The citizens of this small yet mighty dictatorship are completely isolated from the world (which is no easy feat in our society with the internet) unaware of the goings-on of ‘normal’ people, and whether we would like to admit it or not, we are equally left in the dark when it comes to their lives, their stories, and most importantly, the truth behind their leadership.
The limited perspective of available sources on North Korea influences our understanding of life there as we only get the opinion of a group of people, and can only see what the North Korean government presents.
Most of the sources available about life as a North Korean are formatted in one of two ways:
An interview/article written by
journalists who have visited Pyongyang (the North Korean capital) or
a North Korean defector with first-hand life experiences
Both have limitations that prevent us from seeing the whole picture.
The media produced by visitors to Pyongyang is biassed as their visit to North Korea is heavily monitored. Journalists have ‘translators’ issued by the North Korean government with them at all times who instruct them where and where not to go.
They also control the conversation between the journalists and the citizens they interview as only they speak both languages. This can lead to manipulation of information, with the journalists only seeing aspects of Pyongyang beneficial to the North Korean government.
Furthermore, Pyongyang is only a small part of North Korea, both in geography and population, and is said to be the residence of the elites.
The famous North Korean defector Yeonmi Park drew compared them to the Hunger Games: Pyongyang is the Capitol (full of opulence and wealth) and the rest of North Korea are the districts (filled with citizens so impoverished they could not even dream of the resources available to the citizens of the Capitol).
This makes it an inaccurate representation of the whole country, even without censorship implemented by North Korean officials.
In the case of sources provided by first-hand witnesses, their memories could be faulty or could be actively censored by certain parties.
Some of the few North Koreans who have managed to escape the regime, have talked about their experiences living in an oppressive autocracy.
While this offers a more detailed and realistic perspective on the reality of North Korea, their recollections could be affected by things such as PTSD.
These defectors may be withholding information out of fear of retribution from the North Korean government or could be exaggerating their experiences for fame/money.
When taking these factors into account, it is important to acknowledge that even with the information provided by these primary sources, we do not have the full picture.
We are currently lacking the perspective of high-ranked officials, citizens of various provinces, smugglers, people directly engaging in trade with North Korea and many more. Without all of these perspectives, our view of their world is still incomplete and do not understand the workings of the government nor the life of the average citizen.
This lack of information may prove detrimental to understanding the extent of oppression occurring inside the borders of the country, which then influences how countries interact with North Korea, and whether or not they take drastic measures to ensure the regime falls.
Since this article has been centred around free speech, free thought and generally just everyone forming their own opinions I would like to leave you with some questions.
Do you think influential countries such as the US should be worried about the North Korean regime?
If so, what kind of measures should these countries take?
Would a large-scale war be worth the potential eliberation of the North Korean people?
Why are countries such as Russia and China continuing trade with North Korea?
What kind of life do you think the average North Korean citizen leads?
If you were offered a chance to visit Pyongyang would you go?
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