THIS IS the story of Shin Dong Hyok. I heard his story over the summer, when I was living in London. Mr. Hyok was staying at the same place I was, travelling with a Christian human rights group. At some point during his stay, someone -- I'm not sure whether from his group or from the residence -- decided it would be a good idea for him to share his story. So, on a Tuesday night about 50 of the residents gathered in the tea room and, through an interpreter, Hyok told us his story.
Hyok was born in a North Korean prison camp. He began working when he was around four. When he was seven he watched a girl beaten to death in front of him. At ten he was told his mother and brother tried to escape the camp, and he was tortured with hot coals for information about their plans. After he recovered he and his father watched his mother and brother publicly executed. When he finally did manage to escape, it was only because the dead body of a friend who had been trying to escape with him was laid out across the bottom set of electric wires, forming a hole in the fence. Still his leg was severely burned from his crawl out.
What struck me most about Hyok was how young he looked. He's only 24, but he seems closer to 19. He talks softly, hunched over, always staring at the floor. In front of us, he kept one arm crossed over the other, and it was easy to see that his middle finger was shorter than all the others -- it had been chopped off in punishment when he dropped a sewing machine.
The group with which Hyok was travelling was at the time lobbying to increase awareness of the situation in North Korea among the international community and to propose various forms of action that countries could take in order to help the situation in North Korea.
The first portion of this scheme is the most important one. If you LexisNexis, or even just Google search North Korea, most of the stories you are going to find expound on fears of North Korea's developing nuclear weapons program. Although the several prominent news sources in the United States and Britain (including CNN and the BBC) have reported on the existence of the camps, North Korea still officially denies it, and while many other atrocities -- most notably Darfur -- are now appearing in the news almost every day, others -- like those in North Korea -- are notably absent from the press. If a majority of people are in the dark about the situation, there's a very slim chance that enough political pressure would ever be put on countries to motivate them to action against the human rights violations.
When it comes to the United States directly dealing with North Korea, this is a bit of a moot point. Short of an all out invasion, there is little America could do to pressure North Korea to change its policies on human rights. After all, the United States has had an economic embargo going since 1953. After playing that card, there's not much else left in the deck.
However, this does not mean that the United States is powerless to do anything about the situation. One of the main points that human rights activists are lobbying for when it comes to North Korea involves China. Currently, China forcibly repatriates North Koreans who have escaped across their border. The logic behind this has to do with pure immigration law. Generally those that cross China's border are doing so to escape famine, and not out of political necessity or fear for their lives. They are therefore immigrants, not refugees, and should be repatriated. However, once they are returned they face a strong threat of interrogation and torture.
While America has almost no leverage at all to encourage North Korea to change any of their practices, this is not the case with China. It would not be difficult to at least begin talks with China about not extraditing North Koreans, and it would be a huge step in the direction of human rights.
As I watched Hyok stare down at the floor, and explain slowly that he was very lucky to have escaped and very happy to be standing up there, in front of all of us, I wondered what it would be like to escape from a prison camp after living there your whole life. Would you see the world as a paradise? Or would you be incredibly frustrated at having escaped, and now having to spend an entire life campaigning to try to free others you knew were still suffering.
Margaret Sessa-Hawkins is a Cavalier Daily Viewpoint Writer. She is a fourth-year student majoring in Spanish and English.
Read More
EDITORIAL: Celebrate the Contemplative Commons and other non-academic student spaces
By Editorial Board | 2 hours agoThe Contemplative Commons stands as a testament to the value of spaces that transcend commercial imperatives, fostering interdisciplinary engagement and experiential learning.
KURTZWEIL: What we lose in the name of efficiency
By Paul Kurtzweil | YesterdayPenicillin was discovered in a moldy petri dish — this government would have it thrown out because it was wasting space on the counter.
RASHID: U.Va. must empower faculty and students through transparency
By Muhammad Ali Rashid | YesterdayBy attempting to contain, or even eliminate uncomfortable narratives, the administration incrementally consolidates power and frays communal trust.
