As soon as I walked in, three “nomads,” students who devote their time to traveling across the country hosting screenings, greeted me with an informational pamphlet describing the immediacy of the crisis in North Korea. This deceivingly simple-looking pamphlet was entitled “9 Lives” and asked you to imagine the nine lives of North Korean refugees: separated, enslaved, imprisoned, hungry, in hiding, exploited, abandoned, trafficked and silenced. The film documented a group of refugees who were trying to escape to China, but ultimately failed. North Korean authorities violently snatched them before they crossed the border into the gates of international amnesty. Even if the refugees had made it into China, they would not have necessarily been safe. Those who reach China live nameless lives and constantly hide from the Chinese government, which threatens to turn in refugees to North Korea for a profit.
The International Criminal Court classifies 11 crimes against humanity. Of the 11, 10 are committed on a daily basis in North Korea. They include murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, imprisonment, torture, enforced prostitution, persecution and enforced disappearance of persons. According to the World Food Program, United Nations Children’s Fund and the European Union, starvation in North Korea has led to severe malnutrition predicted to leave an entire generation of children physically and mentally impaired. In 2004, approximately 37 percent of children were stunted and approximately 23 percent were underweight.
Organizations like LiNK work to educate people about these ongoing issues in North Korea. According to Jamie Oh ’11, president of Towards Humanitarianism in North Korea (THiNK), although North Korea is portrayed in the media relatively often, the media rarely, if ever, concentrate on the critical issues facing the country today. The media focus on nuclear arms issues and disregard any humanitarian aspects. Oh further elaborates, “the worst part is that North Korea always uses the nuclear arms scare to demand more international aid, which more or less all goes to the government officials and their families. The actual people of North Korea don’t ever see the supplies and food that goes out to them.”
The situation in North Korea is dire because there is minimal publicity; people are living hopelessly with little communication with the outside world. They do not know how to get help. Most are afraid to attempt escape because they fear being caught and imprisoned in concentration camps along with their families. The risks are high and success seems unattainable.
If I took away one thing from the presentation, it is the urgency of the ongoing situation in North Korea. I hope that by writing about it in The Student, I will educate my fellow peers about the millions of people who are dying of starvation and imprisoned in concentration camps. The physical conditions in North Korea are severe and real. What actions has the world taken? What actions have we taken? More importantly, what actions can we take? Do we not bear some responsibility as citizens of the same world? Ask yourselves, what can I do today?