Dissent In North Korea By George Orwell

“For long periods the High seem to be securely in power, but sooner or later there always comes a moment when they lose either their belief in themselves, or their capacity to govern efficiently, or both” (Orwell 166). The “High”, in reference to Orwell’s quote, is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea who themselves believe to be in complete control of its citizens, but will surely crumble due to the group’s recklessness of power. There are many parallels between the dominating political group, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and the Party of George Orwell’s 1984. One parallel is the deprivation of human rights within North Korea’s society, which corresponds with the methods of control the Party executes in 1984. The society within
The entire government system is corrupted due to the overwhelming power of the reigning dictator, Kim Jong-Un. In a sense, he is the Big Brother of North Korea--he sees all and all must obey. Resembling the methods of the Party, dissent is limited through the restriction of information and constant threat of death if they act against the views of the DPRK. Dissent in North Korea is mainly based on political criticisms such as anti-DPRK propaganda or failure to adhere to DPRK’s beliefs. This brutality is especially shown within North Korea’s hidden labor camps. One account from a escaped North Korean defector, Shin Dong-hyuk, explains the atrocities faced in the camps: “Shin and his mother lived in the best prisoner quarters Camp 14 had to offer: a ‘model village’...There were no beds, chairs, or tables. There was no running water. No bath or shower...About thirty families shared a well for drinking water” (Harden 15). This excerpt from his biography, Escape From Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West, shows the inhumane conditions within the camps. The camps itself are human rights violations, but with the addition of torture and cruel punishments it makes it an even bigger offense. Being sent to the internment camps or, as it was first publicly noted as “reform through labor”, is possible for even the smallest of crimes
The use of technology influences public opinion about the nation, but technology is heavily restricted. The citizens in North Korea are limited in almost every form of social media and the nation’s only service provider can monitor one’s information. Only a miniscule amount of North Korea’s population has the ability to access the internet, yet even then, the internet has been heavily censored to fit North Korean media. Defectors have been sending illegal USBs containing information since all news in limited and censored (Halvorsson & Lloyd). Some contain criticisms and even political cartoons aimed at Kim Jong Un. The regime’s biggest threat is information because the DPRK must control and warp it to fit the lies created. The citizens in North Korea have little contact with the outside world without the help of defectors. Not only is information limited, misinformation is spread:“We heard South Korea was very violent and Koreans were always having their human rights violated and American tanks were around the cities, driving over people... And that there were all these demonstrations because rent and taxes were too high” (Branigan). The North Korean government creates a false image by informing its citizens of lies to preserve the image that their country is more successful than others. The restriction of technology and