“Nearly seventy years after its creation, North Korea remains closed and as cruel as ever.”
– The Girl With Seven Names
As the world debates whether Kim Jong-un is alive or dead, a former escapee presumes that he is likely in hiding to save his significant backside from the deadly coronavirus. It seems odd since North Korea continues to claim that "not a single person" in the country has been infected. Death by virus might not be such a horrible way to go for a North Korean, as a deeper look reveals that all is not well in the Democrat People’s Republic of Korea.
North Korea was founded in 1948, following the end of World War II. It was there, as a major in the Soviet Red Army, where Kim Il Sung, the patriarch, earned his stripes. Three generations of the Kim family have ruled the roost ever since beginning with Kim Il-Sung (1948-1994) known as The Great Leader; followed by Kim Jong-Il (1994-2011), known as Dear Leader; and finally, the current despot himself, Kim Jong-Un (2011- present), known colloquially as Little Rocket Man for his love of shooting missiles into the sea. The Kim Dynasty continues to reign supreme over the 25.5 million North Koreans in one of the world’s most communist, atheist nations.
The peninsula of Korea divided following WWII when North Korea went the way of the Soviet Union and Marxism, while South Korea chose the path of the Americas and capitalism. In fact, in 1958, Il-Sung officially declared his country socialist and eliminated private property. The peninsula is not the only thing divided, and like most societies, North Korea has its own class warfare. Families classified as loyal are well cared for and live quite normally in the capital, Pyongyang, where they represent about 10-15 percent of the population. The remaining live in various degrees of squalor, with only bribery available to improve their lot.
In the communist utopia of North Korea, there is no due process and no trials. Over 100,000 North Koreans reside in labor or concentration camps, much like those seen in Nazi Germany. Most will die from starvation, forced labor, disease, or execution. Their crimes are largely disloyalty or disobedience to their Leader. Executions are public and everyone, including children, is required to attend. Another quarter-million or more lost their lives in a terrible famine in the mid-1990s that resulted from antiquated infrastructure that failed to provide adequate food. The regime remedied the matter by suggesting that, perhaps, two meals a day might be healthier than three.
The socialist provider of all good things, the Public Distribution System, promised to provide free food, fuel, housing, and clothing, everything a guy could ever want. Yet, after the famine, and repeated system failures, North Koreans turned to buying and selling essential items through black markets. The need was so severe that even officials increasingly looked the other way as more markets sprung up to fill the void. Markets, therefore, are now providing a significant amount of goods and services with products like good toilet paper and fresh produce continuing to be smuggled in from China.
Brainwashing has been successfully used to convince the masses that they are living better than other people around the globe. Their South Korean neighbors, they’ve been told, live in rags. While the highest hostility is reserved for Americans, even the accommodating Chinese are held in suspicion.
Reports have surfaced regarding an illicit drug trade in North Korea involving both heroin and methamphetamines with profits from the trade used to fund their growing Nuclear Arms Production. Citizens dabble in illegal drugs, as well, to alleviate pain when prescription drugs are difficult to obtain.
In Hyeonseo Lee’s 2015 book, “The Girl with Seven Names”, Lee describes her early life in North Korea as a time of little freedom, when permission was needed to leave the country, and where regular inspections were made for signs of loyalty to the leader. Schools taught nationalism and communism and children were trained to rat out their treacherous parents. Consequently, there was little opportunity for community fellowship due to the fear of snitches and informers who were compensated for their allegiance. Lee’s family eventually earned a few luxuries, like a colored TV, accessible only because of their ties to the régime. At the age of 17, Lee defected to China where she faced many challenges before returning to rescue her mother and brother. Lee and her family now reside in South Korea.
Today, 70 years later, the Korean peninsula is increasingly divided by language, lifestyle, and liberty. Economically, South Koreans regularly rank in the top 20 highest GDP in the world, while North Korea perpetually ranks at the bottom. Every year on Earth Day, satellite images continue to illustrate the division with the southern half of the peninsula lit like a Christmas tree as the north sits in isolated darkness. To the victors belong the spoils, to the victims belong the sacrifice. History’s a harsh judge.
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