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Sarah Galloway

Professor Thaker

ENG 102

27 March 2017

The Fight for Freedom: Operation North Korea

In America, we have the luxury of free speech, but many people in other countries do not

have that. The people of North Korea are not given the free speech that we, as Americans can

often take for granted. Although the North Korean constitution states that they do have freedom

of speech, their leader uses that to create an illusion that they truly have freedom of speech. But,

if the people were truly given the opportunity to have free speech, how would that affect their

government's ability to function? How would their media be affected if the government could not

truly control the media?

Before diving into a major human rights problem that is something that affects more than

just North Korea, what is the definition of freedom of speech? According to dictionary.com,

they word it as the right of people to express their opinions publicly without governmental

interference, subject to the laws against libel, incitement to violence or rebellion, etc

(dictionary.com). Meaning that people are able to express how they are feeling without the

government telling us otherwise. We should be able to speak your mind, even if it can damage

someone's reputation, or even motive for violence or rioting.

The people of North Korea are told in their constitution that they have this freedom of

speech, but they do not it is simply controlled and contained, which is the opposite of freedom.

The media in North Korea is something that is heavily influenced, controlled, and observed by
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the government, to make sure that the public is only viewing things that are aligned with their

political agenda.

The people of North Korea have gone to great lengths to get ahold of media, whether it is

buying a SIM card for a cell phone from China to have the ability to view media from these

places, or simply distributing things from America and many other countries that are so easily

accessible such as movies or television. These individuals find themselves dealing media as if it

were drugs. Doing this seems to be growing in popularity according to Sunny Yoon, who writes

for Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea (Yoon). They live their lives in the shadows and

blending into society. By doing this and viewing the media, they put themselves in imitate

danger.

If caught, these individuals and their families could be imprisoned in one of North

Korea's many camps, one of the most popular and largest being kwanils which can hold up to

80,000 -120,000 people where they will most likely live out the rest of their lives as well as their

family (United States Department of State 1). Or in some cases, they could be executed in the

town square by the North Korean Army or government officials. These executions are carried out

to scare and put the people of North Korea in their place, and to show them the power of the

people in place of government (United States Department of State 2).

The youth of North Korea that take refuge in South Korea and other countries, still have a

sense of pride in the country (Sunny 4), like many people who take refuge in other countries.

They love their country, but they are not fond of what is happening. Regardless of the fact that

their government has neglected to help those in the lowest social strata, by assisting them with

having the most basic need of food (Lee 3). It has been said by others that the North Korean

militia has sold the food to acquire more financial benefits for their regime (Lee 3).
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It would be too easy to turn away from this country because of how far away they are, but

isnt freedom and equality something that people have been striving to accomplish since the

beginning of time? Why leave those who have no voice, alone and continuing to not have one?

Imagine being born into your origin country, only to find out that you no ability to think for

yourself or even speak, without fear of being executed or imprisoned.

A story about a strong young woman by the name of Yeonmi Park recently came into

light. She was born in the countryside of Peo Yong, North Korea. Had the courage to escape

North Korea and the Kim dictatorship, in search of her sister, who had left with a friend, in a

journey to China. Her Father was arrested after illegally selling metals across the border to

China. But, once that happened to her father, and he was in prisoned for seventeen years, the rest

of the family were deemed criminals as well, and will continue to trickle down for not only her

father and mother, but her and her sister, and will follow down to her children. Her father

managed to bribe his way out, as he had cancer. Once they made it to China, she had to see her

mother raped, traveled through the Gobi Desert, only a compass to guide them. Then the

compass died, and all that was there to lead them to freedom where the stars (One Young World).

She says, on stage at an event held by One World Young, a United Kingdom-based

organization that brings young leaders from around the country to a summit, to make connections

to enforce a positive change:

North Korea is an unimaginable country. There is one channel on T.V, there is no.

internet. We are not free to sing, say, wear, or think what we want. North Korea is the only

country in the world that executed people for making unauthorized international phone calls.

North Koreans are being terrorized today -North Koreans and desperately seeking and dying
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for freedom at this moment. When I was nine years old, I saw my friends mother, publicly

executed. Her crime? Watching a Hollywood movie! (Young World One).

This woman so willingly left her home even though it meant leaving all she knew. Can be

viewed as an example of what it means to have strength.

Those with opposing views will state that the United States should not be getting

involved with a country like North Korea because of its nuclear power and closed-door policy,

simply to make sure that they have free speech. But, to counter that with a quote from Emma

Watson, who was appointed as a United Nations Womens Goodwill Ambassador in 2014, said in

a speech she had in New York City In my moments of doubt, Ive told myself firmly If not

me, then who? If not now, When? (youtube.com) She may have been using this in a speech

about equal rights for gender for her initiative HeForShe, but we can agree that this can be

applicable in all situations of human rights, as a call to action. Because, whether it is the right to

have a Facebook, or the right to pick up a newspaper like the New York Times or The

Washington Post, it is something that we could all agree should be possible for everyone.

The government in North Korea are relentless in making sure no one comes against them,

which is what lead to the execution of five security officials in earlier in 2017 anti-aircraft guns.

The Cable News Network, or more commonly known as CNN, wrote an article, stating that it

was because the executed had given Kim Jong Un false information, on what we do not know,

per the intelligence agency in South Korea (McKirdy 1). Kim Jong Un has also had one of his

top lieutenants fired, in January of this year (McKirdy 2). Per a report released in the end of

2016, since Kim has assumed power, he has had 340 people executed since 2011 and out of those

140 of them were senior officers in the countrys government, military and ruling Koran

Workers party meaning that they were not only working for Kim Jong Un, but many of them
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worked closely with him (McKirdy 3). Someone during an interview stated that whether this is

connected into the execution of Kim Jong-Uns half-brother earlier this year, it is still unknown

to the public or to these intelligence agencies (McKirdy ).

Johns Hopkins university has also released a journal regarding the human rights crisis in

North Korea, regarding their prison camps and many other things. Kim Jong-Un, the dictator of

North Korea, is a dangerous man, not only because he has had people executed for watching a

film from Hollywood. But simply because he repeatedly restricts their resources and freedom

more and more within his country as time continues. Within the journal from Johns Hopkins

University, a woman who was from North Korea explains why she left and settled in Seoul, she

says It was either leave or become a criminal to survive. (Goedde 3). The people in North

Korea are left to their own devices to the point of debating to put their lives on the line to get the

most basic things such as Food.

Goedde also goes on to explain how human rights activists and advocacy groups

constantly communicate with each other, build global and moral legitimacy for their rights

objective, and thereby exert more pressure on the government of a state to amend it's offensive

practices (Goedde 5).

These organizations such as Amnesty International makes it a point to inform people

about the crisis in North Korea concerning things like Food, and other human rights. But also

report on freedom of expression and speech. Their information and reports are simply

reiterating concerns regarding the lack of freedom of expression. Which simply just restates

the immense concern to this country that is seen around this world. No one is concerned about

anything they are not aware of.


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People know that North Korea is a country that has closed borders, but they are not aware

of the fact that people live their lives in the dark, they are fed lies and the agenda of a country

who believes that every country is against them. Everyone would have the same amount of

concern if everyone was more educated on the human rights the men, women, and children, that

are neglected and people in power abuse the positions they are placed in for personal

advancement. North Koreans should have the ability to view media, that being an important role

in a healthy society.

The government wouldnt have the opportunity to get away with as much as they are

getting away with nowadays. The people would be able to hold their government accountable for

the intolerable things they have put their people through for decades.

North Koreans deserve freedom of expression because that is simply a human right.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and thoughts towards someone. They deserve to say

what they feel lead to say without the fear and pressing oppression of being murdered for what

they say of how they act in any way. People should not be executed publicly because they have

seen foreign media, or have contacted someone from another part of the country. This is not a

political problem, this is a human problem, but we need the backing of our governments

knowing that they stand with us in fighting for the freedom of expression (Goedde 5).

If the people of North Korea were given the opportunity to have free speech, and they

changed their policies so that people were able to leave and come into the country willingly. I

believe that over time, the country would flourish economically. By tourists coming in to see the

absolutely stunning landscape and cities. Kim Jong Un would no longer be in power, because of

his continuing human rights violations and the things hes done, the people would ultimately riot

for a time, and would like all riots, will be resolved. The country would become open and willing
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to corporate with not only South Korea but the rest of the world, giving them the opportunity to

mend relationships with these governments.

The country wouldnt have to have the Propaganda and Agitation Department (PAD),

which is a department of the North Korean government to control all of the media around the

country, which the government uses to control the public. (United States Department of State

3). They control the mass media as well as plans what people are allowed to release per month

and they are expected and demanded to work on that (United States Department of State 3). This

would give the media the ability to write about and say basically what they wanted, granting

them freedom of the press. And people like Yeoumi, will not need to life day-to-day in fear.
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Works Cited

Emma Watson at the HeForShe Campaign 2014 - Official UN Video. Youtube.com, 22 Sept.

2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkjW9PZBRfk

"Freedom of Speech". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 1 Mar. 2017.

Goedde, Patricia. Legal Mobilization for Human Rights Protection in North Korea: Furthering

Discourse Or Discord? Human Rights Quarterly, vol. 32, no. 3, 2010, pp. 532- 536,

Criminal Justice Database.

Lee, Won Woong. Politics of Human Rights in North Korea. Journal of Asian and African

Studies, vol. 42, 2007. SAGE Publications.

McKirdy, Euan. North Korea Executed 5 Security Officials, South Korea Says. CNN, 28 Feb.

2017.

One Young World Escaping from North Korea in Search of Freedom | Yeonmi Park | One Young

World. YouTube, 18 Oct. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufhKWfPSQOw.

United States. Department of State. Report on Human Right Abuses or Censorship in North

Korea. pp. 1-3 U.S Department of State, 6 July 2016.

Yoon, Sunny. Forbidden audience: Media reception and social change in North Korea.

Department of Media and Communication, Hayang University. Vol. 11, 2015. SAGE

Publications.

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