident and onwards, no tourism was allowed in North Korea.

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Transcript of Hyeonseo Lee’s TED Talk (Feb 2013)

“When I was little, I thought my country was the best on the planet. And I grew up singing a song called "Nothing To Envy." And I was very proud. In school, we spent a lot of time studying the history of Kim Il-Sung, but we never learned much about the outside world, except that America, South Korea, Japan are the enemies. Although I often wondered about the outside world, I thought I would spend my entire life in North Korea, until everything suddenly changed. When I was seven years old, I saw my first public execution. But I thought my life in North Korea was normal. My family was not poor, and myself, I had never experienced hunger. But one day, in 1995, my mom brought home a letter from a coworker's sister. It read, "When you read this, our five family members will not exist in this world, because we haven't eaten for the past three weeks. We are lying on the floor together, and our bodies are so weak, we are waiting to die." I was so shocked. This was the first time I heard that people in my country were suffering. Soon after, when I was walking past a train station, I saw something terrible that to this day I can't erase from my memory. A lifeless woman was lying on the ground, while an emaciated child in her arms just stared helplessly at his mother's face. But nobody helped them, because they were so focused on taking care of themselves and their families. A huge famine hit North Korea in the mid-1990s. Ultimately, more than a million North Koreans died during the famine, and many only survived by eating grass, bugs and tree bark. Power outages also became more and more frequent, so everything around me was completely dark at night, except for the sea of lights in China, just across the river from my home. I always wondered why they had lights, but we didn't. This is a satellite picture showing North Korea at night, compared to neighbors. This is the Amnok River, which serves as a part of the border between North Korea and China. As you can see, the river can be very narrow at certain points, allowing North Koreans to secretly cross. But many die. Sometimes, I saw dead bodies floating down the river. I can't reveal many details about how I left North Korea, but I only can say that during the ugly years of the famine, I was sent to China to live with distant relatives. But I only thought that I would be separated from my family for a short time. I could have never imagined that it would take 14 years to live together. In China, it was hard living as a young girl without my family. I had no idea what life was going to be like as a North Korean refugee. But I soon learned it's not only extremely difficult, it's also very dangerous since North Korean refugees are considered in China as illegal migrants. So I was living in constant fear that my identity could be revealed, and I would be repatriated to a horrible fate, back in North Korea. One day, my worst nightmare came true, when I was caught by the Chinese police, and brought to the police station for interrogation. Someone had accused me of being North Korean, so they tested my Chinese language abilities, and asked me tons of questions. I was so scared. I thought my heart was going to explode. If anything seemed unnatural, I could be imprisoned and repatriated. I thought my life was over. But I managed to control all the emotions inside me, and answer the questions. After they finished questioning me, one official said to another, "This was a false report. She's not North Korean." And they let me go. It was a miracle. Some North Koreans in China seek asylum in foreign embassies. But many can be caught by the Chinese police, and repatriated. These girls were so lucky. Even though they were caught, they were eventually released, after heavy international pressure. These North Koreans were not so lucky. Every year, countless North Koreans are caught in China and repatriated to North Korea, where they can be tortured, imprisoned, or publicly executed. Even though I was really fortunate to get out, many other North Koreans have not been so lucky. It's tragic that North Koreans have to hide their identities and struggle so hard just to survive. Even after learning a new language and getting a job, their whole world can be turned upside down in an instant. That's why, after 10 years of hiding my identity, I decided to risk going to South Korea. And I started a new life yet again. Settling down in South Korea was a lot more challenging than I had expected. English was so important in South Korea, so I had to start learning my third language. Also, I realized there was a wide gap between North and South. We are all Korean, but inside, we have become very different, due to 67 years of division. I even went through an identity crisis. Am I South Korean or North Korean? Where am I from? Who am I? Suddenly, there was no country I could proudly call my own. Even though adjusting to life in South Korea was not easy, I made a plan -- I started studying for the university entrance exam. Just as I was starting to get used to my new life, I received a shocking phone call. The North Korean authorities intercepted some money that I sent to my family, and, as a punishment, my family was going to be forcibly removed to a desolate location in the countryside. They had to get out quickly. So I started planning how to help them escape. North Koreans have to travel incredible distances on the path to freedom. It's almost impossible to cross the border between North Korea and South Korea. So, ironically, I took a flight back to China and headed toward the North Korean border. Since my family couldn't speak Chinese, I had to guide them somehow through more than 2,000 miles in China, and then into Southeast Asia. The journey by bus took one week, and we were almost caught several times. One time, our bus was stopped and boarded by a Chinese police officer. He took everyone's I.D. cards, and he started asking them questions. Since my family couldn't understand Chinese, I thought my family was going to be arrested. As the Chinese officer approached my family, I impulsively stood up, and I told him that these are deaf and dumb people that I was chaperoning. He looked at me suspiciously, but luckily, he believed me. We made it all the way to the border of Laos. But I had to spend almost all my money to bribe the border guards in Laos. But even after we got past the border, my family was arrested and jailed for illegal border crossing. After I paid the fine and bribe, my family was released in one month. But soon after, my family was arrested and jailed again, in the capital of Laos. This was one of the lowest points in my life. I did everything to get my family to freedom, and we came so close, but my family was thrown in jail, just a short distance from the South Korean embassy. I went back and forth between the immigration office and the police station, desperately trying to get my family out. but I didn't have enough money to pay a bribe or fine anymore. I lost all hope. At that moment, I heard one man's voice ask me, "What's wrong?" I was so surprised that a total stranger cared enough to ask. In my broken English, and with a dictionary, I explained the situation, and without hesitating, the man went to the ATM, and he paid the rest of the money for my family, and two other North Koreans to get out of jail. I thanked him with all my heart, and I asked him, "Why are you helping me?" "I'm not helping you," he said. "I'm helping the North Korean people." I realized that this was a symbolic moment in my life. The kind stranger symbolized new hope for me and the North Korean people, when we needed it most. And he showed me that the kindness of strangers and the support of the international community are truly the rays of hope we North Korean people need. Eventually, after our long journey, my family and I were reunited in South Korea. But getting to freedom is only half the battle. Many North Koreans are separated from their families, and when they arrive in a new country, they start with little or no money. So we can benefit from the international community for education, English language training, job training, and more. We can also act as a bridge between the people inside North Korea and the outside world. Because many of us stay in contact with family members still inside, and we send information and money that is helping to change North Korea from inside. I've been so lucky, received so much help and inspiration in my life, so I want to help give aspiring North Koreans a chance to prosper with international support. I'm confident that you will see more and more North Koreans succeeding all over the world, including the TED stage. Thank you.”