North Korea

A few weeks ago, I met Suzanne Scholte, the Chairman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, and I learned about the travesties that occur in North Korea which are so rarely discussed in the United States. Over two million people have died in the past ten years, mainly from a famine as the government withholds food to the majority of its population. Kim Jong Il completely isolates the country, citizens cannot travel (even from town to town), nor can they communicate with people from other countries, and the only media they have access to is propaganda made by the government. Kim Jong Il also instituted political prison camps, families are defined as friendly to the government, wavering, or hostile. Hostile families are rounded up and shipped away to the camps. Anyone who dares complain about the government is sent away immediately. The government also controls food and material goods, those who are loyal have access to these goods, while the majority face horrific conditions. Forty-two percent of children in North Korea suffer from chronic malnutrition.

Meanwhile, those North Koreans who escape into China (roughly 300,000 reside there today) continue to suffer enormously. China refuses to recognize these North Koreans as refugees and instead views them as economic migrants. Chinese citizens are fined or arrested for helping North Koreans. Humanitarian aid workers from the United States and other nations who attempt to assist North Koreans are oftentimes arrested and imprisoned by Chinese officials. Seventy to ninety percent of North Korean women who cross into China are trafficked.

I was horrified by the situation in North Korea, the response of China, and how few people are speaking out against the atrocities. Suzanne Scholte mentioned the difficulty of mobilizing Americans about North Korea. There are virtually no pictures of what is occurring there. No one can visit, unlike Darfur where Americans have been to refugee camps and can return with pictures and stories to reach the American public. This situation demonstrates the power of isolating a country so thoroughly that raising awareness in America is exponentially more difficult. North Koreans are struggling for survival and we must raise awareness, pressure the Chinese government, and attempt to make a difference.