Korea is a clear example of a modern dystopia. In literature dystopias are seen as repressive and controlling societies. Novels such as Brave New World by Huxley and The Giver by Lowry, show a society that is strictly controlled and where citizens are forced into specific roles in society. North Korea displays many traits that are parallel to the ideas set down by these and other similar novels. Widespread propaganda is used to manipulate and brainwash citizens into following a way of living called Juche . To maintain the people belief in Juche the government of North Korea controls the media and most aspects of society. By stopping exposure to foreign media and new, the North Korean government is able to keep the population in the dark. If anyone does try to break free from the grasp of the government they are quickly caught and punished severely.
Propaganda
editFor more see Propaganda in North Korea
In a dystopia the organizers create a moral core in every person in order to weed out any possibility of conflict and therefore revolt. In A Brave New World there citizens are conditioned right from conception. There is an elaborate process of brainwashing to create certain people for certain aspects of society.
North Korea has a similar method to control their citizens minds. The government uses propaganda to manipulate the people's thoughts and therefor control their lives. The propaganda reinforces a cult of personality around Kim Jong-il and his father Kim Il-sung. The people of North Korea consider Kim Jong-il and his father to be on the level of gods. The people of North Korea believe that Kim Jong-il or Great Leader was born in a secret military camp on Baekdu Mountain and that his birth was foretold by a sallow and that when he was born a double rainbow formed over the mountains and a new star was created. These events are not urban myths, but what is printed in his official biography. Many Koreans also believe that he can control the weather.
North Korean propaganda is not only used to deify Kim Jong-il and his father but it is used to spread misinformation about the rest of the world as well. The North Korean people believe that that they have better lives than anywhere else in the world. Until the 1990's the people of North Korea thought that South Korea was poverty stricken place where evil Americans shot Korean children.
Much of North Korean propaganda is largely anti-American. According to the North Korean government
| “ | Korea is an independent and sovereign state, but the South is still controlled by the imperialist interests and the U.S. troops .If any South Korean citizen tries to visit North Korea crossing the big concrete wall, he'll be killed by the american soldiers. The 'Security Law' in South Korea forbides to any South Korean citizen to talk or read about the North or else he'll be punished with jail or even death penalty. | ” |
The North Koreans believe that the Americans started the Korean War and that we are actively trying to stop the North from reunifying with the south.
Limited Access
editFor more see North Korean Tourism
When visitors go to North Korea They are only shown a limited view of the county. The only city they are allowed to visit is the Capital. When visiting every guest has one or two guides that are with them everywhere they go. Also visitors are not allowed to go to places frequented by regular citizens. When visiting a monument visitors said that there were lots of kids around and they were reading books on Juche Ideology. The visitor said that at first it was normal but after a while you noticed that every action was extremely rehearsed and practiced. Also when visiting a statue of Kim Il-sung the children would come to the statue pray and then leave only to turn around and return, when they thought the were out of sight. This is done to make it look like there is an endless stream of worshipers every day. When the tour group left you could see that they packed you their things and when home as the bus was pulling away.
Intense Punishments
editFor more see North Korean Criminal Justice
In order to enforce a dystopia, any hint of insubordination needs to be nipped in butt right away before it has any chance to affect society. In North Korea, the government uses harsh punishments in order to stop people from trying to rebel and branch out. For example a man was executed for calling a friend in South Korea on his cell phone.
In North Korea there are numerous prison labor camps where violators are sent. There are two types of camps in North Korea. One type is Internment Camps were political prisoners are sent and forced into hard slave labor. Many prisoners are crippled from work accidents and many more die from the hard labor and forced starvation. The estimated number of prisoners in these camps is between 150,000 and 200,000, divided between six camps across the country. The second type of camp is a Reeducation Camp, regular criminals are sent to these camps. The condition there are mostly similar to the Internment Camps, prisoners are forced to work in prison factories and if they do not meet there quota they are tortured and sometime sent to prison cells that are to small to stand up in or lie down in.
Controlled Media
editFor more see Media of North Korea
In a dystopia everything is controlled in order to stop people from becoming to aware and finding a need to want change or rebel. In North Korea the government controls every newspaper and media outlet. Every day there is an article that praises Kim Jong-il and has accomplishments. There is never any news on foreign events and if anything bad happens it is not reported.
Homes in the capital Pyongyang have a much higher standard of living and therefore most apartments have a radio permanently fixed in the kitchen. The government distributed radios play only government programs and they cannot be turned off only down. A lucky few have televisions which have five hours of broadcasting a day. The TV's only receive special government stations and it is highly illegal to tamper with them or the radios in any way.
Cell Phones are allowed in North Korea but the monthly fee of $40 is more than what an average citizen makes in a month. They are a luxury reserved for the rich and even then when you have one you can only call people that live in your village. The same is true for land line phones as well.
Human Rights Violations
editFor more see Human rights in North Korea
There are atrocious human rights violations in every aspect of North Korean life. Freedom of expression is extremely limited, the North Korean constitution grants rights to free speech and free assembly, however the governments supersedes those clauses in order to uphold the clause that all citizens must lead a socialist life.
Freedom of movement is also limited. Citizens are rarely able to freely travel out of their town and only the political elite are able to own cars. Refugees who flee to the country are automatically considered defectors, and if they go to china they are often caught by the Chinese and sent back to North Korea where they are sent to the internment camps.
Other atrocities to human rights include eugenics and forced prostitution. One escapee of North Korea said that malformed babies are quickly killed and buried. Also it is said that people with disabilities are rounded up and sent to camps. Sources also say that there is a group called "A Woman's Voice International" which drafts girls as young as 14 to become masseuses and cabernet dancers. It is clear that the older women are forced into prostitution, but information on the prostitution of children is unclear.
Video - Life in North Korea Part 1 - Part 2