What North Korean Defectors Think Of North Korea | ASIAN BOSS

Hey everybody, it's Steve from Asian Boss North Korea is arguably the most isolated and secretive nation on the planet, and chances are you probably have no idea what's going on there. Other than what you see on the news from time to time. So, what do we do? We come up with a whole bunch of stereotypes about North Korea and we start criticising and ridiculing them. But in the process, what we may have forgotten is the people of North Korea. In that spirit, we're able to interview a couple of young North Korean defectors to hear their stories. Given the importance of this topic, We're going to separate this interview into two videos. In this video, you'll get to hear what life is actually like in North Korea. Now, some of their stories might be disturbing to some viewers, but we didn't edit them out on purpose because we think it's important that their voices be heard. So, I hope that you really pay attention and listen to what they have to say. -Thank you for your time. -Thanks for having me. A lot of people, including me, are very curious about North Korea. Right. As a North Korean defector, I trust you'd be able to paint a more accurate picture. Yes. How old were you when you escaped? I escaped when i was 12. I left North Korea in 2001, spent three years in China... and ten years in South Korea. Why did you decide to escape from North Korea? The biggest reason was... I didn't know when i was going to die of starvation. Since Kim Jong-il came into power, North Korea experienced a major famine... that claimed as many as three million lives. I experienced it all first hand. The famine in the 90's is known as the "Arduous March". It was brutal times. I saw two-thirds of the people in my hometown starve to death. They died because there was nothing to eat. Because the government couldn't provide food? They didn't provide food. You actually witnessed someone die? I saw a two year old girl die right in front of me. You see, when a person dies... flies are the first to know. Even though she was still breathing, they must've known she was going to die... like how rats or other animals run away before earthquakes. So they knew and they started gathering around her eyes, nose, mouth, anus... around those areas... they start gathering like crazy. When I saw things like that, I thought there was no reason why I couldn't end up just like her. Luckily at the time, my mother was able to travel to China a few times and told me China was a rich country. So she decided to go to China and I tagged along. Before we went to China, we thought it was the greatest country on earth. I always remember my experience involving plastic bottles. When I was in North Korea, I lived with my stepfather. He was an alcoholic but at the time, the price of alcohol was equivalent to a meal enough to feed five people. In winter, because there was no electricity in the country side I was living in... Like zero electricity? They gave us electricity only a few times in a year. Like on New Year's Day because we had to listen to Kim II-Sung or Kim Jong-il's New Year's address. So they gave us electricity to turn on our TVs. How do you live without electricity? Lamps. You use oil based lamps. Anyway, so whenever I had to run errands for my stepfather at night I'd slip on ice and drop the alcohol bottle because i couldn't see anything. I tried to be careful but I'd fall at least four times a year. I didn't mind getting beat up by my stepdad. It was the guilt I destroyed something valuable that could've fed five people. that killed me at the time. So I always used to wish that I could have a bottle that doesn't break. But one day, I saw a plastic bottle when I went to a flea market with my mom and I thought "wow, so such bottles do exist!" But it was too expensive so I couldn't buy it. So knowing that such bottles existed, I saw plastic bottles among garbage later when I was escaping via the Tumen river. It was truly shocking and... when I tried to pick it up in that life or death moment, the broker I was with told me there were plenty of new plastic bottles in China. I was like, "really"? and remember escaping without the plastic bottle. Is it easy to go to China? Not at all. It's a matter of life and death. So in order to escape, do you need to climb over a fence or something? No, when you escape, there is the Tumen river. North Korea and China is divided by a river. So you have to cross either the Tumen River or the Amnok River to go China. By boat? It was winter when i escaped. In the next video, you're going to find out how their lives have changed after arriving in South Korea. So stay tuned, and make sure to subscribe to Asian Boss to be notified whenever we release new videos. Thanks for watching, I'll see you in the next video.

Channel: Asian Boss

Views: 6,152,942

Rating: 4.9267855 out of 5

Keywords: North Korea, Kim Jong Un, Korean culture, kpop, Asian Boss, 탈북자, 새터민, human rights day, north korean defectors, north korea (country), south korea, north korea defector, north korean refugees, north korean, korea, news, defectors, korean, united states of america (country), pyongyang, defector, refugee, kim jong un, kim jong-un, freedom, human rights, america, exclusive, refugees, interview, asianboss

Id: DyqUw0WYwoc

Length: 19min 19sec (1159 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 04 2016

Reddit Comments

[u/Sahasrahla]

I pulled some interesting quotes, though it was hard to not just quote the whole video:

I saw two-thirds of the people in my hometown starve to death.

You see, when a person dies, flies are the first to know... like how rats or other animals run away before earthquakes.

Before we went to China we thought (North Korea) was the greatest country on Earth.

They gave us electricity only a few times in a year. Like on New Year's Day because we had to listen to Kim Il-Sung or Kim Jong-Il's New Year's address.

But people would be too scared to escape because if you attempt to escape 3 times, if you get caught 3 times, you will be executed in the form of public execution.

They make public announcements like this: "Today at such time and such place, there'll be a public execution." Anyone under the age of 12 is not allowed to watch but anyone from 12 must watch. Even if you don't want to? You have no choice.

But wouldn't people be angry at the government? Of course they are disgruntled. Some even protest. They can protest? But protesters would disappear within an hour or two.

How happy are (North Koreans)? In my opinion, even if people are starving and having a tough time, they are always laughing... I think, the more well off a country, the more stressed the people are because they think too much. North Korea may be a poor country but North Koreans have more warmth and really care for one another. I think they are generally very happy.

That's what my sisters in North Korea told me recently, that they only get to have white rice on their birthdays. But white rice is only for the birthday person.

Before, you were not allowed to do business because the government would provide money and food. But since the '90s, they even allowed people to start businesses because there were too many people dying of starvation.

Officially, North Korea is a socialist regime. But in reality, North Korean lives rely on the market system.

On the inside, it's total capitalism. But the thing is, people don't even realize that that's capitalism. So in that system, what they crave the most is information about the outside world. And they can access information via illegal CDs, or USB drives nowadays. That's how the South Korean pop culture came in.

What if you get caught (watching South Korean dramas)? You can't get caught! If you get caught, you will head straight to the labor camp. So you don't want to get caught. I obviously didn't want to get caught so, I used to lock every door, draw the curtains to not let out any lights, and put a blanket over my TV, so I could watch the K-drama in hiding. Because anyone could report me to the authority, it was very dangerous... But that was kind of exciting, you know. I was so nervous because I could've been caught. It added to the suspense of it all.

Watching porn is no joke. In North Korea, porn is called "brown video". And anyone involved in making porn, like directors, staff members and actors will get executed. If you shoot porn, you die. And you can't watch porn either.

When I was in North Korea, I thought South Korea was full of homeless people. So a lot of homeless people and evil capitalism. But now, they don't think like that at all. They think South Korea is heaven so they come with hope.

When people in my generation escaped to avoid the famine and went to China, they saw the bigger and better world. So they realized what they had been told all their lives was a lie and they told their families back home accordingly. So the people have changed, to the point they don't trust the government anymore.

How do you find out what's happening in North Korea right now? In my case, I have a Chinese mobile phone with a Chinese mobile service provider. So we send the mobile phone to North Korea and contact family that way. So people do use mobile phones in North Korea? Yes, they do. But in my family's case, we can't use North Korean phones because every North Korean phone is tapped. So if we get caught calling South Korea—(makes neck slicing motion)—the entire family will die. So they have to climb about two mountains in order to make a phone call. They probably have to walk about 4km (2.5 miles).

What kind of stereotypes do you think people have about North Koreans? That all North Koreans are abused, isolated and close-minded as a result of brain-washing. That's probably what everyone is thinking. But I just want to say that we are all the same. Even if North Koreans live in isolation, which I've gone through as well, they can think for themselves. Especially the young people, they are really changing and they are thirsty for freedom. It's just that they can't speak up because of the system. I just wish that the international community were more aware of these issues.

[u/REOCrackwagon]

That plastic bottle story really reminded me of Dr. Kim's story in Nothing to Envy, when she sees white rice and meat being put out for a dog in China:

She still wanted to believe that her country was the best place in the world. The beliefs she had cherished for a lifetime would be vindicated. But now she couldn't deny what was staring her plainly in the face: dogs in China ate better than doctors in North Korea.

[u/moral_thermometer]

"Why did you leave North Korea?"

"The biggest reason was I wasn't sure when I was going to die of starvation."

[u/MizoreGaming]

I wish I can live to see North Korea getting their freedom they deserve. Great interview though!

[u/amphoe]

When the guy described how the public execution was like. Holy shit

[u/son-of-sumer]

some of these things i witnessed in Saddam Hussein times in Iraq but in a lesser degree but damn dictator's governments really do think the same.

[u/GREAT_EveryoneIsHere]

'Escape from Camp 14' is an excellent book written by a defector. It's terrifying to read about the atrocities happening today!! My brain could not grasp I was reading a fairly current accounting of events and not something from hundreds of years ago.

[u/RomanEgyptian]

Wow that is a strong video It is really nice to hear first hand what it is like, albeit I didn't like what I heard. When you hear stories from the media you have to take it with a pinch of salt as they have an agenda. This seems so much more legit and ever more saddening that such a 'disaster' continues

[u/NessieReddit]

This was a great video, thanks for sharing OP.

But I must say, I'm disheartened by a lot of the comments in this thread. A lot of people don't seem to "get it" so to speak. Is it really that hard to relate and to understand people who grew up in a nation such as North Korea? I think both of them did a great job answering the questions and being honest and open about their experiences, no need to shit all over that. It really makes you realize how insulated some people are and how they live in a bubble and are so unaware of anything outside their own circumstances and way of life (not the North Koreans ironically, but a few of the commentors).

The description of the public execution really got to me :-( what a sad way of life and what a weight to have on your mind every time you consider doing something to survive or to better your life. It makes you wonder how much courage or how much sheer desperation goes behind attempts to escape or steal.