Author: davidkila

When all hope seemed forgone, a word of encouragement ignited Mi-ran to give her education one final shot. Jun-sang had restored the passion in Mi-ran once again, and his plan worked. She hit the books, put in time, and not long after became one of many new admittees at Kim Jong-suk Teachers’ College. Reflecting on the arduous journey Mi-ran took to get into university reminds of the one I had to take in order to be accepted into the college of my dreams. However, like Mi-ran’s, my plan for the future was shaken to the core when the college wasn’t everything it was cracked up to be. My frustration spurred from the price tag, but Mi-ran’s stemmed from dorm room indecencies. Like sardines, she and her three roommates were shoved into a cramped living arrangement with frigid temps. As a result of the limited square footage, the only place suitable to rest their blood rags during their time of the month was overhead the toilet. Circumstances grew so severe that several students, including Mi-ran, decided to seek residence off campus or withdraw from the institution altogether. Without misstep, her dreams were dashed once again. The negligence from both the college and the North Korean government derailed these women of their worth and ambitions in cold blood.

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the eponymous lovers are in constant struggle of being together because of societal views on interclass relationships. Although the novel was penned over 400 years ago, the same prejudice outlined in it lives on today as in the story of Jun-sang and Mi-ran. In order to keep their love alive, they are forced to hide beneath the shadows, deceiving their parents and communicating mainly through letters for some time. In fact, the only person who of their secret relation was Mi-ran’s older sister Mi-sook. Nevertheless, despite their deep adoration for one another, jealousy began to develop as Jun-sang shared of the “luxuries” he received while in the capital. By this point in her life, Mi-ran had already given up on her hopes of a better future; she knew she would never have the kind of life her boyfriend had. It is shocking that in spite of the ruthless oppression that every citizen of North Korea faces, envy can fester between songbun. The lower classes will always be made to feel like the grass is always greener on the other side of the countryside, when in reality the living conditions in Pyongyang aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Despite her feelings for Jun-sang, the constant reminder of her lover’s privilege always left her feeling bittersweet.

Remember how I said North Korea was bound to start cracking? Well, after years of falling behind on repayment, China and the USSR severed their connection with the country and turned to its southern counterpart instead. Their parting marked the beginning of a downfall spiral that nearly had the country falling flat on its face. No alliance meant no exports, which meant no hard currency, electricity, etc. Without electricity, mines and farms couldn’t produce output, leaving many citizens malnourished and unemployed. Progress tanked as North Koreans didn’t have enough energy to perform, and many were left unsure of how to cope with the situation. Many turned to food distribution centers, orchards, and even the “Black Market,” desperate for some sustenance. Despite its promises like rice in every pot, North Korea abandoned its people, leaving them to have fend for themselves. I am so grateful that America has measures in place that prevent our leaders from the crises like those in North Korea. Even with all of the uproar and turmoil the current government shutdown has precipitated, there are systems set to regulate the president’s power and programs to aid the people most affected. All it took was one major misstep to send North Korea from thriving to free falling.

Without journalists like Barbara Demick who dig tirelessly for the truth, we would be made to believe that North Korea is the flourishing nation it tells us it is. North Korea prides itself on self-sufficiency and high literacy rates, which in reality is only part of the story. Their government fails to inform us and their citizens of its $10 billion worth of debt and reliance on other countries for architects and X-rays. North Korea has tangled itself in a web of lies so tight that bosses lie to their supervisors and no one really knows where the country stands. I relate North Korea It to a ticking time bomb in that it’s only a matter of time that its fabrications will swallow itself whole. I am amazed that despite all of the nation’s inconsistencies, Kim Jong-il is still able to command his people with the flick of a finger. His success only speaks to the amount of manipulation he must have to steer a functioning society that in actually is falling apart at the seams.

I’m sure Chang-bo meant no harm when he questioned why his children didn’t have boots like the ones he saw on TV. He, as any parent should, only wanted to give kids the very best he could offer but was nevertheless ratted out by a fellow neighbor. It’s astonishing that even in the comfort of their own homes, North Koreans have to continue filtering out their every word. They are constantly forced to walk on eggshells with their safe haven being only inside their own thought. In the three days that followed, Chang-bo couldn’t even defend his frustration with the government. He rather had to talk himself out of his opinion, convincing his interrogators that the situation was all a misinterpretation. When something aggravates me to a certain point, not much time passes until I get up the nerve to say something. For Chang-bo to be faulted for his own beliefs must have nothing less than a kick in the face.

A routine of work, eat, sleep, repeat can define the usual day-to-day for most of us, but Mrs. Song’s goes two steps further. After working a full day’s shift at the Chosun Clothing Company, she is required to attend sit-down lectures about Kim Il-sung only to come home, do the chores, and start the process all over again. It baffles me that despite the backbreaking work and few hours of sleep she gets each night, she sincerely believed that she wasn’t working hard enough. I work at a stationery store, where I sit for seven hours for the most part, and even then some days can be tiring. Mrs. Song is the living embodiment persistence and hard work. Her story makes me more appreciative of simple but necessary rights like time off and minimum wage and also my parents who work hard each day to give me their very best. As a mother, Mrs. Song labored tirelessly to create a better live for her and her family, while on the inside she was holding on by a thread.

India is known remarkably for the complex rigidity of its caste system, which determines one’s rank by how well he fulfilled his duties in the previous life cycle. The only way to move up in status is to die and have your efforts hopefully prove enough to propel you to a higher rung of the social ladder. The comparisons made between North Korea’s songbun and India’s caste therefore speaks volumes as to how restricted life for North Koreans really is. Following the 1950-1953 Korean War, the people were heavily surveyed and thrown into a class based off their perceived commitment to the the north: either hostile, wavering, or core. One’s songbin rating sealed the fate of not only themself and their family but also the two generations to follow. For those placed into the core class, the opportunities are far greater than those set in  the lower two, who are treated like afterthoughts. With a single slip up possibly meaning the sentence to a lower class, I would constantly have to have my guard up so as not to say anything that would put me in jeopardy. In an oppressive world like North Korea, not one soul goes without being carefully watched or highly classified.

I wonder what thoughts ran through Tae-woo and his wife’s mind when their children finally uncovered the reason for their misfortune. They had kept the truth of their songbun under wraps only to protect their family, but the secrecy only caused greater devastation in the future. “We’ve already been stripped of our own hope. Why do the same to our children?” must have been part of the reason why they kept quiet for so many years. Staying silent kept Tae-woo safe, so the same must be true for his kids, right? As for Mi-hee and Sok-ji, this realization meant that all their past hard work or any efforts made in the future would equate to nothing. This class restriction predestined many years before their births disqualified the hope for a better life not only for them but for their children, too. Here in America, being accepted into the college of one’s dreams can be one of the most life-altering accomplishments in a person’s life, but, because of their beulsun, they’ll most likely never have their opportunity. In the end, no matter of how many hours they spend or labor they do, it will be all for naught.

Almost every Tuesday, when tickets are discounted, my family and I make the drive to Ko’olau Consolidated Theater to munch on some popcorn and enjoy the latest feature films. Whether it’s Mary Poppins Returns, or Bumblebee, or Aquaman, movies have the ability to ignite our imaginations and expand our possibilities. The movie theater is meant to be a safe place, where we can sit back, relax, and let our emotions go wild: crying, laughing, etc. On the contrary, North Korea exploits the magic of film to reinforce their beliefs further upon the people. By promoting themes like self-sacrifice, Capitalism is bad, slowly sinks in. Also the actors strong healthy, people wanted to be like the people on the screen

Almost every Tuesday, when tickets are discounted, my family and I make the drive to Ko’olau Consolidated Theater to munch on some popcorn and enjoy the latest feature films. Whether it’s Mary Poppins Returns, or Bumblebee, or Aquaman, movies have the ability to ignite our imaginations and expand our possibilities. The movie theater is meant to be a safe place, where we can sit back, relax, and let our emotions go wild: crying, laughing, etc. On the contrary, North Korea exploits the magic of film to reinforce their beliefs further upon the people. By promoting themes like self-sacrifice, Capitalism is bad, slowly sinks in. Also the actors strong healthy, people wanted to be like the people on the screen