As the “Dear Leader,” Kim Jong Il died, we are exposed to the bare truths of the hermit kingdom that is North Korea. Known to some but surprising to many, North Korea is a mysterious nation of about 25 million people who is completely isolated from the outside world. With no connection to anything beyond its borders, North Koreans suffer from one of the most devastating living conditions in the 21st century. The deep admiration and praise for the God-like King Jong Il is proudly demonstrated and communicated throughout North Korean media. Not surprisingly, the only permissible media in the country is state run media. This, of course, is a totalitarian method of keeping people in a state of total isolation, completely disconnected from the outside world.
Its extreme measures of propaganda would seem rather fictitious to the average person living in the 21st century but with no access to the internet, strict government controlled information and a Dear Leader who possessed supreme powers, North Korea is arguably the most oppressed regime on earth.
The Dear Leader ran a tight propaganda machine that suffered its people from outside reality, freedom, and basic aid. Forbidding all foreign media and travel outside North Korea allowed King Jong Il to convince and impose a cult driven culture where the Dear Leader is the core of the belief system. This manipulation tactic leaves people with no other choice but to be compliant. These powerless people have become the prisoners of the regime.
By default this dictatorship controls what people see, believe and trust. Such a uniform attitude limits a human’s ability to dream, hope, and think outside the box. The failure to provide opportunities and basic freedoms shows that this is not only a crime against humanity but a robbery of basic independence.
This horror of human brainwashing and deprivation that exists in North Korea could never be imagined by outsiders.
What remains is how one man had such power and control over a sea of people in the 21st century. But what begs the bigger question for North Korea is, now what?
The deep indoctrination on society was clearly displayed in the emotional aftermath of the Dear Leader’s death. Kim’s death has left not only an impoverished nation but a whole world curious about the decoding of the hermit kingdom. Attempting to maintain the secrecy of North Korea, the Dear Leader’s powers have swiftly been transferred over to his 27 year old son, Kim Jong Un.
This change in leadership poses a brand new opportunity for a new direction in North Korea’s future. Without stepping on the new leader’s toes and undermining his ability to lead, how does the international community act in order to stop the continuance of the North Korean regime?
What we are reading and hearing today is merely the full scope of the truth but from what we can observe, we cannot chose to continue to disregard the grave realities of this nation. Knowing how isolated the people of North Korea are, it is our responsibility to demand a change and lend a helping hand. If we won’t step in, who will?
Who will be the hero here?
Subscribe to my newsletter on my home page.
Follow me on Twitter @sonja_be.
