HORRORS OF NORTH KOREA: Defector carried knife for suicide to avoid arrest
Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in The Asahi Shimbun Digital website and part of a series of articles titled "HORRORS OF NORTH KOREA."
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AJW ran a series of articles in March under the general title “Horrors of North Korea” that described the harsh conditions in the country and the problems facing defectors in South Korea, Japan and Canada.
But those articles, based on interviews of 60 North Korean defectors by The Asahi Shimbun and The Dong-A Ilbo of South Korea, touched on just part of what each defector went through.
As a complement to the original “Horrors of North Korea” series, AJW will run an occasional series featuring detailed versions of the interviews with the individuals.
The first installment is an interview with a man in his 60s who defected from North Korea in winter 2001 and entered Japan in October 2002.
Excerpts of the interview follow:
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Question: Why did you go to North Korea in the first place?
Answer: I left Japan by ship in August 1972. My father was a Korean national living in Japan, and my mother was a Tokyoite born in the Asakusa district.
Shortly before I went to North Korea, I caused a slight incident that led to my arrest. I was imprisoned for a year and nine months. Thereafter, I was to be deported either to South Korea or North Korea.
I remembered a newspaper article about a French journalist who said that North Korea was a wonderful nation. While I had my doubts over whether that was true, I thought it would be better than South Korea, so I chose to be deported to North Korea, even though I had no relatives living there.
The ship entered the port of Chongjin in the northern part of the nation. I later worked at a paper manufacturing plant in Hyesan, also in the northern part, before moving to Kilju (North Hamgyong province) and Pyongsong (in the northern outskirts of Pyongyang).
Q: What led to your decision to defect?
A: I went to North Korea with my younger sister and younger brother. I began to think specifically about fleeing the nation 25 years after I went there. My sister developed psychological problems and entered a hospital where she died of starvation. This happened at a hospital.
In the late 1980s, salaries gradually stopped being paid, and the ration system also ended. Everyone somehow survived by taking on jobs outside of normal channels and buying food on the black market. However, in my neighborhood, some people continued to work diligently at their companies. They ended up dying of starvation.
A countless number of men died of starvation. Even if the family had money earned by the wife, the husband would not eat so his wife and children would have food, and the men died. All the men who starved to death left behind notes saying “Long live the Workers’ Party.” They wrote those notes even if they did not truly believe it. They died while leaving behind such notes on purpose because they did not want their families to face danger if they were confronted by the authorities and told, “(He) died of starvation because he was lazy in violation of the teachings of the Workers’ Party.”
All those who died were originally born in North Korea. Those who went there from Japan or those who had some smarts did business by selling rice and daily necessities. There was no distribution network to speak of in North Korea. That meant a little effort could lead to business profits.
I made a living by selling sugar, cigarettes and beer. The 50-kilogram bag of sugar had “CCCP” written on it, meaning it came from the Soviet Union. I went to a confectionary factory in North Korea and purchased the sugar. I would sell the sugar on my way back home. By the time I returned to Hyesan, my truck was empty.
At that time, there was nothing in the way of products. My sister’s death served as a catalyst because I thought: “This nation is heading straight for ruin. I have to find some way to escape.”
Fleeing North Korea, buying Chinese nationality
Q: But didn’t fleeing North Korea mean putting your life on the line?
A: For the next five years, I thoroughly studied what measures I should use to leave North Korea and who I should depend on to ensure that I would certainly leave. I felt that if I used illegal means, I would only face problems once I returned to Japan, so I thought I would obtain citizenship in China so I could “legally” return. I gave money to various people and faced many difficulties in making all the arrangements.
I fled North Korea in the winter of 2001 along with my younger brother. We went from Pyongsong back to Hyesan and crossed over into China. While the river was about 20 meters wide, it had frozen over because it was winter. We were able to walk across the river. At that time, I paid a North Korean who cooperated 2,000 won. I believe the average monthly pay in North Korea at that time was 100 won. I had money because of my business ventures in North Korea.
Once in China, I obtained a visa at the Japanese Consulate in Liaoning province. By that time, I had become a “Chinese.” That was because I acquired a Chinese identity for 40,000 yuan (about 600,000 yen at the time) from a woman whom I came to know. She worked at the local Communist Party committee in Jilin province.
In China, it was common to sell the family register of individuals who had died. I used that to become a Chinese resident and obtained the visa needed to come to Japan. I landed at Narita Airport on a flight from Lushun in October 2002.
Q: Did you ever feel danger to yourself?
A: When I was in China, I always carried a knife in my bag. That would allow me to commit suicide at any time should I be found by the police or agents of North Korea’s secret police.
Still remember seven-digit ID number
Q: Could you tell us in detail about life in North Korea?
A: The ship I used to enter North Korea had many people living in Japan who were making the trip to North Korea as well. When we reached the port at Chongjin, local children welcomed us by singing, “How good of you to return home.”
However, those children gave off a strange smell. I learned later that in washing their clothes they used sardine oil instead of detergent. That was the reason for the raw smell.
I remember how disappointed I was at that time after realizing what reality in North Korea was like. As we were taken by car from the port to the guesthouse where those from Japan stayed, I saw ox-driven carts from the car window. Another individual who was on the same ship looked at that and said: “What is that? It looks like some picture from a picture scroll.”
But that was the reality of North Korea.
Q: Did you become a member of the Workers’ Party?
A: I became one eight years after going to North Korea. I passed the test after memorizing the principles of the party. It is said that those from Japan normally take between 10 and 12 years to become a party member, so I think I achieved the goal rather quickly.
The party membership card came in a small notebook, and it contained my photo as well as such details as my address, place of birth, the name of the jurisdiction that registered me as a member and the seven-digit membership number.
I still remember that membership number. I kept the notebook in a leather case and always possessed it. There were occasional surprise checks, and if one did not have the notebook, it was taken away. I always had it with me, but I threw it away somewhere when I fled North Korea. If I had kept it, I would have been made right away.
Watching 'Rambo,' 'Titanic' was risking death
Q: Did you have opportunities to come in contact with foreign things?
A: I never came across foreign publications. However, I did watch “Rambo” and “Titanic” on video. To be honest, there were some government officials in North Korea who bought videos during foreign trips and then sold them in North Korea.
I acquired such videos through an acquaintance. Of course, we would be arrested if we were found to be watching such videos. We always watched late at night. We turned off all the lights in the apartment and covered the TV set with a blanket so no light would leak out. We also used headphones.
Even using such measures, there was one instance when I was caught by the secret police. Before raiding a place, they would turn off all power in the apartment building. In that way, it becomes impossible to eject the video, so we could not make any excuses. When I was arrested, I paid a bribe to get off the hook. If I had been sent to a political prison, that would have meant an end to my existence as a “human.” It would have meant receiving the same treatment as a cow or pig.
Kim family richer than petroleum barons
Q: What led to the corruption in North Korea?
A: After the ration system ended, government officials became busy accumulating wealth. I believe the reason bribery became worse was related to the end of the ration system. Be that as it may, I used bribes to continue with my business so I was able to lead a better life than others.
The reason North Korea does not develop is because of the ideology that Kim Il Sung’s teachings are absolute.
No one working in a company thinks about developing new technology. The boiler that was used at the paper manufacturing plant where I worked was old and falling apart. But we had to continue using it by replacing parts. No one thought about purchasing a new boiler or developing new equipment. That was because doing so would have led to creativity, which was considered a dangerous ideology. Such a nation cannot possibly develop economically.
Gold can still be mined in North Korea. However, it all ends up going to Kim Jong Un. That is not all. Rare earth metals are also being mined. For such reasons, that nation will not easily collapse. Although farmers do not have enough rice to eat, Kim Jong Un likely leads a life of luxury that is better than petroleum barons in the Middle East.
In order to destroy North Korea, its assets must first of all be frozen.
Discrimination causes suffering for defectors
Q: Were you able to contact family members left behind in North Korea after you defected?
A: I divorced my wife before I defected because I thought she would be placed in danger if I did not do so. I also did not have special feelings for her by then. However, I did want to meet with my two children. After I defected, I met my children on two occasions. I was able to meet with them by going to the Yalu river where I defected over. I gave my son a mobile phone which I used to contact him. I did not send money to my family.
In February or March 2006, my new wife whom I married in China cooperated, and I was able to have my son and daughter, my ex-wife, my son’s wife and children defect from North Korea. They all came through the same Yalu river. About six months later, they all arrived in Japan. They now have South Korean passports and live separately from me.
Q: Are you satisfied with your life in Japan?
A: That is a difficult question. Of course, my life is better than remaining in North Korea, which is only headed toward ruin. However, life is not easy in Japan, and there is discrimination.
I do not feel like returning to a North Korea that is headed toward ruin. However, most of the defectors who are in South Korea likely feel they want to return to North Korea.
The reason is that in South Korean society, there exists harsh discrimination toward defectors that is at a level unimaginable in Japan.
I have heard that defectors have been shocked because they always thought they would be welcomed if they went to South Korea because they were of the same ethnic race. There is a strong mood in South Korea that considers defectors to be a source of trouble.
That is the large difference between Japan and South Korea.
I can understand if defectors who come to Japan suffer discrimination. But I cannot forgive being discriminated by the same Korean people. I think defectors who went to South Korea now feel that they should have defected to Japan.
However, North Korea is rife with anti-Japanese sentiment, with the spreading of such propaganda as “Japan is barbaric. They easily kill people. The Japanese empire is the enemy.”
Anyone living in such an environment would never think about coming to Japan.
Future of the Korean Peninsula
Q: Do you think it will be difficult for the two Koreas to unify?
A: South Korea will have to become more tolerant. In their hearts, North Koreans do not hold bad feelings toward South Korea. I feel the peoples of the two nations can become friends if the nations are unified.
However, what would happen if South Korean society discriminated against North Koreans as it does now. It would not be possible to overcome the gap between the two peoples.
I feel the situation will move forward if South Korean society is able to accept North Koreans by appointing outstanding North Koreans to appropriate positions after unification.
The other point will be if North Koreans can also change. The political system will not change unless the people change. Although it may take time, my sense is that North Korea will change in about 40 years’ time.
What the Japanese government should do until then is to use nongovernmental organizations and religious groups to hand over money to those who are thinking of defecting. Giving each person about $500 would be sufficient. Even if they failed to defect and kept the money, what would be the problem?
If rumors spread that defectors would receive money, in a few years there would be a flood of defectors as though a dam had been breached.
Another possibility would be distributing DVDs about the reality of North Korea in Chinese territory that borders North Korea. Those who are given the DVDs would take them back to North Korea and pass around that information. That might lead to an even earlier collapse of North Korea.
