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Logan Maggiore
Mrs. Barnes
English 112
25 March 2015
Oppression in North Korea
A woman was killed in North Korea because she simply watched a Hollywood movie
(Carl, Azuz.) Here in America, this is a simple right because you can pretty much do what you
want without the government interfering, as long as it does not break the law. If most people
were asked to explain what is happening in North Korea, they would most likely be
dumbfounded. People would think that The Holocaust was the last event with oppression and
lack of human rights: however, North Korea is a modern example of this. People are killed
everyday for simple things that can be done in an everyday household such as watching movies.
The government pretty much tells its citizens everything to do from what to wear to what to do
during the day. Oppression in North Korea isnt in the past; it is a current problem that people
must be educated about in order to take a small step to a better world.
North Korea has a vast history, and thats where one should begin if one wants to
understand modern North Korea and all of their problems. The peninsula of North Korea is
located between China and Japan. This is already going to develop conflicts. Japan invaded
North Korea twice in the goal of acquiring more land. A treaty was forced upon Korea, Japan,
and China that if any troops are sent into Korea, then the other country has the right to as well.
Soon after, a peasant rebellion occurred in Southern Korea, and the government couldnt put it
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down, so China sent in reinforcements to help. The treaty made states that technically, Japan can
also send in troops, and they saw this as their opportunity to jump on Korea. A war broke out
known as the Sino-Japan War, and the Japanese won. Japan pretty much ran Koreas government
until the end of World War II. More than an estimated 700,000 Japanese people lived in Korea.
When the war was won, and Korea had been fighting for their independence, Korea was split in
half, North and South. North was given to the Soviet Union and the South to the U.S.A.
Obviously more problems would arise in North Korea being that they are run by the Soviet
Union. A communist government was eventually formed. North Korea eventually attacked the
Korean Republic in hopes to spread communism to South Korea. America supported the south,
south won , and because of this North Korea to this day views America as the enemy.
(McFadden)
One family came to power through all of this and are the main reason for oppression in
North Korea. Kim II Sung was part of the communist party and became leader by ridding of his
rivals. From then on out, the family has kept power leading to the successors of the previous
family member leading to Kim Jong-un. The leaders make the citizens feel like their country
rules the world, and everybody follows them. They have developed a concept known as chuche,
which basically means that everybody, including the government has to be self-reliant, and that
foreigners must, keep at a distance. The U.S totally relies on other countries, especially when it
comes down to resources. If their country does not want help from other countries, then how can
they have enough resources to supply their country. (McFadden). This obviously will cause
more problems seeing that they want to be self-reliant.

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Now on to the actual oppression and daily life in North Korea since you know of their
past and their leaders. In a nutshell, life there is absolutely unbearable. Kim Jong-un lies to all of
the citizens there just so they can trust him and there are no uprisings. Food shortages occur
every day where people starve to death while Kim Jong-un sits in his palace with an abundance
of food. A CNN reporter went on a government tour of North Korea, and he was an eyewitness
of everything above. There were parts of North Korea that they werent allowed to explore
because it would expose the government and its oppression. This is crazy because they are just
hinting at the fact that North Korea is struggling as a country (Azuz).
All of these actions of the past have built up to modern North Korea and its oppression.
Its history is a major reason as to why North Korea is struggling today. Americans definitely
should be aware of this considering that North Korea wants to completely rid of the United
States. The people there would fight back if they better understood their situation being that they
are oppressed everyday. So in order to help the scenario, one must further their education and
find a solution to this problem to take a step in the right direction and make the world a better
place.
Works Cited
Carl, Azuz, Ripley Will, and Crane Rachel. "Life In North Korea; David Cameron Ready To
Fight ISIS; Labor Day History; Wind Farm In London." Student News (CNN) (n.d.):
Points of View Reference Center. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
"Daily life in North Korea." Al Jazeera America 21 May 2014. Global Issues in Context. Web.
23 Mar. 2015.
Gupta, Priyanka. "Escaping North Korea: one refugee's story." Al Jazeera (Qatar) 17 Oct. 2014:
Points of View Reference Center. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

McFadden, Terri. "Counterpoint: Understanding North Korea." Points Of View: North Korea
(2015): 6. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
Rich, Alex K., and Gerson Moreno-Riano. "North Korea: An Overview." Points Of View: North
Korea (2015): 1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.