With technology comes knowledge, which comes power. In the documentary about North Korea, Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader, takes societies technology away. Without the technology, they must rely on the supreme leaders to relay information back to them. Thus, leading the citizens to believe anything the so-called leader says is true. Meaning that the leaders could and will tell the citizens whatever they please.
Theme 1: Family– In North Korean concentration camps and North Korea in general, there was no concept of “family”. Shin was born and raised in the concentration camp, and he did not have a loving or caring relationship with his mother, father, or brother. Shin even saw his mother as another competitor, and he rarely spoke or interacted with his brother. “When he was in the camp–depending on her [his mother] for all his meals, stealing her meals, enduring her beatings–he saw her as a competition for survival,” (16). Outside of the camps, North Koreans also turned in whoever spoke out or went against the leaders of the country, and their rule, even if it was their family members.
Many people don’t know the real truth behind North Korea, but this book uncovers the many secrets that people like the Kim Dynasty have to hide from us. Many people including myself do not know much about the happenings inside North Korea. Before I read this book, all I knew about North Korea was that it was overrun by a tyrant named Kim Jong Un, and that it was not on friendly terms with most countries. I didn’t know that it held unjust labor prison camps like the one that Shin was held in. As Blaine Harden recalls, “Guards taught him and other children in the camp that they were prisoners because of the ‘sins’ of their parents”(Harden,18).
( Lang, 172) This method of control is so intense that even things that you would think everyone knows have been changed. Even though the form of government shown in “1984” seems to be absurd, it is not too far off of what is happening now. In places like North Korea the government is also extreme, but most of the people there do not even think it is weird because they have been accustomed to that type of ruling so they do not see a point in trying to fight it. Very similar to the
North Korean citizens are forbidden to leave their country, if they do so the government kills them along with their family. People are denied any access to external media, television and radio. All social activities are controlled by the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea in order to annihilate any critical expression against the regime. Telephone calls between the people are domestically confined and are monitored at all times. North Korean citizens have no privacy within their lives.
Barbara Demick has developed the idea that North Korea “has fallen out of the developed world” by providing several examples of life as analytical ways of thoughts and processes of North Koreans in comparison to other countries
North Korea is a mysterious place to outsiders but from the inside it may seem normal because the people have no sense of reality or awareness. In the novel 1984 a made up character named ‘Big Brother’ is much like Kim Jong-Un in our world. There are two parties outer and inner and the inner parties consist of people from the inside and the wealthier class unlike the outer witch holds the middle class. The outer party of 1984 worship Big Brother and most are forced to because they are being watched by spies and telescreens (surveillance systems). North Korea is very similar to 1984 due to the constant surveillance and the cult of personality.
A Fictional and Non-fictional Communist Government Throughout history, there have been many different ways a government can control its people, but these two radical styles of ruling-in North Korea and the novel 1984- are comparable in many ways. The novel 1984, written by George Orwell, depicts a society of extreme control by the government. North Korea’s government has a tightly help grip on their loyal people. Both the fictional and nonfictional versions of this ruling style, teach a person new ideas about the world today. The citizens of North Korea and the novel 1984, have a strong devotion to their leader, a sense of unity and the need to be the same, and sometimes a rare urge to rebel.
1984 follows a man named Winston Smith who resides in Oceania, a country ran by a totalitarian government called INGSOC. The government controls almost every aspect of peoples’ lives and going against the government results in elimination or torture. Surprisingly, 1984 relates significantly to several of today’s societies and governments, including the United States, Russia, Cuba, and North Korea in ways of mass mind control, electronic intrusion, and endless war. The USA PATRIOT Act allows the government to get a hold of an individual’s private records without a warrant.
The government limits culture in NK as civilians have no direct influence to change culture. This paper’s purpose is to educate readers about the cultural aspects and considerations of NK. (U) First off, are North Korea’s political aspects, consisting of provinces, political
Fear occupies every people’s minds. People frighten about terrorists. In this case, it is causing people voluntarily to compromise their liberties and freedom with the government. In this situation, the government becomes more easily to control over people. Pertaining to North Korea,the government is also expanding power and authority by manipulating people.
George Orwell’s novel “1984” has an incredible amount of mood swings for the reader because of the sudden changes in events, setting and emotional status of the main character, Winston. While a modern day 1984 is North Korea, they too have the same amount of influence on each other because of their similar societies, rulers, and surveillance. North Korea uses machines to monitor your phone calls, emails, text messages etc. While 1984 also uses intense surveillance, they use telescreens to monitor your every move and every word you say. Also, the thought police is a very important type of surveillance in 1984.
As an American, we cannot comprehend the types of laws that are enforced upon North Korean Citizens. A few bizarre controlment rules that I still struggle to comprehend myself are there are only twenty-eight ways North Korean men and women can cut their hair, North Korean Men and Women are not allowed to own a bible or any western literature, and also there are only three channels on tv and you must only watch those. Along with those laws in place, the North Korean government has control over education and news which leads to many growing up to hate other countries besides their own with no reasoning behind their hatred. Our lives along with many others are still being affected by the iron grip of societal norms.
If you want a great future, one of the best things that you can invest on today is your education. If you want invaluable experience together with that high quality education, the best decision you can make is to study overseas. Having studied in another country is something that can totally change you and bring you knowledge and understanding that you can never achieve by learning inside the four walls of a classroom. By getting an international education, you get top notch education, plus a firsthand experience of another culture, an opportunity to create international contacts with your classmates, and it also makes a great addition to your future resume. Australia is the third most preferred country to study in by international students all over the world.
(Saxonberg 331) According to, Mc EachErn, North Korea uses particularly cruel repression as a check on ideological decline to keep its hold on power, but it has not shifted to a simple, personalistic rule where repression is the cornerstone of regime
