"No nation should be a prison for it's own people." ~George W
Bush.
Recently I went on a USO DMZ tour to Panmunjom, South
Korea. It was very informational and
really encouraging to see how eager the United Nations is about having the 2
Koreas unite as one peninsula. This is
also a passion I have developed for the Korean Peninsula since my arrival to
Korea in February 2013. In the past year
and a half my eyes have been open to the incredible acts of injustice that are
being done to the citizens of North Korea.
Before I came to Korea I just thought N. Korea was a communist country
and communism was bad but didn’t really understand why.
My naïve thinking about communism that I obtained during my
K-12 education was completely wrong.
Communism does not promote equality in a fair way. In fact, communism eliminates freedom all
together. Citizens of communist
countries do not have freedom of expression, freedom from torture, freedom to
travel, or freedom from hunger. For the
World Cup in 2010, North Korean soccer players were allowed to participate but
the minute they were eliminated from the competition they were told to come
back to North Korea or their family members would all be “punished” if they
didn’t return.
Next year is the 70-year anniversary of the division in
Korea. I believe that similar my
experience before arriving to Korea, people around the world do not know enough
about the problems in North Korea. There
is plenty of information out there but the problem is that it isn’t reaching
enough people who will fight to end the oppression and injustice that goes on
in N. Korea.
In a study conducted of 122 refugees (2008-2009) by the
University of North Korean Studies under the direction of the National Human
Rights Commission of Korea, 76% of refugees reported witnessing public executions
in N. Korea, 46% reported that there was no food distribution, 58% reported
witnessing people die of starvation. The
UN’s World Food Programme states that one in every three children in North
Korea remains malnourished. It’s not
that N. Korea doesn’t have the money to buy food for its people; it’s that it
chooses to spend the money on weapons under its “military first policy.”
North Koreans suffer from severe lack of freedoms. The economic operations are firmly
controlled. Education and health care
are among the poorest in the world. Going
against the government in anyway -large or small- could end someone in a prison
camp. Many prisoners never learn what
exactly their crimes are. The government’s guilty-by-association policy
means that a person’s entire family may be sent to a prison camp for the
“crime” of an individual.
Radio Broadcasts are tightly
secured and monitored by the government in an attempt to brainwash its
people. Still, North Korean citizens
have been able to get broadcast outside of North Korea, mostly through
government-issued radios that have been tampered with or on radios smuggled
into the country. As more and more N.
Koreans learn the truth about the outside world, they are compelled to leave
and find freedom. The increased
availability of outside information has changed the people’s perception of
their country and its leaders. They
realize they are being brainwashed. It’s
causing the people to depend on themselves rather than the government for
sustenance. It’s a slow but steady
change. The collapse of Korea could
happen internally because of this awareness that is being obtained.
North Korean refugees have officially settled in 23
countries. 27,000 refugees live in S.
Korea and another 2,000 live in other countries all over the world. According to South Korea’s constitution, refugees
that escape from North Korea are official citizens of South Korea and therefore
are safe if they make it there. The
Chinese, however, abuse refugees that escaped into China before sending them back. Around 15,000 a year get sent back from China. Once back they usually end up in one of the
prison camps where they are hung and beaten as a public spectacle. Sometimes they will even jump on pregnant women. Escaping to China is easier than escaping to
South Korea so more refuges seek out the Chinese route as the South Korean boarder
is extremely well guarded.
As human beings we were created to have freedom. God, the Creator of all heaven, earth and
everything in it, including mankind, gave mankind the freedom to choose a
relationship with Him. We were not
created as robots that are forced to serve, love, worship, and honor God. He gave us the freedom to choose whether or
not we wanted to do so.
If God does not force mankind into a relationship with Him
then who do these dictators think they are that demand things of people, taking
away their God given freedom to live the way they choose. People
are loosing their lives in an attempt to escape for freedom, and they think it
is worth it. The idea of freedom gives
them hope. The desire to have something
so many thankless people around the world have, gives them courage to risk
their lives. They would rather risk losing their lives to find freedom than
live captive in a land of unjust bondage and torture. Let me say that again,
THEY RISK THEIR LIVES FOR FREEDOM!!!!! The
idea of death does not stop them.
When was the last time WE were thankful for freedom? When was the last time WE were thankful for
even that snack we ate between meals because it was just there in front of us
and looked appealing to eat, even though we may not have been hungry at the
time. I’m not writing this to make
people feel guilty. I’m writing this
because there are bigger issues in the world that I want to encourage people
with power and resources to stand up for.
If you are American, regardless of your economic status, you have both
of these. Europeans, Australians, South
Koreans and some of my other friends around the world, you aren’t exempt
either.
I’m so tired of hearing “sensitive Americans,” in their
“comfortable bubble,” complain about things that really don’t matter. If you want to complain about something I beg
you, complain about this or other injustices around the world. Adopt an orphan, or give up going out a few
times a month and give the money to charity.
Give up your lavish vacation and go on a mission trip, or sell
everything, leave America and go to another country to help with the need. Don’t be afraid and don’t let the “what-ifs”
stop you!
One person can do unbelievable things but they cannot change
the world alone. If mankind would work
together we could impact such greater change, the change I believe every human
being, deep within, past all selfishness, pride, and vanity, truly wants to
see. It’s not too late! There is still hope! You are not dead and that means you can still
do something! Even if you have small
children you can do something! A friend
of mine, who just had a baby earlier this year, is moving to Thailand as a
missionary. Don’t let life stop you from
fulfilling your desire to make a difference, even if that means making a
difference where you are at.
“You are here in order to enable the world to live more
amply, with greater vision, with finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world.” ~Woodrow
Wilson
If you would like more information about the injustice in
North Korea or how you can help, here is a link from the Justice For North
Korea website.
http://www.justice4nk.org/en/north-korean-human-rights-crisis/additional-resources/
North Korea at night from NASA Satellite.
My friend and I standing on the N. Korean side of the DMZ.
The bridge of no return.
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