The Hermit Kingdom Essay

Described as ‘The Hermit Kingdom’, the isolated nation of North Korea, through the involvement of propaganda, unique ideologies and strict law enforcement, have masked, to some extent, the true reality of life in their country. Following the Japanese surrender at the end of WWII in 1945, Korea was divided into 2 zones, north and south, ruled by the Soviet Union and the United States, respectively. Established circa February 1946, the Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea was the initial ruling committee of the state, the leader of the provisional government was Kim Il-Sung, reaching this position as a result of Soviet General Terentii Shtykov’s support. The zone became officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)
The government and other officials of DPRK represent a sense of enmity towards the Americans, highlighted in North Korea: The Hermit Kingdom, by Daniel Schorn of 60 Minutes. In his visit to North Korea, he questions General Ri with “Do you think that the United States might attack North Korea”, to which the General responds “We firmly believe that the United States will carry out its policies on our country even if they have to use military means”, Schorn then goes on to discuss that “The government, and generals like Ri Chan Bok, want the North Korean people to know they're ready for an American invasion, which the general insists is coming.” illustrating the North Korean’s thoughts and expectations of the United States. The willingness of the government to use nuclear weaponry to combat the US is seen in “And if the United States does invade, the general says his country is ready to use the ultimate weapon. ‘What we can say to you definitely right now is that we currently have nuclear weapons.’ ” Hence, it is clear that the government and officials of DPRK truly believes that the US are ‘evil’ and are spreading these views to citizens through