Introduction:
Sadam Hussein, Che Guevara, and Kim Jong Il. All three of these men are or were dictators of nations, namely Iraq, Cuba, and North Korea respectively. However, there is a fundamental difference between the first two and the latter: within the former two’s regimes, there were those who opposed them, but in the latter’s regime, opposition is virtually non-existent. The difference? Indoctrination. People read that word and think automatically to spinning, black and white dials with a hypnotherapist telling them they’re falling asleep. In reality however, indoctrination is far more real than that. Many adult North Koreans today believe in some of the most incredulous things, like doves carrying away Kim Il Song, the former dictator of North Korea, or the idea that a North Korean’s hand will rot if they touch anything with democratic morals plastered on them. This indoctrination has vast social ramifications, chief among them psychological, cultural, and political. The most important of these, without a doubt, would be psychological, because the free thoughts of the North Koreans are nearly non-existent.
What’s Going On:
As with any operation the North Korean Government runs, tracing its history is a difficult task for anyone outside of the North Korean government. The precise time at which indoctrination began in Korea is unknown. All that is known is that it happened not long after the start of the Korean War in June 27th, 19503. In terms of a person’s lifetime, indoctrination begins at youth1. They are told stories of both the Great Leader (Kim Il Song, who was president from 1972 - current)1 and The Dear Leader (Kim Jung Il, who has led from 1994-current)1. The former passed away on the 8th of July, 1994[1], but is still the President of North Korea today1. The reason such a thing is allowed is because both Kim Il Sung and Kim Jung Il are looked at as holy beings.1 This is the foundation of the indoctrination.
The process of indoctrination begins when the North Koreans are children. At this stage in life, they are force-fed the “culture” of North Korea. The cultural tales that mark the individuality of cultures all over the world exist in North Korea as well, but with a twist: they are filled with propaganda. The majority of these tales detail the life of Kim Il Sung in a way that make him look almost holy, such as his father being a revolutionary against the oppressive Japanese, when in actuality, his father only rebelled to a small degree and made little impact.2 In addition to this, the cultural tales often describe the Americans and the Japanese as monsters and imperialistic dogs.1 Clearly, North Korea implements its indoctrination early and without delay, which ultimately affects the adult life. This is true because as children they are more likely to believe these sometimes farfetched stories, and because they are never told otherwise – if anything, because it is continually reinforced – they carry this illusion into their adult lives.
The majority of these children grow up under the most austere conditions, and as they become adults, life is no different. As they continue to live under these miserable conditions, no complaints are raised. Due to indoctrination, the continue to believe that everyone lives under these exact same conditions, unaware that, in fact, Kim Jung Il lives in a palace in Pyongyang.3 Because indoctrination takes hold so early on in their lives, they go about their older years without questioning authority. A direct consequence of this is the fact that, despite it being 15 years after his death, Kim Il Sung is still the president of North Korea.1 The roots of indoctrination run so deep that a man who is long gone still stands as a symbol for the country, and, if nothing is done, will forever.
As recent as September 26th, 2009, a reuninion occurred between North and South Korea. People who had lost their families due to the split at the 38th parallel2 were able to see their families. Some found loved ones they hadn’t seen for years left relatively the same as before, but others could feel the effect of indoctrination on their loved ones.1 A South Korean by the name of Cho Moon Sun was able to see his daughter who he hadn’t seen since she was a baby. However, the conversation he held with her forced him to call his own daughter, “almost inhuman.” While he felt joyous beyond words, his daughter seemed largely uninterested. Her conversational skills were that of a robot, and Mr. Cho says that he feels the North Koreans had told her exactly what to say and what not to say. Indoctrination had sprouted such deep roots that not even the sight of her own father could bring her to put North Korea as a second priority.1
Towards the later years of their lives, North Koreans are not allowed out of their houses.2 They are forced to stay indoors along with those who are handicapped and deformed in order to display a more perfect society – one of youthful faces, satisfied with their lives in North Korea. The fact that the North Koreans are still willing to abide by the government’s mandate at this age is proof of how effective North Korean indoctrination is.
The Misery of the North Koreans:
A common expression is, “I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse.” Well, the sad truth is, the North Koreans don’t even have horses to eat. What do they have to eat then? Tree bark, clay, and in the most severe cases, themselves.2
These conditions are hidden from view. Each year, 100 visitors are permitted into North Korea. Two sources used in this paper – a documentary called, “Welcome to North Korea,” and an article called, “Welcome to North Korea – a backward and brainwashed nation” – both are directed/written by visitors to North Korea. Neither of the two were able to find any signs of poverty in the main city where they spent the majority of their trip. In its place, they found nothing. The streets of Pyongyang were empty. The only inhabitants were their tour guides and traffic policemen and policewomen who were directing invisible traffic.
While this makes evidence seem sparse, footage found in the documentary, “Welcome to North Korea” shows secret footage taken by a Chinese relief organization shows the horrors these people have to endure: houses that barely qualify as huts, working conditions reminiscent of slave work in Ancient Rome, and food that is not digestible by the human body as it does not contain the appropriate nutrients.2 It is in these conditions that history has found the rebels against the regime. However, thanks to indoctrination, all of these conditions amount to nothing; in fact, it results in quite the contrary. Video footage has shown masses of people gathering around the statue in Pyongyang Square of The Great Leader in 1994, mourning his death with more affection than if their own relatives had died. Reporters on the scene could not control themselves, and ended up joining the mass hysteria.
By now, it is painfully clear the affect that indoctrination has upon the population of North Korea. It spans the length and breadth of a multitude of social implications, many of which the world may never know about, thanks to North Korea’s secretive ways. However, based on the information we know, the three easiest implications to point to are political, cultural, and chief among them, psychological.
Implications: The Gains and the Losses
Indoctrination has resulted in a regime’s prolonged life when it should have died long ago. Since North Korea broke away from South Korea, the country has been doing miserably in comparison to its southern counterpart. Using aggression in an effort to get recognized as a power, it has earned itself economic sanctions and general disdain from the world. In most dictatorships like this, the population would be ready to revolt, such as the one under Robespierre during The Reign of Terror in France (1792-1794). However, thanks to indoctrination, Kim Jung Il, just as Kim Il Sung before him, will continue to rule as terribly as he does.
The “culture” that North Korea claims to have is nothing short of hogwash. Stories of birds attempting to carry the Great Leader Kim Il Sung away but deciding against it in the end because the people of North Korea were too upset1 color North Korean “culture.” Other stories concerning Kim Jung Il are also found throughout North Korean culture. It claims that he was born on the peak of Mt. Baekdoo amidst a storm. At this peak, Kim Jung Il’s mother fought fiercely against the Japanese soldiers that tried to take her baby from her. However, evidence has surfaced that he was actually born in Samjiyeon-gun, Yangkangdo Province, which directly contradicts the information that was claimed in they myth.1 The likely reason for this embellishment is to establish a tone similar to that of an epic, making Kim Jung Il sound much more godlike than he truly is. Overall, these tales are used as a method to further brainwash the population, convincing them that their leaders are godsend, and that they, the people, are not in a position to question. The masses, however, continue to swallow this culture because they truly know nothing else. The fact that culture is being used as a tool of indoctrination is a crime in and of itself, but the fact that the previous generation has already been brainwashed makes it all too easy to brainwash the next. Truly, it has become a vicious cycle.
As one would suspect, the psychological implications indoctrination has on society trumps most other implications. Indoctrination in North Korea has taken scary turns with the people. By indoctrinating them at a younger age, they psychologically ingrain their hold upon the people. They are blissfully unaware that, as they suffer in their terrible excuses for homes, Kim Jung Il enjoys luxury cars and a grand palace.2 They are blissfully unaware that Kim Jung Il and Kim Il Sung aren’t holy beings, but are actually normal people born into good fortune. They are blissfully unaware that there are people trying to save them from the fate they are stuck in, and instead believe that anyone against North Korea is purely evil.3
Help:
Today, a multitude of organizations are trying to help North Koreans, but none of them truly seem to stand out from the others with the exception of one: Crossing Borders. This non-profit organization, headed by Mike Kim, works as a modern day underground railroad for the North Koreans, helping those who have disillusioned themselves sneak into China.
While this program is noble, it also comes with its own risks. Mike Kim has said that he has been blacklisted many times in both North Korea and in China. If the North Koreans are caught before being situated, the Chinese government will hand over the North Koreans back to their homeland’s government.1
Despite the threat of being handed over to the North Korean government, Mike Kim continues his efforts, trying to extract the North Koreans from their terrible lives in North Korea into a happier life in China. Once the North Koreans have been situated in China, the Chinese authorities often turn a blind eye, for their main impetus for reporting North Koreans is to ensure no tensions rise between China and North Korea.1 With this to work with, as well as the future of many North Koreans in his hands, Mike Kim works to liberate them, just as Harriet Tubman did during the days of slavery in America.
Ordinary people, unlike Mike Kim, are obviously unable to embark on such perilous journeys and liberate North Koreans personally. However, what normal people can do is raise awareness. While these people suffer, the outside world looks at all North Koreans as terrorists. They fail to recognize the extreme conditions that the majority of the population has to bare with, and they also fail to realize that the North Koreans truly aren’t making a conscious choice to support this regime. Unless these facts are brought to the right, aid will never reach North Korea.
Something ordinary people can do to raise awareness would be a fast-a-thon. If people were gain sponsors to pay them for every hours fasted (with a judge to ensure honesty was kept), the results would be two-fold. On the one hand, it would attract a lot of attention, as fasting for a cause shows commitment while also showing how dire the situation is. These two factors could combine to attract a lot of attention and people who are willing to learn about the plight of North Korea. The other result would be money raised that could go to an organization such as Mike Kim’s or any other organization that is willing to help North Koreans get out of North Korea.
Conclusion:
The term human rights violation typically invokes images of suffering children with nothing but skin on their bones, or women forced into prostitution against their will. Atrocities such as this are still atrocities, but they aren’t the only ones. The plight of North Korea definitely involves a human rights violation, and the plight has to be heard. The popular misconception that all of North Korea is nothing but a breeding ground for terrorism is a cliché and a lie, and it shrouds the violations that go on behind those borders. While the entire population cannot be saved, just the fact that some are saved can make all the difference in the world.


Sources:
· Anderson, Ben. "Welcome to North Korea - a backward and brainwashed nation." Mirror.co.uk. 28 May 2009. The Daily Mirror, Web. 15 Sep 2009. <http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/05/28/welcome-to-north- korea-you-will-love-it-115875-21394846/>.
· Bermudez, Joseph. Shield of the Great Leader. Australia: Allen & Unwin, 2001. Print.
· Callick, Rowan. "Dear Leader makes mischief with succession." Australian, The 2009. 11. Web. 15 Sep 2009. <http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw- search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc &p_docid=12AB4068F6222F50&p_docnum=1&p_queryname=13>. NewsBank: Access World News.
· Campbell, Neil A. and Jane B. Reese. Biology 7th Edition. San Francisco, CA; Benjamin Cummings, 2005.
· "Episode #14089." The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Jon Stewart Perf., Mike Kim, Perf., Viacom, New York City. 30/06/09. TV.
· I. E. Farber, Harry F. Harlow and Louis Jolyon West Sociometry, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Dec., 1957), pp. 271-285. Published by: American Sociological Association
· Joo, Sohn Kwang. "Kim Jong Il's Birth and Growth." Daily NK (2005): n. pag. Web. 11 Oct 2009. <http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk02300&num =42>.
· "North Korea: Contemporary Cultural Expression." The Library of Congress. 1993. The Library of Congress, Web. 10 Oct 2009. <http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi- bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field%28DOCID+kp0051%29>.
· Quiñones, Carlos, and Joseph Tragert. The complete idiot's guide to understanding North Korea . Alpha Books, 2003. Print.
· Strother, Jason. "Korean Family Reunions." World (2009): n. pag. Web. 10 Oct 2009. <http://www.theworld.org/2009/09/28/korean-family-reunions/>.
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· Weiner, Tim. "Remembering Indoctrination ." New York Times (2009): n. pag. Web. 15 Sep 2009. <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/weekinreview/ 06weiner.html>.

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