Long Road Home: Testimony of a North Korean Camp Survivor (28 page)

24
. Stephen Haggard and Marcus Noland,
Famine in North Korea: Markets, Aid, and Reform
(New York: Columbia University Press, 2007), 209.

25
. Ibid.

26
.
Failure to Protect: A Call for the UN Security Council to Act in North Korea
(Washington, D.C.: U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, 2006), 58.

27
. There are numerous testimonies regarding the plight of North Korean refugee women forced into sexual slavery, of which the following report is just one example. See “Lifting the Veil: Getting the Refugees Out: Getting Our Message In: An Update on the Implementation of the North Korean Human Rights Act,” Joint Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations and the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific of the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives, 109th Congress, 1st sess., October 27, 2005, 22–23;
http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/archives/109/24202.pdf
(accessed September 19, 2008).

1. Coming of Age

1
. Kim Jeong-suk was Kim Il-sung’s first wife and the birth mother of Kim Jong-il, the current leader of North Korea.

2
. In Russian the word means “victory.” Pobeda was one of the best Russian sedans available in North Korea in the 1950s and ’60s.

3
. One meter is slightly longer than a yard and equals about 3 feet 3.5 inches.

4
. In Korean the word means “sea of blood,” which is also a title of a well-known revolutionary opera and film.

5
. Approximately 240 miles.

6
. Mangyeongdae is a site North Koreans worship as the sacred birthplace of Kim Il-sung. It is canonized as a national treasure and countless people, including foreign visitors, pay tribute to this place, which is composed of a modest hut and a small courtyard.

7
. Samjiyeon is a lake located on the top of Baekdu Mountain on the North Korean–Chinese border. Just like Mangyeongdae, it is worshiped as a sacred revolutionary site, since it is the place associated with the antirevolutionary fighter Kim Il-sung’s 1945 victorious return to his homeland from Manchuria, where he was in exile during the Japanese colonial days. Also, in the official North Korean media, Baekdu Mountain is identified as the mythological birthplace of the current leader, Kim Jong-il.

2. Living for the Great Leader

1
. Kim Chaek was one of Kim Il-sung’s most trusted comrades from the days of their anti-Japanese efforts in Manchuria. He is canonized as one of the revered communist leaders in North Korea, so much so that a city was named after him.

2
. North Korean residents cannot freely choose their place of residency. In order to move, they have to have permission from the state. Pyongyang is a highly desirable place to live, and the only way for provincial dwellers to move into the city is to marry natives of Pyongyang or land a job there, both of which need approval from the state.

3
. 500 kilograms is roughly 1100 pounds. 1 kilogram equals approximately 2.2 pounds.

4
. Gang Geon was one of Kim Il-sung’s assistants during the latter’s anti-Japanese guerrilla movement.

5
. Equivalent to National Security Police.

6
. Equivalent to police forces. After 1998, the name of this unit was changed to People’s Safety Agency (
Inmin boanseong
). David Hawk,
The Hidden Gulag: Exposing North Korea’s Prison Camps
(Washington, D.C.: U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea), 22.

7
. “Don’t” in Russian.

8
. Literally means “uncle” in Korean, but can be used to refer to a grown-up man.

3. Downfall of a Model Citizen

1
. The author, Kim Yong, was known under a different first name, S, in North Korea. After his arrival in South Korea, the author changed the S to Yong to mark the beginning of a new life.

5. Escape

1
. According to the official rate, 500
won
is a rough equivalent of 230 U.S. dollars. However, according to the black market exchange rate, the actual value of 500
won
is significantly lower. Until December 2001, the North Korean government insisted upon an official exchange rate of 2.16
won
to the dollar, supposedly based on Kim Jong-il’s birthday, February 16.

2
. During the interview, Kim Yong called this Chinese town “Yeongil,” a Korean pronunciation for “Yanji.”

3
. Kim Yong remembers this town as “Domun,” the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese “Tumen.”

6. Across the Continent

1
. However, in the early 2000s, the North Korean embassy in Ulaantataar resumed operation.

Afterword: Unfinished Story

1
. After his arrival in the United States in 2003, Kim Yong sent the CIA a letter of inquiry about his father’s involvement with the organization during the Korean War. On September 30, 2008, Kim received a letter from the CIA claiming that his request cannot be met even under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Under the FOIA, federal agencies are generally required to disclose records requested in writing.

Table of Contents

Cover

Half title

Title

Copyright

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Author’s Note

Introduction

1. Coming of Age

2. Living for the Great Leader

3. Downfall of a Model Citizen

4. In the Mouth of Death

5. Escape

6. Across the Continent

Afterword: Unfinished Story

Notes