KangCholHwan

I dislike the North Korean government, not the people- so yes, I do miss the people there. North Koreans may seem different because they are brainwashed by the government; but once their thoughts change through the flow of information, they are the same as anywhere else. I think it is lamentable that people think of the North Korean government and North Koreans as one entity. North Koreans may seem loyal to the government, but because they fear the government, they cannot speak their minds. For example, Seungjin Park, the North Korean soccer player during the World Cup, was at the Yoduk Political Prisoners Camp with me, but is now acting as the soccer team coach. However, he must hide the fact that he was at the prisoners camp. To learn more about North Korea, you must know something about the nature of North Korea. This is true even when visiting North Korea.

Daily life in the work camps is very mundane. We wake up at 5 am and are forced to work until sunset. We are given lessons on Kim il-sung and Juche. We are forced to watch public executions. We are physically abused - hit and tortured. I think of it as another form of Auschwitz. These work camps are like products of Nazism, and an abusive government needs elements such as Nazi concentration camps. They just have different ways of killing people.

People have almost gotten caught with the USB sticks. Thankfully, they managed to get out before they were caught. However, they cannot go back to North Korea now. But that’s about it currently. North Korean citizens often get caught using these USB sticks but they are released when they give bribes to the police. I believe it would be about 500 dollars maximum in Pyeongang and about 200~300 dollars in other regions. The problem would be if they are caught and they have no money to bribe their way out.

I think that the government does benefit a little bit from the money gained through the tours Westerners take to North Korea. I don’t think that it is a bad idea to experience and see North Korea this way. However, currently, foreign visiters are getting arrested by the government and are used as pieces for negotiation, so refraining from visiting North Korea seems wise. I think that the North Korean government are using these tourists as a method of negotiation with foreign governments (ie. the Canadian pastor and the American student). Because the government is receiving internal and external pressure, they are using these tourists as hostages for negotiation, because they are unstable. So currently, I think it is better to refrain from visiting North Korea.

When I was escaping, it was the early stages and there were no set escape routes. It was hard to defect without the help of the South Korean government. I had heard that you could live in places such as Harbin, China. However, I was hopeful that other paths would open. Missionaries came and prayed for us. The heavens helped me and I was able to board a ship that took me from China to South Korea.

I became a Christian after arriving in South Korea. In August 2015, an ax was delivered to my office with a writing saying that if I don’t stop what I am doing, I will be murdered. The police has been investigating this and the investigation is coming to a close. In 2012, an assassin sent from North Korea was caught following me and keeping track of my whereabouts. He is facing trial now. Currently, there is a police protecting me 24/7. Although North Korea is threatening me, I cannot stop what I am doing. I am upset that although I have earned freedom, I am still facing threats.