North Korea remains among the world’s most repressive countries. Kim Jong Un’s government sharply curtails freedom of expression, religion, and conscience, peaceful assembly, and association. Authorities in North Korea routinely send perceived opponents of the government to secretive prison camps where they face torture, starvation rations, and forced labor. Myanbeni Murry highlights more about life in North Korea.
RULE OF INHUMANITY: NORTH KOREA
In North Korea, the word ‘love’ has only one meaning which is love for the “dear leader”.
A socialist state and a totalitarian dictatorship, North Korea is a country so secretive and is shut off from the rest of the world. It is also known as the “Hermit Kingdom”.
North Korea’s human rights record is often considered to be the worst in the world and it remains one of the world’s most repressive states. It is a place where there is literally no human rights and its government sharply curtails freedom and restricts all civil, political liberties, including freedom of expression, assembly, association and religion. It also prohibits all organized political opposition, independent media, civil society and trade unions.
Leadership in North Korea is all about the mythology and bloodline of the Kim family. The Kim consider themselves as gods and have convinced the general public that they have god-like power. The people of North Korea, it seems, are all essentially brainwashed that the regime is the source of all wisdom and success. Opinions are strictly against the law, people have been brainwashed, threatened and tortured and besides all they don’t have the right to think, growing up they were scared to even think bad about their leaders.
There is nothing such as human rights, human dignity and freedom. The worse human rights violations done under Kim Jong- un’s government are :
Public executions
North Korea is among those few countries where public executions are done. Public executions in North Korea are done often to maintain fear and control over the population. Not only are the lower class people executed but even the higher class citizens who go against him and question his governance are also executed. There was also an incident where Kim Jong-Un brutally shot an orchestra conductor 90 times in front of every artist in Pyongyang because he disagreed with Kim Jong-Un’s opinion.
All for one and one for all
For crimes, a law was enacted to prevent criminals from escaping prison known as ‘the three generation punishment’ where the entire family bloodline of the escaped criminals all the way to their grandparents were punished. So basically, if your grandfather committed a crime your parents and you will remain in prison until you die.
Forced starvation
Hunger is a major problem around the world but since North Korea is a secretive country, there is no help from other countries. Many children go to sleep hungry and about 40% of the population die due to hunger in labour camps. As one can expect, it causes a lot of illness, including cannibalism being reported and even stories of children fighting for a piece of food.
Trafficking and sex slavery
In North Korea, offering your body to a police officer is common and there is nothing you can do about it. Men in power sexually harass, rape or abuse women by taking advantage of climate of fear in the country and they are the police officers, party officials, prison guards and even soldiers.
Government approved lifestyle
Besides other rights, the people of North Korea don’t even have the right to wear any hairstyle they want, there are 28 government approved hairstyles and anything other than those are considered illegal. Driving in North Korea is regulated and only state officials and VIPs can drive and the rest are encouraged to take public transport. All television content in North Korea is also regulated by the government and people are not allowed to keep up with current affairs. The authorities offer the citizens a grand total of 3 channels to choose from which are all controlled strictly by the state with no foreign media. All they hear is the propaganda day after day so that the North Korean citizens may have little or no idea on what is going on in the outside world and what people think of their country.
No freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is an important right to have, however the North Koreans firmly believe that freedom of speech is overrated. Anyone who demands for more from their government and who demands a change in leadership are brutally punished and sometimes killed. An international report also estimated that hundreds and thousands of people were put in prison camps and labour camps because they disagreed with the government.
Torture
Torture in prison is common in some parts of the world but in North Korea it is extreme and often crippling or sexual in nature. What makes things even worse is that guards are taught that prisoners are somehow sub-human and are encouraged to have some ‘fun’ with their charges.
Slavery
After graduating secondary school in North Korea, 16 – 17 year-old girls and boys are assigned to ‘dolgyeokdae’. It is a type of child labour found in North Korea, a military style construction youth brigade, which engages in national construction projects. Those who cannot not enter university and those from very poor backgrounds are recommended to work there, also considered the worst career. People are not paid for their work and are forced to even work day and night according to the work allocated to them.
In theory, North Korea is a bastion of socialism but in reality the state economy barely operates where more than thousands of people die due to starvation.
Learning and knowing about the current situation in North Korea in this century is just unimaginable and indescribable. The atrocities that exist in North Korea are just so cruel that it made us think how blessed that we are to be born in a country where we have all human rights and we have all the freedom to do what we want. North Korea is a country where people are born without any human rights and where the dictator brags about his weight loss while millions of people are left starving which also makes us realise how inhuman a human in power can be.
Degree of Thought is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. Degree of Thought will delve into the social, cultural, political and educational issues around us. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC Accredited UGC recognised Commerce and Arts College. The editors are Dr Hewasa Lorin, Dr. Aniruddha Babar, Aienla A, Rinsit B Sareo, Meren Lemtur and Kvulo Lorin.
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