Hostile Class Research Paper

The hostile class is the largest class of the three and is perceived as being disloyal to the regime. Many in the hostile class are forced to live in the impoverished northeastern provinces, often in isolated villages. These individuals are subjected to hard labor their entire life, such as; mines, farms, factories, and the military. They are the backbone of the Kim regime, but are the most vulnerable to the government’s failures. They are often forgotten about when it comes to food distribution, education and medical aid. This results in mass malnutrition and an endless revolving cycle with no hope of it getting better. (Pennington) Another major concern for North Koreans is being sentences to political prison camps. There are at least 150,000
political prisoners in labor camps today. Originally the camps were intended for religiously active and members of purged political factions, but in recent years anyone convicted or suspect of a political crime is sent to one of five camps. People with knowledge of life outside of North Korea, and those accused of trafficking are particularly vulnerable. These people are handed a sentence with no form due process and the punishment is typically for life with the possibility of the criminals family being sentenced along side them. The family’s properties will also being confiscated by the state. Inmates typically forced to work at mines, logging, and farm organizations in inhospitable conditions. Many prisoners die due to starvation, disease, and poor work conditions. The Kim regime has deceived and instilled fear into its citizens for over a half a century. Kim’s totalitarian state allows the spread of corruption within his government and countless human rights violations. The characteristics of the states rule of law and oppression of its citizens allow the elite within the government to control all aspects of the people’s life. With mass indoctrination and fear of punishment it does not seem that reform or revolution will happen anytime soon. The Kim regime could continue to rule for many years to come.