Ask a North Korean

by Daniel Tudor

  Prof. Inae Hyun:

  North Korea does not allow any outside information to be distributed within the country, instead preserving the exclusive right of promoting only official ideology over the people. Because its system controls every aspect of people’s lives, it is impossible in the current environment to imagine any civil movement or revolution emerging. As such, we can only expect a military coup caused by instability among the top elites to create a major change.

  Following the execution of Jang Song Thaek, it is apparent that there was a power struggle within the top elite. This struggle was caused primarily by economic factors. In addition, it seems that people have doubts about Kim Jong Un’s abilities as a leader: I’m personally doubtful that he possesses the characteristics needed to lead such a poor and difficult country. Above all, I actually don’t think he’s clever enough.

  Sung-ha Joo:

  I believe it will last for at least five more years. Above all, it is difficult to imagine a coup d’etat occurring in North Korea. It is also clear that neighboring countries like South Korea do not wish a collapse to happen. As such, I believe the North Korean regime will only collapse when Kim Jong Un dies—but I can’t see any factors threatening his life in the foreseeable future.

  But what could cause a collapse of Kim Jong Un’s regime? For me, only an assassination—or central government losing control due to a rapid expansion of market activity.

  However, considering some experts said the unification of Germany would have been a lot more difficult to achieve than that of the Koreas, you can see how difficult it is to predict history. After all, who could have predicted the timing of the collapse of the Soviet Union?

  PART 3

  Media and Information

  [Introduction]

  Control of media and information is one of the main pillars of any dictatorship. And according to think tank Freedom House, North Korea has the least free press of any country in the world. You will simply never hear anything critical of the state from the small number of permitted sources of news and information in North Korea.

  But that doesn’t mean that North Koreans are completely unaware of what is going on. There are many who listen to shortwave radio broadcasts from abroad. There are those living near the China-DPRK border who secretly tune in to South Korean dramas broadcast on Chinese TV. There are many more—probably a majority of the population—who have watched South Korean TV shows brought in through China on DVD or USB drives.

  South Korean drama shows are more important than foreign news, as they are entertaining. Just like back home, soap operas are more popular than serious news. But defectors often report that they were heavily affected by the sight of rich and relatively free-living South Koreans, in contrast with what they had been told by the state.

  Though these developments are undermining the state’s control over how people think, we should be careful not to jump to the tempting conclusion that major political change will result. From my own experience of discussions with North Koreans, it seems there are still relatively few who can even imagine the downfall of the regime; rather, future hopes are often expressed in terms of “I hope the government will undertake reform X.” This is the product of a combination of residual respect for Kim Il Sung; fear; decades of propaganda; and the seductive power of monarchy, which North Korea now definitely is.

  Nevertheless, growing consumption of foreign media—along with growing marketization—means a loosening of attitudes, even from those in power. There seems to be a new attitude of allowing more and more low-level freedoms (e.g., in how people dress), while continuing to crack down aggressively on anything that challenges real government control.

  What do North Koreans think about South Korean and Western music and movies?

  DT: This is not a trivial question, as one of the main drivers of social change in North Korea is the illicit importation of South Korean and Western TV shows, movies, and music. It is a phenomenon that influences the way people think, speak, and dress.

  Ji-min Kang:

  In North Korea, “Western culture” is often referred to as the “Yellow Wind.” You probably won’t be surprised to know, but at the time I left North Korea (2005) officials were labeling foreign movies and music an “imperialist cultural invasion” and ruthlessly banning them. Consequently, those caught watching Western movies would often have to face either public execution or jail time in the political prison camps. Still, no matter how hard the authorities tried to keep foreign culture out of North Korea, they obviously couldn’t control everyone.

  When I look back, it’s clear that I indulged myself with Western and South Korean culture at great risk to my life and that of my family. But of course, my desire to access that new culture is also probably the reason why I’m in the UK today.

  You see, the foreign cultures and lifestyles visible in the DVDs and TV shows in the 2000s were especially appealing to the younger generation in North Korea, the contents of which all had a dreamlike quality to us. So, just like in other countries around the world, the DVDs and films we watched had an affect on us—often leading to new trends in our sheltered North Korean culture, too.

  At first, it was Western culture that initially swept across Pyongyang and other big cities in North Korea. After that, Chinese and Hong Kong culture was the next to reach the big cities. Then South Korean dramas and music started to arrive. This had a serious effect on the North Korean people.

  Nowadays, pretty much everyone in North Korea can sing one or two South Korean songs and remember the lyrics. These days there are even dance instructors teaching the choreography of South Korean pop idol groups in North Korea.

  Of course, many North Korean songs are about the crazed deification of the Kim family and the dictatorship. That’s why people are inclined to be attracted to South Korean songs about love, romantic relationships and basic human feelings.

  But just how much do North Koreans really like South Korean culture? Perhaps the following examples will give you some idea.

  At times when there are electricity shortages in North Korea—when it becomes difficult to watch South Korean TV shows or DVDs—soldiers would disassemble tank batteries to provide the electricity needed to continue watching. I’ve also heard that even some guards on the North Korea-China border find solace in watching South Korean dramas and films.

  Why are we so crazy about South Korean and Western culture?

  Well, the new world we experienced through these foreign dramas and movies was much more affluent and free than we’d ever imagined. The confident expressions, behavior, and true love which the actors displayed were either the kinds of things we weren’t allowed to have in North Korea, or simply things you wouldn’t often see in public.

  For us it seemed that when people in these movies were in love, they were not afraid to show it. They freely expressed their opinions. They didn’t live in a totalitarian society where they were forced to obey rules. They were affluent, and their fashion and the towns they lived in were astonishing. Their world appeared like heaven to us, who were living in a society that seemed to control every human instinct. In this environment, people like me became fascinated by the outside world through film and TV. While we had next to nothing, foreigners had almost everything.

  I realized after I left that it is understandable why the North Korean government fears the free flow of Western culture, a culture that does not discourage liberalism or human instinct. In short, the Pyongyang leadership knows that foreign culture could bring about a collapse of the dictatorship they have spent so many decades building.

  But their control is not total and foreign DVDs and films continue to enter North Korea. Today I can’t even begin to imagine how many young North Koreans will be enjoying the wild and racy pop culture of South Korea.

  Freedom is something delightful and enjoyable for everyone, especially those who grew up under a dictatorship like in North Korea. Now North Koreans are in the process of rediscovering basic human instinc
ts that were so long denied. I hope the spring of democracy and freedom will arrive for my countrymen, some of who have lived with less dignity than animals.

  Do you learn much about the outside world from North Korean news?

  DT: If you read a North Korean newspaper or watch North Korean TV news, you’ll probably see a lot of Kim Jong Un, his father, and his grandfather. You’ll see positive news about domestic matters, and occasionally, some foreign news—but not anything that might make you think that life is better elsewhere, or that the DPRK government could do better.

  Kim Yoo-sung:

  I think the majority of North Koreans don’t know about the news that isn’t covered in the North Korean media. In an isolated country like that, there is very little information coming in from the outside world.

  A limited number of North Koreans do find out. They are the ones who frequently visit China on business trips, or who smuggle goods across the Sino-NK border. And there are others who hear news not covered in the North Korean media by secretly listening to South Korean radio.

  So, would they hear of news like the actions of the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong? There is very little chance of ordinary North Koreans finding out about these kinds of events if they aren’t broadcast in the North Korean media. The only way for them to find out about anti-Chinese government protests in Hong Kong is by listening to South Korean radio in secret.

  The North Korean government almost never reports any anti-government protest in other countries, because it is afraid the people would be encouraged to stage similar anti-government protests to end the dictatorship.

  But can people spread news by word of mouth at the jangmadang (marketplace)? My answer would be no. It’s impossible for ordinary North Koreans to talk to one another about news that’s not officially reported by the government. Since there are informants present at the jangmadang, you could be sent directly to the State Security Department if you were ever overheard talking about such things.

  North Koreans are therefore too afraid to talk openly about unofficial news in public places, such as the jangmadang. Even if they do talk about it, they make sure this is only with their family members in the home; they’d never talk about it outside.

  So how do some North Koreans discover that the outside world is different? In my personal opinion, the majority of North Koreans already know that the outside world is different. They learned that other countries are very different by watching movies from South Korea, America and Europe following an influx of those movies in the early 2000s. Until my third year of high school, I believed North Korea was not that different from other countries and that in some aspects North Korea was superior.

  Things changed in my fourth year. When I watched South Korean dramas for the first time in 2002 I was completely shocked, because South Korea was completely different from what I’d always thought it to be. From then on, I became curious about the outside world and wondered what it would be like to live in other countries. Day by day, my desire to visit other countries grew.

  I think other North Koreans learned that the outside world was very different by watching movies and video footage. I also think that they hope North Korea will become like those other countries.

  Do North Koreans know that freedom, liberty, human rights and democracy exist in some other countries? I think most North Koreans don’t know that those values exist in other places. They merely learn that life in other countries is freer and more comfortable than in North Korea. They don’t know that people can be totally free and have their human rights respected.

  Ordinary North Koreans can secretly listen to foreign radio if they try to, and a minority of people do, I think. I imagine they stay up-to-date with international news by secretly listening to foreign radio every night.

  But even if they do, they can’t openly talk about it once they step outside their homes. It’s therefore very hard for word about the outside world to reach a large number of people in North Korea. Also, some people are too afraid to listen out of fear of getting caught by the government. If you are caught, you’ll be sent straight to the State Security Department or a political prison camp.

  Greater access to news may help ordinary North Koreans, to some extent. But it will not necessarily bring democratic change to North Korea. To bring change to North Korea, the elites, rather than ordinary people, would need to change first. Even if there were greater international news coverage in North Korea, it would not necessarily lead to democratization. Nor would it change the miserable living conditions of North Koreans overnight.

  What kinds of books are available in North Korea?

  DT: Young people around the world read less and less these days, a consequence of the rise of new distractions, like the Internet and the smartphone. There are fewer such distractions in North Korea, so reading is as popular as ever. The kind of reading material available is highly limited due to censorship, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that people will find the novels, non-fiction, and comic books available to them boring.

  Jae Young Kim:

  As far as literature is concerned, censorship and ideology direct everything in North Korea. Of course, we have many different types of books, but all are checked thoroughly for political correctness. However, just because a book conforms to those standards, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is boring.

  When I was little, like many other children I read a collection of books titled Memoirs. This long epic was about the birth, childhood, and death of our first leader, Kim Il Sung. It was eight volumes long and I read every page with fascination, despite the highly ideological subject matter.

  Reading these books, I became very impressed by the heroine Kim Jong Suk. She was the first wife of Kim Il Sung. She was depicted as a selfless woman always making sacrifices for the leader, and I remember her drying Kim Il Sung’s wet clothes with her own body and even making insoles for his shoes out of her own hair, to protect his feet. I felt so proud reading these stories about the Great Leader, and was inspired to behave like Kim Jong Suk. It was books like this, alongside The Complete Works of Kim Il Sung and Immortal Leadership, that taught us to praise the revolutionary history and great work of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.

  It might sound strange to you, but these kinds of books were very popular and hard to borrow without a long wait at the library. Despite being distinctly political works, I guess that, ultimately, they were good reading.

  Compared to South Korea and America, the contents of our novels did not vary much, it is true, but I do remember gripping tales about heroic soldiers or prisoners of war being returned to the country. Some might say we were being brainwashed, but at least it was done entertainingly.

  Folk stories were the only popular books without any political ideology. I remember books like Lim Kkunk Jung and Chun Hyang Jeon were quite popular.

  Regarding fiction, some of the best children’s stories were imported from foreign countries—I especially enjoyed “Daddy Long Legs” and “Cinderella.” The stories and pictures in these books fascinated us because they reflected the mindset of another world—although to us it was just fantasy anyway, so I guess they were deemed politically safe.

  You’d need dedication to get hold of these books, however. I would always queue in long lines, and join long waiting lists to borrow books from the local library. When I got hold of a desired book, I’d have it for one week. Having had to wait so long for the privilege, I would waste no time absorbing it. For many North Koreans, reading is a real pleasure. That said, many people can’t read at all.

  Aside from children’s books, we have access to foreign technical books and even a few translated novels, although these are mostly imported from China and Russia. Whatever comes over the border, however, is usually edited out of its original form.

  Before publishing a book in North Korea, it is seriously censored by the authorities. As a result, nobody writes political books. Books or writings with “wrong” thoughts can end up with the reade
r facing serious investigation if caught with them. Now I am in South Korea I am so happy that I can read all kinds of books whenever I want.

  How do people get access to foreign TV shows and movies? And, is the increasing access North Koreans have to such media likely to result in dissent, mass defections, or other actions that would weaken regime control?

  DT: Technology is really making a difference to North Koreans’ access to information about the outside world. Some lucky people in the border regions have long been able to receive TV signals from China or South Korea, but for the majority, it was first the DVD/CD and then the USB stick that opened up a new world for them. But while this development is certainly encouraging defections and changing North Koreans’ minds about the outside world, we should be cautious about making any assumptions that it will result in political change, as Jinhyok Park explains.

  Jinhyok Park:

  It took a couple of decades for ordinary North Koreans to realize that South Koreans and Chinese are much more advanced and wealthier than they are. This was due to the regime’s strict ban on outside information: the North Korean government desperately wants to keep outside information from making its way to its people.

  Many ordinary North Koreans believe that the Korean War was started by the United States, not the DPRK, and a lot of them aren’t even aware of the genealogy of the Kim family they are forced to worship.

  But outside information began to make its way into North Korea in the late 1990s. During the famine, it wasn’t just humanitarian aid consisting of food and medical supplies that made its way into North Korea: Chinese goods and products were smuggled in, too.

  The Chinese economy was progressing at a faster pace than ever and in witnessing this, North Koreans stopped looking down on Chinese people. In the early 2000s, dramas, movies and music from China, Hong Kong, America and South Korea became popular across the country, dramatically changing people’s perception of the world. North Koreans began to look on the outside world with admiration, a tremendous change for North Koreans who grew up being brainwashed and doing only what they were told by the regime.