In preparation on my 'visit' to North Korea, I read the book North Korea journal by Michael Palin, and watched the documentary he made about his (actual) visit to this country, called Michael Palin in North Korea. Although of course heavily controlled and checked by the authorities, it gave a good basic understanding of the country's history and current situation. Which, as I have learned so far, makes the reading experience so much better!
Another source I used, was the YouTube channel of Yeonmi Park, who fled North Korea and is now living in America. On her channel, she tells about her previous and current life. She also wrote a book on the subject.
Geological facts
Name: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Capital: Pyongyang
Government: Unitary Juche one-party republic under a totalitarian hereditary dictatorship
Language: Korean
Area: 120,540 km2 (46,540 sq mi)
Population: 25,549,604
Currency: Korean People's won (₩) (KPW)
If you immerse yourself in the history of North Korea you come across so many 'wonderous things' that I am inclined to omit mainstream history here. I think it is enough to say: after a 3-year war, the country was divided into North and South in 1953. The war has not ended, but there is a truce.
North Korea has been led by the Kims since 1948. Kim Il-sung was the founder, and is considered the "eternal president". He is not dead to the people (quite literally!), but lives on in their hearts. His son and successor Kim Jong-il is referred to as "Beloved Leader". He started the nuclear program. The current leader is Kim Jong-un.
The Juche is the state ideology. The main thought is that the Great Leader, as a father figure (and brain) leads the people. The Workers' Party of Korea connects the people with the Great Leader. Important components of the ideology are (economic) independence and self-sufficiency, confidence in one's own strength and superiority of one's own race. Self-sufficiency is not yet accomplished though: there is little agricultural land available and the country is largely dependent on the import of raw materials from China and Russia. Within the ideology there is total obedience to the leader, who does what is right for the people. Korea has its own era, which starts on the birthday of the first leader: 1912 is year 1.
It is generally believed that there are several penal camps. For example, you have labor camps, for minor crimes, where people usually spend about 6 months to 2 years. Then there are the prison camps, where you lose your party membership (and with that your humanity). The heaviest is the concentration camp, which is mainly for political prisoners (for example, people who failed to save the portraits of the Leaders from their burning house). Conditions are inhumane in all camps. People are tortured and there is always hunger. By betraying your camp mates, you get a bigger portion of food. Because of the fear of the camps, everyone adheres 100% to the rules.
Another terrible phenomenon are the weekly, mandatory (self-)criticism sessions. You come together in a group and first tell something about what you did wrong yourself (for example, you could have worked harder). After that, you are obliged to choose someone from your group who has done something wrong and tell on them. This creates a culture of shame and fear. Everyone keeps a close eye on each other, in order to be able to betray something in these sessions.
Because the country is largely cut off from the outside world, the information we have, comes from people who have fled, or, for example, from satellite images and visitors. Because of this, you have to ask yourself what is true about everything you read or hear. It is also difficult to find out how life is experienced by the Koreans themselves.
The Book I read
The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
Translator (to Dutch): Miebeth van Horn
Synopsis: Young Pak Jun Do is convinced he is special. He knows he must be the unique son of the master of the orphanage, and definitely not some kid dumped by his parents. Surely it was obvious from the way his father singled him out for regular beating? He finds his calling when he is picked as a spy and kidnapper for his nation, the glorious Democratic Republic of North Korea. He knows he must find his true love, Sun Moon, the greatest opera star who ever lived, before it's too late. He knows he's not like the other prisoners in the camp. He's going to get out soon. Isn't he? This hilarious, dark literary epic of a young boy's rise in North Korea from orphan to high-ranking officer won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was shortlisted for the National Book Award.
My Thoughts
There are not many books about life in North Korea. When reading this (or any other) story it's good to keep in mind that it is a novel, fiction, written by someone who has not lived in the country for a long time. Nevertheless, the book gives a very good picture of what a dictatorship, with for us bizarre rules, does or can do to people. How people are going to behave when they live life in fear, with rules devoid of logic, hunger, corruption and cruelty.
What struck me was how the leaders manage to sell the biggest nonsense to the people as the truth. People will never question what is being said (because that's dangerous), which can lead to the most absurd situations. Especially how the situation is in countries like the US and South Korea is being distorted.
Quote
""This is called a 'gui-tar'. It is used in American country music. It seems to be especially popular in Texas. It is also widely used for playing "the blues", a form of American music that reports on suffering as a result of poor decision-making."
About the author
Adam Johnson (born July 12, 1967) is an American novelist and short story writer. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his 2012 novel, The Orphan Master's Son, and the National Book Award for his 2015 story collection Fortune Smiles. He is also a professor of English at Stanford University with a focus on creative writing. Johnson was born in South Dakota and raised in Arizona. Johnson's interest in the topic of North Korea arose from his sensitivity to the language of propaganda, wherever it occurs. Johnson also wrote the short-story collection Emporium and the novel Parasites Like Us, which won a California Book Award in 2003. (Wikipedia)
Other books from or about North Korea
On this website, we add new books from countries all over the world every week. Check out which (other) books are featured for North Korea here.
Souvenir
It feels not completely appropriate to speak of souvenirs, when we're talking about a country like North Korea. It's not very likely that any of us will actualy visit in real life, and the living conditions of the North Korean people are terrible. But, if you do want a little keep sake of your book journey to this country, maybe a small fridge magnet will suffice.
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