You can understand if Kim Jong Un is guilty of emotional eating.
The North Korean tyrant’s ballooning weight, which has caused him to have a Hitchcockian profile and myriad health problems, is pointing to an early grave. It would be good riddance to an absolute monster, but would it lead to a better, freer, saner government? Because of the despot’s young age, you don’t often hear of succession plans should he soon succumb. Considering the great strength of the state’s military, a new strongman would likely be installed, the Orwellian nightmare continued.
In a Reddit Ask Me Anything, Kang Chol-hwan, a former North Korean political prisoner who escaped after a decade, answers questions about his experiences. Two exchanges follow.
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Question:
What goes on day to day in the jail/concentration camps? Has anyone gotten in-trouble from getting caught with USB sticks?
Kang Chol-hwan:
Daily life in the work camps is very mundane. We wake up at 5 am and are forced to work until sunset. We are given lessons on Kim il-sung and Juche. We are forced to watch public executions. We are physically abused – hit and tortured. I think of it as another form of Auschwitz. These work camps are like products of Nazism, and an abusive government needs elements such as Nazi concentration camps. They just have different ways of killing people.
People have almost gotten caught with the USB sticks. Thankfully, they managed to get out before they were caught. However, they cannot go back to North Korea now. But that’s about it currently. North Korean citizens often get caught using these USB sticks but they are released when they give bribes to the police. I believe it would be about 500 dollars maximum in Pyongyang and about 200~300 dollars in other regions. The problem would be if they are caught and they have no money to bribe their way out.
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Question:
Do you miss North Korea despite what you endured? And, is there any misconception about North Korea that you would like to share?
Kang Chol-hwan:
I dislike the North Korean government, not the people- so yes, I do miss the people there. North Koreans may seem different because they are brainwashed by the government; but once their thoughts change through the flow of information, they are the same as anywhere else. I think it is lamentable that people think of the North Korean government and North Koreans as one entity. North Koreans may seem loyal to the government, but because they fear the government, they cannot speak their minds. For example, Seungjin Park, the North Korean soccer player during the World Cup, was at the Yodok Political Prisoners Camp with me, but is now acting as the soccer team coach. However, he must hide the fact that he was at the prisoners camp. To learn more about North Korea, you must know something about the nature of North Korea. This is true even when visiting North Korea.•