Absalom 1

Sam Absalom
Mrs. Barnes
English 112
25 March 2015
North Korean Oppression
Imagine if all you knew to life was living on an inside of a fence, being forced to work.
Well in North Korea there are many people who have been raised or put in their awful
concentration camps. North Korea is known as one of the most isolated countries on Earth. They
refuse to cooperate with the United Nations. There are countless struggles going on there. The
oppression of their people is probably the most well known; anyone who opposes their ruler,
Kim Jong Un, will be sent to a concentration camp. Many other things like being a Christian is
also banned. The world should be aware of how badly North Korea treats their people and how
much of a worldwide threat they are.
North Korea is a country that is well known for not caring for their people. Many families
were separated during the Korean War, and they did not see each other for 32 years. During the
Korean War, there were many tragic stories of people leaving their families: Men left behind
their families, children left aging parents, and mothers fled with babies tied to their backs
(Donas). Leaving families behind would be an incredibly hard thing to do, yet some people did it
to survive. In 1985 when Kim Jong il was the leader they let 100 family members travel from
the north to south, and vice versa (Donas). North Korea tried to put up a show that they actually
cared about their people, even though they didnt. Only 100 family members were selected
amongst the tens of thousands of people who applied (Donas). This only happened once and has
yet to happen a second time.

Absalom 2
Since traveling is limited in North Korea, it requires help from the outside if you want to
travel. Mike Kim is a man who has an inspiring story about how he helped North Korean citizens
escape from the country to China. Mike Kim is a former missionary, spent four years at the
China-North Korea border building shelters and orphanages (Escaping North Korea). He even
wrote a book named Escaping North Korea: Defiance and Hope in the World's Most Repressive
Country. He led North Korean refugees through a 6,000 mile underground passage to China.
Mike even led 4 teenagers to China to avoid arrest from the government. In his book, he
uncovers famine, sexual abuse, torture, and religious oppression that goes on in North Korea
(Escaping North Korea). These crimes that the North Korean government allows should not be
acceptable anywhere on this earth and no human being should ever go through sexual abuse and
religious oppression.
Living conditions in North Korea are atrocious. Most of the nation lives in extreme
poverty (Lights Out). Many of the citizens in North Korea rely on a fireplace for heat and
lack indoor plumbing (Lights Out). Living in these conditions would be awful, most citizens
in America use plumbing multiple times a day and dont think twice about it. If one compares a
satellite photo at night of North Korea to South Korea there is a major difference. The difference
that you notice is that there is an abundance of light in South Korea, but almost no light in North
Korea (Lights Out). This is even more proof that the living conditions are bad. It is believed
that North Korea gives most of their money to Kim Jong Un or to the military. North Korea has
the most powerful military in the world, the country maintains an army that is 1.2 million strong
and has a stockpile of nuclear weapons (Lights Out). Nuclear weapons cost a fortune to make,
so that is where most of the money must go; unless of course Kim Jong Un keeps it all for
himself, instead of giving it to the people.

Absalom 3
North Korea are a terrible threat to the world, have an awful dictator named Kim Jong Un
who does not care about his people, they live in terrible conditions and have no freedom. Living
in North Korea would be one of the worst things to do because they have no freedom. Yet
somehow their people believe that they have it good, and are taught to hate America. There are
so many struggles going on in that country. For example, one can only worship Kim Jong Un,
and citizens dont have any say in politics. We need to make North Korean struggles well known
across the globe and take a stand against Kim Jong Un; no people should be treated the way that
he treats them.

Works Cited
Donas, Yolando. "Till we meet again." Faces: People, Places, and Cultures May-June 2010:
12+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
"Escaping North Korea: Defiance and Hope in the World's Most Repressive Country."

Absalom 4
Publishers Weekly 23 June 2008: 50+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
"Lights out." Junior Scholastic/Current Events 23 Feb. 2015: 2+. Global Issues in Context. Web.
23 Mar. 2015.