Mr. Shin Dong-hyuk is a North Korean who was born in and escaped from an NK gulag. He is one of only 3 people known to have done so. He is now a human-rights activist living in Seoul.
I thought it a relevant story what with the Korean flavor of eSports (Starcraft in particular) and with the recent news attention on the NK missile launch. I did a search but didn't find any thread about him yet so mods please correct me if I missed it.
Some of the more harrowing elements of his story: - Born as a result of a 'reward marriage' and being raised by prison guards, seeing his family members only as competitors for food. - Having his finger hacked off as punishment for dropping a sewing machine. - Finding a few grains of edible corn in cow dung and feeling like it was his lucky day. - The rape of his cousin by prison guards and the beating to death of a young girl found with five grains of unauthorized wheat in her pocket. - Being brainwashed at a young age to turn in anyone heard to be planning an escape, as anyone attempting an escape was executed along with anyone who were found to have known about the escape and not reported it. - Turning in his mother and brother for planning an escape and then watching them be tortured and murdered, then later himself being tortured for his efforts. - Effecting an escape with a friend who after attempting to climb an electric fence and dying, had Shin climb over his body to continue on.
A video interview with him about his life:
A journalist named Blaine Harden has collaborated with Shin recently to write a book about his story that is now available for purchase:
A line from the video above in particular got me choked up, being a dad myself:
"When I was a child in the prison camp, I still had to work but they gave me a 30 minute, 1 hour break. When I played, I forgot about everything - from the beating in the morning, to not receiving rations because I didn't finish my work.
I forgot about all these things when I played. Until today, that is still my best memory."
A story like this makes you look at North Korea's young counterparts in South Korea having fun playing computer games for a living and gives it some much needed perspective.
Oh wow, this guy has been through a lot. Watching the death of his mother and brother, and having to crawl over the dead body of a friend. Sheeh, makes me really appreciate how easy my life has been.
Seriously, why the fuck doesn't the rest of the world (everyone not N.K) do something about this? We are sitting here, watching a country that we could probably take over, just torture the shit out of its people and threaten world peace.
On April 15 2012 14:50 Antimatterz wrote: Seriously, why the fuck doesn't the rest of the world (everyone not N.K) do something about this? We are sitting here, watching a country that we could probably take over, just torture the shit out of its people and threaten world peace.
I don't think its just that easy. We would probably go into a Cold War again with high leaders debating agreements and with the overall threat of Mutually Assured Destruction. (Not sure how many warheads NK has but even a few could still do a ton of damage.) But I do agree that something does need to be done about this.
On April 15 2012 14:50 Antimatterz wrote: Seriously, why the fuck doesn't the rest of the world (everyone not N.K) do something about this? We are sitting here, watching a country that we could probably take over, just torture the shit out of its people and threaten world peace.
I'm strongly against the North Korean regime but why do you feel that America has to be the world police and invade North Korea?
On April 15 2012 14:50 Antimatterz wrote: Seriously, why the fuck doesn't the rest of the world (everyone not N.K) do something about this? We are sitting here, watching a country that we could probably take over, just torture the shit out of its people and threaten world peace.
Because they don't have natural resources to take.
On April 15 2012 14:50 Antimatterz wrote: Seriously, why the fuck doesn't the rest of the world (everyone not N.K) do something about this? We are sitting here, watching a country that we could probably take over, just torture the shit out of its people and threaten world peace.
Because they don't have natural resources to take.
On April 15 2012 14:50 Antimatterz wrote: Seriously, why the fuck doesn't the rest of the world (everyone not N.K) do something about this? We are sitting here, watching a country that we could probably take over, just torture the shit out of its people and threaten world peace.
Because they don't have natural resources to take.
On April 15 2012 14:50 Antimatterz wrote: Seriously, why the fuck doesn't the rest of the world (everyone not N.K) do something about this? We are sitting here, watching a country that we could probably take over, just torture the shit out of its people and threaten world peace.
I'm strongly against the North Korean regime but why do you feel that America has to be the world police and invade North Korea?
...
He never mentions America needing to be the "world police." Just the opposite, he's asking the world to respond. Your anti-Americanism from your misinterpretation of his post is glaring.
When we talk about NK we say they don´t respect human rights and they torture people but how the film showed none of us can imagine what torture really means.
What was surprising me is that the journalist who picked this guy up lost his job. That shows me how "free" journalist are in their job what is pretty sad.
I feel so sorry for him. The amount of pain and torture he must've went through must have been unbearable.. Daily beatings, torture and they just execute people for the smallest things wtf..
I can't believe they made him watch his brother and mother get executed also.. that is so fucking inhumane.
I feel so sorry that so many people are being hurt like this in the world. I wish someone would just do something, end the people's suffering already.
This is terrible stuff. However, is it possible that not all of his accounts are real? I'm not accusing but I just want to point out that he could essentially make up stuff to make NK look worse and probably get away with it. Again, I do believe him but I think we should always question the validity of first hand accounts.
Not to detract from this guy's story, but if you're interested in the topic... There's a few books you should read that are very good. One is The Aquariums of Pyongyang. It's by Kang Cholhwan. He was in a NK gulag for 10 years before escaping. He paints quite the picture in his book. Another interesting book that sheds quite a bit of light on NK from the perspective of someone "in the know" is called The Tears of My Soul. This book was written by the NK spy that failed in killing herself when being arrested for the bombing of the Korean Air Flight 858. Between reading a book on a guy that spent so long in a gulag and reading about NK raising an elite spy from her own words, you can get a real feel for the insanity that is NK.
On April 15 2012 14:50 Antimatterz wrote: Seriously, why the fuck doesn't the rest of the world (everyone not N.K) do something about this? We are sitting here, watching a country that we could probably take over, just torture the shit out of its people and threaten world peace.
China and Russia won't allow it. Maybe one day they will, but not yet. Also, you have to understand how many artillery pieces are in range of Seoul. Missiles be damned, the conventional artillery in range of Seoul is reason enough not to attack NK. There's a reason SK tolerates the bullshit and attacks over the years...
On April 15 2012 14:50 Antimatterz wrote: Seriously, why the fuck doesn't the rest of the world (everyone not N.K) do something about this? We are sitting here, watching a country that we could probably take over, just torture the shit out of its people and threaten world peace.
China and Russia won't allow it. Maybe one day they will, but not yet. Also, you have to understand how many artillery pieces are in range of Seoul. Missiles be damned, the conventional artillery in range of Seoul is reason enough not to attack NK. There's a reason SK tolerates the bullshit and attacks over the years...
Don't misunderstand what antimatterz wrote. Its not that China and Russia are ok with what NK does but they sure as hell will have a problem with any country or countries that will attempt to take over NK and have a foothold in a region right next to them. If America invades and takes over NK, you cant even imagine how pissed China and Russia will be.
Seeing the number of people who would accept yet another invasion of a foreign country is really frightening me. A whole country being oppressed isn't a sufficient reason to start a war and massacre them.
EPT
