Is Korea's Economy Overhyped?

Dear Korean,

A perception exists in the US that S. Korea has a much stronger economy than much of the rest of the world. Modern infra-structure, high profits, and booming success. Is there too much hype?

SDH

Dear SDH,

The Korean is not sure if the perception is widely shared among Americans. Just the other day, the Korean got another "North or South?" question -- in real life, not from the blog. In fact, the Korean is nearly sure that a significant portion of Americans, if not the majority, probably cannot locate Korea in a map.

But the point that there is a perception is definitely correct. As shown in the Daily Show clip below, President Obama mentioned South Korea five times in his State of the Union address. The growth of Korean economy feels particularly palpable in America, because leading Korean companies often make final consumer products. The visible flood of Samsung Android cellphones, LG flat screen television and Hyundai cars definitely makes one feel that Korea has arrived. Korea's soft products -- movies, television shows, pop music-- are getting a massive dose of international attention. Major newspapers of America cover Korea-related stories much more frequently than before. Heck, this blog would not be where it is now if Korea did not draw people's attention as much as it does now.

Is there too much hype over this? The Korean's thought is -- maybe a little bit.

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that the Korean is the biggest fan of Korea's success story. One of the poorest countries in the world (which is actually a nice way to describe a war-torn shithole) that had been a backwater monarchy for millennia turns itself into a modern democracy with world-class economy within 40 to 50 years. Find another country in human history that did what Korea did. You can't.

Is Korea a "stronger economy than much of the rest of the world"? Certainly. Korea's PPP-controlled GDP is either 12th or 13th in the world, ahead of such unquestionably wealthy countries like Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and Switzerland. And Korea did not become this way by leveraging the number of its people or the size of its country, like China or India did. Among the top 15 greatest economies, Korea has the second smallest population following Spain and the smallest land mass. For example, Indonesia has nearly five times Korea's population and 20 times Korea's land mass, but Korea's economy is 50 percent greater than Indonesia's.

And Korea has no signs of slowing down just yet. A lot of countries -- say, Mexico or Argentina -- have experienced dazzling growth in the early going until they plateau at around $15,000 of PPP-controlled per capita GDP. But Korea shattered that ceiling, reaching nearly $30,000 in PPP-controlled GDP per capita at this point. Korea is one of only three OECD member (i.e. an advanced industrialized country) that did not experience negative growth in 2009, as the whole world still climbing out of the global recession. In 2010, Korea's economy grew by sizzling 6.1 percent. In other words, Korea has a greater upside than many other advanced economies.

But while all this is uniquely incredible, one must soberly look at where Korea is now. It's nice that Korea has world's 12th largest economy, but that still means that it has 11 more countries ahead. And the gap between Korea and the top 5 economies in the world (if we suppose the European Union to be a single country) is huge. Japan has an economy that is still three times the size of Korea's. China, more than six times. The U.S. and EU, more than 10 times. Also, there is a real question about whether Korea can maintain its torrid pace of growth for another decade, let alone beyond.

Because the Korean is a massive NBA fan, this "hype" over Korea's economy reminds him of a certain NBA player: Derrick Rose, point guard of Chicago Bulls. Rose came into this season with vastly improved jump shot, which made his spectacular drives to the hoop even deadlier. The Bulls have a sparkling 34-14 record this season, definitely on pace to significantly improve upon their last year's record of 41-41. Because of this, Rose is considered by many to be a legitimate MVP candidate and a front runner of that race by some.

But is Rose really the most valuable player of the NBA? Chicago is only the fifth best team in the NBA. Rose is also a surprisingly inefficient scorer (surprising because of the frequency at which he goes to the rim,) because he elects to shoot a more difficult shot than trying to draw a foul. Rose's defense improved from last year, but really it went from atrocious to salvageable. Yet a lot of people cannot get away from the idea that Rose should be the MVP this season, because they simply cannot take their eyes off Rose's gaudy scoring averages and electric finishes at the basket. People also factor in the fact that Rose has so much upside because this is only Rose's third season, although there is no real guarantee that Rose could get better than this. (For example, LeBron James never really improved from his third year.)

Same with Korea. Is Korea's economy exciting? Yes, as much as Derrick Rose's game is exciting. But we also have to recognize the fact that a lot of the excitement comes from the fact that Korea makes visible, high-tech stuff (the economy's equivalent of SportsCenter highlights) and because Korea seems to have a lot of upside. While one can get legitimately excited by them, one also has to realize where the reality stops and where the bubble sets in.

Just for fun, here is the list of matches between major world economies and NBA players that the Korean came up with:

• India - Monta Ellis, Golden State Warriors. Ellis has some ridiculous scoring numbers, which makes Golden State fans swoon. But those numbers come from the fact that the Warriors play at the fastest pace in the NBA (and therefore have more possessions,) and Ellis chucks up shots like no one else's business. Likewise, India's economy seems awesome, until one realizes that they have a billion people who speak English and are willing to work for cheap.
• Brazil - Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks. Both have excellent economy/game, but are constantly omitted from the discussion of powerhouses/superstars.
• Canada - Chris Bosh, Miami Heat. Standing next to a superduperstar, it is easy to underappreciate both Canada and Bosh. But they are both integral to the success of their more successful partner. Also fitting that Bosh's first team was Toronto Raptors.
• European Union - Boston Celtics. A group of old vets that might be the best if they could work together and their joints don't fail. Kevin Garnett is Germany (formerly menacing), Paul Pierce is Great Britain (steady excellence), Ray Allen is France (used to be good, now good at only one or two things.) Either Italy or Spain could be Rajon Rondo, and Cyprus is definitely Luke Harangody.
• Japan - Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers. There are tons of whispers that Kobe is slowing down because of his age, and at times he does look old and liftless. And then Kobe still throws down an occasional 40 point game to remind everyone who he was. Likewise, there are tons of talks about how Japan is near its demise, except Toyota is still the number one car company in the world and PlayStation still shapes the world's culture. (You have no idea how much this kills the Korean, an avid Lakers fan, to give Kobe to Japan.)
• China - Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic. Those huge muscles! Spectacular blocks! Nightly double-doubles! Those are just as enthralling as China's huge economy and seemingly cutting-edge development. Except Howard has surprisingly skinny legs and shaky post game that no one talks about, like the way no one talks about how much China's economy is leveraging cheap labor or utterly destroying its environment.
• United States - LeBron James, Miami Heat. Both egomaniacs who/which can be totally oblivious to what other people/countries feel, which cause a lot of hate and anger. Both have weaknesses that they totally should not have. (James, total absence of a post game despite having the body of a power forward, the U.S. a miserably bad education and healthcare system despite having the most money in the world.) Yet when push comes to shove, there should be no doubt who/which is the best in the world. And now, the Korean will exorcise this blasphemy by watching Kobe: Doing Work for the 43rd time.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

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What is Gujeong?

Dear Korean,

So, what IS the historical background and etymology of gujeong? I read in a rather reliable place that it's "actually pretty involved and can be fascinating." :)

Chris C.

Dear Chris,

First of all, happy new year of the Rabbit for you and everyone. Today is the Lunar New Year's Day. (Please don't call it Chinese New Year. Koreans, Vietnamese, Mongolians and other Asian countries also celebrate the Lunar New Year.)

The Korean already explained Korea's traditions surrounding Lunar New Year in this post. But this question is about the name by which Koreans call Lunar New Year -- gujeong. Why is this word interesting? Because the word means "old new year." Then what is the "new new year"? Why is there an "old new year" and "new new year" in the first place?

Answer: Japan. Traditionally, Korea has celebrated the Lunar New Year. But Japan celebrated the solar new year by 1910, when it annexed Korea. After the annexation, Japan imposed the "new new year" -- what is now referred to as shinjeong. (By now, you might have guessed that gu means "old," shin means "new" and jeong means "new year.") After the liberation, majority of Koreans went back to celebrating the "old new year," although some number of families remained celebrating the "new new year."

Again, happy new year to everyone! Here is a nice bowl of tteokguk (rice cake soup) for the occasion.

(Source)

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

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Americans are the fattest people in the industrialized world, while Koreans are the slimmest. There are many reasons for this, but one huge factor is diet. The Korean will have a post about the healthiness of Korean diet, but the most important point, for the Korean, is this: Koreans eat less. Portion size served in restaurants in Korea is anywhere between half to two-thirds of portion size in America.

Now, American government seems to have taken notice, which is a good news.

Government’s Dietary Advice: Eat Less [New York Times]

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Looking at the situation at Egypt is rather reminiscent of the way America handled Korea. The U.S. is reluctant to do anything too radical with Egyptian president/dictator Hosni Mubarak, because he is an important ally in a war against terror. (Apparently Joe Biden does not consider Mubarak to be a dictator, although it is hard to figure out what else to call a leader who has been ruling for 30 years in a supposedly democratic country.) Similarly, in the name of preventing the spread of communism, U.S. tolerated a series of dictators in Korea all the way from its independence to late 1980s/early 1990s. In fact, nearly all anti-American sentiment in Korea today can be more or less traced to this fact.

The Korean does not know what is the right thing to do here. But he hopes that Barack Obama knows enough history to understand the future implications of American tolerance of autocrats.

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50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 37. Lee Sora

[Read more reviews from the Korean from the Library Mixer. To join, click here.]

[Series Index]

37.  Lee Sora [이소라]

Years of Activity:  1995-present

Discography:
Vol. 1 (1995)
Like in a Movie [영화에서처럼] (1996)
About Sorrow and Rage [슬픔과 분노에 관한] (1998)
Flower [꽃] (2000)
Sora's Diary (2002)
Eyelash Moon [눈썹달] (2004)
Winter, Lonely and Warm Songs [겨울, 외롭고 따뜻한 노래] (2008)

Representative Song:  The Wind Blows [바람이 분다] from Eyelash Moon

바람이 분다
The Wind Blows

바람이 분다
The wind blows
서러운 마음에 텅 빈 풍경이 불어온다
The empty scenary blows into the sorrowful heart
머리를 자르고 돌아오는 길에
On the way back from cutting hair
내내 글썽이던 눈물을 쏟는다
The welled tears drop

하늘이 젖는다
The sky wets
어두운 거리에 찬 빗방울이 떨어진다
In the dark streets, cold raindrops fall
무리를 지으며 따라오는 비는
The rain that chases me in a herd
내게서 먼 것 같아
Seems far away from me
이미 그친 것 같아
Seems already stopped

세상은 어제와 같고
The world is the same as yesterday
시간은 흐르고 있고
The time is still flowing
나만 혼자 이렇게 달라져 있다
And I alone changed like this
바람에 흩어져 버린 허무한 내 소원들은
My futile wishes scattered in the wind
애타게 사라져간다
Desperately disappear

바람이 분다
The wind blows
시린 한기 속에 지난 시간을 되돌린다
In the searing chill, turn back to the times past
여름 끝에 선 너의 뒷모습이
Your back, standing at the end of the summer
차가웠던 것 같아
Seemed so cold
다 알 것 같아
Seemed like I understand it all

내게는 소중했었던 잠 못 이루던 날들이
The sleepless days that were so precious to me
너에겐 지금과 다르지 않았다
To you, they were not different from now
사랑은 비극이어라
What tragedy is love
그대는 내가 아니다
You are not I
추억은 다르게 적힌다
Memories are written differently
나의 이별은 잘 가라는 인사도 없이 치러진다
My departure is held without a goodbye

세상은 어제와 같고
The world is the same as yesterday
시간은 흐르고 있고
The time is still flowing
나만 혼자 이렇게 달라져 있다
And I alone changed like this
내게는 천금같았던 추억이 담겨져 있던 머리 위로
Over the head holding memories worth a thousand gold to me
바람이 분다
The wind blows
눈물이 흐른다
The tear falls

Translation Note:  Not sure if the emotion carries over in English. Anyone have a better word for 시리다? "Searing" was a possibility because the sensation is similar, but "searing" is never associated with cold in English. 애타게 is also such a crucial word, but not sure if that was translated right.

In 15 Words or Less:  The most special voice in K-pop history.

Maybe she should be ranked higher because...  At one point, she was easily the most dominant female star for the stretch of 3 to 4 years.

Maybe she should be ranked lower because...  How much weight can we give to a vocalist, as opposed to a singer-songwriter? (See the discussion below.)

Why is this artist important?
We often obsess over shallow forms of creativity. We focus on quick, observable types of creativity and neglect to see the deep, intangible forms of creativity. In pop music, this tendency manifests itself in our worship of singer-songwriters. After all, anyone can sing. Heck, we sound pretty good when we sing in the shower. Composition, now that's creativity. A good singer is nice, but all she is doing is following the commands of the composer. There is no creativity there.

And sometimes, a transcendental talent shows up and slaps some sense into us. Lee Sora is not a singer-songwriter. She is only a singer, although the negative connotation of the word "only" should not apply at all. Her velvety, near androgynous voice that effortlessly rises and falls over several octaves is easily the most special voice in K-pop history. (In fact, the Korean is certain that had K-pop been as internationally as now and/or Lee sung in English during her heyday in the late 1990s, she would have been a world star at the level of, say, Bjork and Enya.) And few, if any, can replicate the emotions she has been able to convey with that voice.

Lee's best songs are always about deep, desperate emotions, held in unknown to anyone. The song The Wind Blows shows this very well. Woman cutting hair is always a significant event. She was holding back tears the whole time while getting her hair cut, and she silently cries on the way back, in an empty street. Express this wrong, and all you have is a cheesy, stupid melodrama. But express this right, and you are accessing one of the most powerful emotions in all of humanity.

This is the point at which we see the true genius of singing. Singing is not merely following the commands of the composer. At its best, singing breathes life into what was no more than a clay doll formed by the composer. Singing turns what was two-dimensional into what is three-, four-, five-dimensional. It requires the ability to envision the end result, the fifth dimension that people cannot even imagine, and using your talent to get to that dimension. When this does happen, it is like magic -- it just happens. But instead of applauding, people simply think it is not hard to raise a rabbit in a hat and pull it out in front of the crowd.

Lee Sora's influence is made even more meaningful by the fact that she shined in the K-pop desert populated by pretty corporate puppets. K-pop had two periods of nadir -- once during mid-1970s to early 1980s when the military dictatorship cracked down on "subversive" songs, and during late 1990s-early 2000s when the corporate groups almost choked out the scene. During the latter nadir when talentless pretty faces crowded the television screens, Lee Sora never lowered herself to vulgar sex appeal. Her voice alone gently reminded everyone in Korea what mattered in music.

Interesting trivia:  Right before Lee Sora made her debut, another woman named Lee Sora had already been a popular public personality for a few years -- as a supermodel/talk show host. Much confusion occurred in everyday parlance regarding "Singer Lee Sora" and "Model Lee Sora."

-EDIT 1/31/2011- After some deliberation, the translation of 시린 한기 is changed from "piercing cold" to "searing chill".

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

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"We're not South Korea, we never will be! Why don't you love us for us?"

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
State of the Union 2011 - Night of Too Many Promises
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog</a> The Daily Show on Facebook

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Ask a Korean! News: North Korean Riot in 1998

It has been a while since the Korean translated from Nambuk Story, a North Korean blog run by Mr. Joo Seong-Ha, a Kim Il-Sung University graduate who defected from North Korea. The Korean has been translating his incredible stories and invaluable insight partly because they are informative, and partly because of a sense of duty that the world needs to know what has happened in Korea, and what is happening now. This story  is long, but the world must know. Incredibly, although this happened more than 10 years ago, the story is only getting told now from a defector through Mr. Joo. Below is the translation.

*            *           *

My name is Lee Choon-Gu, 35 years old. I escaped from North Korea and defected into Republic of Korea, my dream world. I am from Hwanghaebuk-do Hwangju-gun.

At this point, I have largely forgotten the hunger and struggle I experienced in North Korea before I defected. But I can never forget the laborer's riot at Hwanghae Steel Refinery at August 1998, in Hwanghaebuk-do Songrim-si. North Korean regime's inhuman barbarism that quelled this riot will forever stain the pages of history.

In early August of 1998, I came to stay with my aunt at Songrim-si to get through the dire food shortage. Songrim-si is known for having one of the largest steel refineries in North Korea. My family came to rely on my aunt's because her little business of carrying around and selling things was doing ok at a place with a high density of laborers, nearly 100,000 employees of the steel mill. The three of us -- myself, wife and child -- abandoned the house at Hwangju-gun, got to help my aunt selling fish and eat what little food available. I was so thankful for my aunt and uncle then. My uncle was working at the automated line within the Hwanghae Steel Refinery.

At this time, the situation was the same everywhere in North Korea. Even in Songrim-si filled with laborers, the monthly food ration amounted to corn power worth a day or two. The laborers did not show up to work, severely dropping the factory's productivity. The factory officials visited my aunt's house several times to persuade my uncle, who could not report to work. The officers said a few words like "Let's try to overcome this difficulty and be loyal to the Dear Leader," but my uncle hardly cared.

I think it was around August 10, 1998. There were rumors all over Songrim-si that there is a public execution by a firing squad, executing eight Hwanghae Steel Refinery officers at the public stadium. Apparently the manager and the secretary of the steel mill began discussing how to feed the laborers, and the assistant managers participated. The conclusion was to sell pressed steel plates to China in exchange for corn.

The manager and the secretary of a steel mill are candidates for Labor Party Central Committee and members of the elite power structure. They were supposed to report something like this to the Central Party, but decided to handle within the steel mill. They knew that the higher-ups would not approve because the steel plates were for the military, etc. At the meeting, the secretary and the manager explained, "We are not being reactionaries; we are trying to produce steel by feeding the laborers and have them participate in production." At the same time, they pleaded the officers to keep it secret.

The steel mill's boat at Nampo seaport took the steel plates to China to be exchanged for corn. The steel mill's assistant manager and other officers were on the boat to negotiate with the Chinese. Of course, the laborers on the boat would not know the specifics of this transaction. They returned with a boat full of corn exchanged with the steel plates, and were about to moor the boat at Nampo.

Suddenly, young men in plainclothes jumped on the boat brandishing handguns, and showed their identification. The ID said Pyongyang Chief Security Bureau Inspection Division, the embedded enforcers who are known to operate through direct orders from the North Korean regime. They arrested everyone on the boat, tied them up and took them away somewhere in a car -- a rare thing to see in North Korea. Apparently, the arrest happened because someone snitched. All this I heard from the laborers from the boat, who were let go because they did not know anything. The streets were filled with indignant murmurs wondering who snitched. The murmurs also voiced the people's praise for the officers' brave decision for the laborers.

Next day at 9 a.m., the city public stadium was filled with laborers and residents with heavy hearts. With my uncle, I saw the eight people to be executed getting dragged out from a truck. Probably because of torture, they could not walk; the plainclothed young men of Pyongyang Chief Security Bureau Inspection Division dragged them to the stakes. Even as they were being tied to the stakes, my uncle who worked at the steel mill could not tell who was who. Although it was summer, everyone was wrapped in thick cotton winter clothes with their eyes covered.

Then the people from some kind of central tribunal read the sentencing statement for death penalty. It said for the treason that violated the Party's sovereign leadership and sold the republic's supplies to a foreign country, the assistant manager and head of sales who were arrested on the boat, and other related assistant managers and head of production -- eight officers -- are to be executed immediately. Suddenly the murmurs grew, expressing a sense of injustice. "Execution is too much; it's not like they were trying to feed themselves."

But some dozen shooters lined up in front of the prisoners with automatic rifles, and sprayed bullets on command. The shrieking sound of bullets lifted up and put down the small stadium, and the shot prisoners all squirted blood, slumping forward. Facing this enormous scene of murder, the people fell quiet. But after the storm passed, the outraged yell of the people began to burst out here and there, swaying the stadium. My uncle and I were also agitated, and joined voices to hurl curses of whose meaning we did not even know.

As if to represent them, a middle-aged woman jumped in front of the microphone that was used to read the sentencing statement. The people around me all pointed to her and said she used to be a nurse for the Great Leader (Kim Il-Sung). My uncle said the woman was a designated nurse for Kim Il-Sung at Bonghwa hospital at Pyongyang, who came back to her hometown Songrim-si to live a high life while earning the trust of the central party. I could feel my gaze sharpening as I heard my uncle, thinking that woman would spout some garbage to justify the execution. I could feel the other people also sending her a hateful glare. But the woman's voice reverberating from the mic was completely unexpected:

"How dare you execute in this barbaric manner? The steel mill officers tried to get the corn only to produce and please the Dear Leader. They should be punished if their method was wrong, but they did not deserve execution. The executed officers tried to feed the laborers to get them to work. They weren't trying to feed themselves. Killing them like this was barbaric ..."

Before she could finish, the plainclothed young men rushed in, dragged the woman away from the microphone. They kicked her with their boots, and put a gag in her mouth. Then they tied her up, dragged her to the stake where one of the prisoner just died. They kicked away the slumped body of the executed prisoner, and tied the woman on the stake. Then a middle-aged, plainclothed man -- not the judge who read the statement -- stepped up. He was directing the men from the Inspection Division. He said icily, "Anyone who disobeys our socialist sovereign system is executed immediately. Everyone behave accordingly." Before he even finished, three shooters fired nine shots at the woman.

As the woman, who was alive just earlier, fell into a pool of blood, the people were petrified as if their mouthes froze over. Shivering with terror, they could not even breathe loudly; not even a rustle could be heard in the stadium full of people. My uncle and I, shocked with fear, left the stadium and came home. Even at home, no one -- including my aunt and my wife, who were there also -- tried to say anything. It felt as if the moment we say anything, someone will rush in and bury bullets in us again.

The next day afternoon, the rumor began to spread in Songrim-si that the outraged steel mill laborers risked death, rushed the factory and began protesting. Several thousand laborers gathered to conduct a sitting protest at a road within the factory, chanting, "No more purges of officers" and "Officers who tried to feed us for the mill did nothing wrong." The Songrim-si people did not spare the words of encouragement: "The laborer class is truly a class of their own," "Laborers are fearless." A protest like this in North Korea could not even be dreamed of.

The protesters decided to occupy the factory sitting down, until a representative from the regime heard their demands. As they heard no word until dark, they continued to protest over the night. We fell asleep as we heard news about their protest.

I woke up as my wife was shaking me. As I was opening my eyes, I was startled by the eardrum-piercing noise. The dull roar of caterpillar rang the windows and shook the floor -- it had to be tanks. They must have been moving so closely together that I could not tell how many there were. I looked at the clock; it was nearly 4 a.m. My aunt and uncle, both awake, stared at the outside noise with bewilderment.

"Is there a war?" "I think so." My aunt and uncle spoke to each other. My wife and I looked at each other, widening our eyes with agreement. Korean War started in early morning also; the dark blue daybreak with the sounds of tank seemed like war.

"What do we do? Go find out what happened. We might have to make a run." My uncle and I hurriedly put on our pants as my aunt nagged. Once outside, we began running after the tanks that already passed by. Other people were running in front of and behind us. They were running toward the mill. The steel mill was about a mile and half from our house. We kept hearing the tanks in the mill's direction. The streets were filled with people running toward the mill. As we were running, I asked my uncle -- aren't the tanks going to the protesters? My uncle glanced at me and dismissed the notion right away, saying "What would tanks do there?"

Suddenly, the people stopped running, frozen where they were standing to hear the blasting guns. Hundreds of blasts were mixed with shrieking screams. It was like a dream, as if those screams were piercing my heart. After about ten minutes, the sound of guns and the laboring sound of the tanks stopped, only the sound as if the stationary tanks were starting up again. Then the chaotic sound of crying, inside the mill. The people rushed into the mill, and then stopped, shocked at the scene before them.

The asphalt-paved road inside the steel mill had a river of viscous, dark dead blood. In the middle of every person who cried together, dozens of horrendously squashed dead bodies were strewn about, next to messy piles of severed arms and legs. The rising stink of blood was retching. Hundreds of soldiers were haughtily aiming their guns at a group of men, who appeared to be the protesters. All the bodies looked like they were run over by the tanks or shot.

Soon, the people surrounded the bodies of their family and began wailing. As if there was no protest to begin with, there was only a sea of tears. The people could hear from what the protesters said: a dozen tanks and hundreds of soldiers on trucks came before the sitting protesters. The laborers were ordered to scatter, but they did not budge. Then, following a signal, the protesters fell with the loud sounds of gunfire, and the tanks rolled into the protesting ranks. Dozens of sitting laborers in the front were suddenly swallowed up into the tank's tracks. The frightened protesters screamed and scattered.

The next day, bulletins from Social Security Bureau (currently People's Security Bureau) appeared on the streets. They said the leaders of the protest who threatened the socialist system and caused a disloyal incitement would be judged in the name of the people. It was like a state of martial law, as the young soldiers with guns prowled the alleyways.

Two days later, there was another public execution of three laborers, who were supposedly the leaders of the riot, with a middle school teacher and a young woman. The crime of the middle school teacher and the young woman was to steal a radio from a Korean-Japanese who returned to North Korea from Japan. They were unlucky -- during the state of martial law, they were caught by the security bureau agents who were looking for any excuse to execute someone.

My wife was sitting in the front of the public execution, and she said among the prisoners, her eyes were drawn to the frail-looking young woman. After their crimes and the judgment of execution by firing squad were read, the two plainclothes from the Chief Security Bureau approached the woman. They struck her jaw to dislocate it, and put in her mouth a small spring held in their hand. The small, round spring stretched up, pushing out her mouth. She writhed in pain. Then she was shot several times, dying at the stake. My wife was in shock. Trembling, she could not sleep for several days.

No one in Songrim-si dared to even breathe loudly for the entire August. This is the event that is known to have been suppressed by Pyongyang's Chief Security Bureau.

직접 목격한 북한 노동자 폭동, 탱크로 밀어버린 현장은 [Nambuk Story]

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

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