Life Locked Up.

Written by: Kara Magoch.

What if you were locked up

in your own country? What if you
had no access to the outside world
around you? With limited travel to
other countries. The country has
eyes on all the people making sure
they follow their very large amount
of strict laws. The basic human
rights are taken away from them
like, freedom of religion and
independent media, meaning all
independence is taken away
(Cumming). There are regimes and
it is highly illegal to leave them and
travel without the okay from
authority, most people dont get
the okay. This country is North
Korea.
Most imagine escaping but
very few try it and are successful,
but if you get caught trying to
escape you may either be executed
or politically persecuted (Haggard).
Other types of punishment or
torture are sleep deprivation,
beatings with iron rods or sticks,
kicking and slapping, or enforced
standing for hours, and guards also
sexually abuse female detainees.
(Roth) the people who do escape
often want to come back, simply
missing family or not knowing the
outside world. After escaping to
South Korea, some defectors now want
to return north. You would be

better off not coming back to this

type of government and control.

The cause for the

dictatorship is the country split into
2 countries and made North and
South Korea. The south had wanted
to belong to the Soviet Union and
the North made their own
government named the DPRK or
democratic people republic of
Korea. And over time they claim
that they are a socialist state but
are considered a dictatorship which
is why they started getting more
distanced from the other countries
and finally just isolated
themselves.
Living conditions in North
Korea arent the greatest. There are
multiple food deficits and
shortages. Is this from the income
level? 2000 compared with an
average income of $757 in North
Korea (Kirk). So what does the
country do with an average of
$757? Is the reason of food
shortages and deficits? This also
must mean that there are crimes
involved, but the punishments for
these crimes are not worth it, such
punishments as fraud and
smuggling you can be executed.
(Haggard).
The laws are unpleasant, or
too strict such as limited traveling
and not crossing the border.
Crossing the border is a big crime
for the people and also, you arent
allowed to use mobile devices to
talk to anyone outside of the
country.

Peoples Opinion
Have you ever wondered
what other countries think about
the isolation North Korea has
created for itself? North Korea
faces renewed pressure over its
human rights record as the United
Nations human rights council
meets Monday to consider calls for
an international inquiry into
possible crimes against humanity.
(Haggard).
Not only is North Korea
taking away their peoples rights
and giving them crazy laws, they
are potentially committing crimes
against other countries. Japan has
accused North Korea of kidnapping
some of its citizens. (Haggard). So
North Korea is committing crimes
against other countries when they
are punishing their own people
for dumb crimes like restricting cell
phones and crossing the border.
Other people ask what
mental toughness is like with all
the laws, well if you get caught
abusing the laws you can get sent
to one of their 5 political prison
camps, or 3 generation
punishments. This can take a toll
on their lives physically because
they are put to work or beaten and
abused.

Leadership.

Who is in charge of all this

chaos? Some people might say
someone crazy but really, it is Kim
Jong Un the second. Kim took
power after his father Kim Jong the
first had died. Once his father had
died Kim was officially designated
to succeed his father and was
groomed for presidency. (Benson).
Really he already knew he was
going to become leader before his
father died because its a family
ruling, which means he followed in
his Fathers footsteps and didnt
make any changes to North Korea
or to try and re-ally with all the
other countries that now think of
North Korea as a threat.
Overall people of North Korea
are being victims of an unfair
dictatorship. They dont get to
follow their own religion or travel
and see the world like everyone
dreams of. That is nearly
impossible to not have a phone or
being able to travel. Kim Jong has
the people tied around his finger
from the day they start school,
learning to bow to him and worship
him. Are these people being
brainwashed? It sure does seem
like it.

Above is a drawing or sketch of North Korean

dictator Kim Jung Un (right) and his father
whom has passed (left).

In the picture above, prisoners from North

Korea are being publicly executed.

After escaping to South Korea, some defectors now want to return north. PRIs
The World 2
DEC.2013. Student Resources in Context. Web.27 Jan. 2015.
Cumming-Bruce, Nick and Choe Sang-Hun. North Korea Faces Pressure from U.N.
on Human Rights.
New York Times 11 Mar.2013: NA(L). Student
resources in context. Web.25.Jan.2015.
HAGGARD,STEPHAN, and MARCUS NOLAND. Economic Crime And Punishment In
North Korea.
Political Science Quarterly (Academy Of Political
Science) 127.4 (2012): 659683.
Academic Search Premier. Web.
26 Jan. 2015.
Kim Jong II. History Behind the Headlines: The Origins of Conflicts Worldwide. Ed.
Sonia G. Benson,
Nancy Matuszak, and Meghan Appel OMeara. Vol. 2.
Detroit: Gale, 2001. Student Resources in context. Web. 23 Jan. 2015.
Kirk, Don South Korea reports a widening income advantage over north. New York
Times 21 Dec. 2001:
A9. Student resources in context. Web. 25 Jan.
2015.
North Korea facing cereal shortage. UPI Newstrack 16 Nov. 2010. Student
resources in context.
Web.25 Jan.2015.