![]() North Korea has gained quite the reputation over time. The Western media has painted a picture of this country using descriptions like Rogue Nation, the Hermit Kingdom, the Biggest Show on Earth, The Cold War’s last outpost,” etc. I feel like these are Hollywood titles to an upcoming blockbuster. These notions tend to be reinforced when we see photos or videos of people in North Korea. These images are often looped time and again showing us soldiers with determined faces and fixed eyes, citizens crying in reverence to their leaders, people cheering at a parade featuring the latest weaponry designed to turn Washington DC into ashes and of course the money shot photo that was smuggled out of a poor child in need of food. These were the images and their captions that shape our view of North Korea and their people. When people think of North Korea, there are usually not happy thoughts of flowers. kittens and rainbows attached to them. The thoughts are usually disgustingly negative at worse and indifferent at best. Positive thoughts and feelings are virtually nonexistent. This perspective is undoubtedly influenced but the negativity produced by the media. And the simple reality that very few people have ever been there to paint another picture for us. But does North Korea get treated fairly in the news? Is there any silver lining associated with North Korea? Does the media over blow things to just sell stories? Is there a world government conspiracy that insists on unfairly making North Korea look bad for some political narrative? Do people in North Korea even smile? These are some of the questions that I can honestly say never really crossed my mind when I was growing up in Korea. I only knew what I was told and never bothered to question any of it. After all, life has enough to think about without adding more stress to it. In history class we went over the Korean War (1950-53) in detail and no matter how we spun the words on the page; North Korea was the villain. If there was news involving border conflicts or security; North Korea was to blame. If there was a political issue in the government that hinted at Communism; North Korean spies must have infiltrated the government. If a child was reported missing anywhere in the South or a mysterious crime was committed; North Korea was the first suspect. This was the propaganda that was forced upon all of us living in the South. In all my years living in Korea or being observant of the North Korean state, I have never heard a positive story associated with them. I grew to believe that North Korea was an oppressive, godless state that only worshiped its leaders out of fear of severe punishment, persecuted Christians horrifically, killed political dissidents or forced them into labor camps, a place with no food or industry, and completely impoverished. Basically a snapshot of a prison from hell with Satan as its warden. My thoughts of North Korea were pretty well cemented in my young mind and rarely ever challenged because most people would claim the same thoughts. However, my senior year of high school would be the time when my thoughts were finally challenged. One day our school secretary brought her new fiancé to work one day. He spoke a little English and since we were both randomly in the office I casually said “hi.” I proceeded to ask him a very standard question which was “So, where are you from?” He smiled and nonchalantly responded “A small village in North Korea.” I was completely taken by surprise. Once my mind grasped the notion that he was probably not a spy who was ordered to kill me, my head immediately flooded with a lot of questions. After all, I have never met someone from the other side of those barbed wire fences.
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AuthorLuke Elie Archives
June 2018
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