Tuesday, October 29, 2013
South Koreans Run Away to North Korea...?
It's exactly what it sounds like. Six South Koreans ran away from Soeul to North Korea. After several years in North Korea, the runaways were repatriated to South Korea. "Why the heck would they do that?", you may ask. The reason, apparently, was because the South Koreans suffered economic misfortune in their home country, so believing they would find prosperity in North Korea, they fled. Needless to say they were mistaken. Some of the runaways had participated in pro-Pyongyang campaigns online.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I had never considered the fact that there are people in the world who consider North Korea a haven. I think North Korea's response to the South Korea expatriates is interesting. If I were North Korea, I would be thrilled with the prospect of new citizens. However, I guess they must be cautious because of the real possibilities of spies. It is unfortunate that the citizens were kept in a kind of prison for that long, but really, what were they expecting? I still don't understand the draw of living in a communist dictatorship but I suppose everyone wants something different.
ReplyDeleteThis is a rather bizarre story that seems to focus on a rather insignificant oddity. The article states that they were part of the “have-nots” of society—a fact that would explain why they were interested in going to North Korea. Communism appears incredibly appealing when you have next to nothing both financially and martially so their decision to defect is unsurprising. It is rather sad, however, that they would not instead try to better their economic situation in the south. They must have felt absolutely hopeless and I am incredibly sorry to hear that. It is easiest to get down and feel sorry and convert to communism. A true champ, however, would bear down, take responsibility, and better their life themselves and not rely on the government to do it.
ReplyDeleteI am very surprised by this news. I can almost imagine a political cartoon poking fun at the South Koreans who defected to Pyongyang. Their misfortunes are just that, misfortunes, but I would argue that expecting a better life in an incredibly isolated, communist regime isn't exactly a sound expectation. I guess it's good that they were optimistic enough to make the effort to pursue prosperity but I think it was misplaced. Why not spend that energy in economic betterment in South Korea? The most appalling detail of this story is the circumstances surrounding the woman's death. No amount of money or prospect of it should be worth someone's life.
ReplyDeleteThis news is shocking to me. And to a certain extent its almost funny. I am completely puzzled and confused on this subject. Do they honestly think a "better life" is in North Korea? North Korea is very notorious for being a totalitarian dictatorship. If that's a better life for those folks then God bless them. They had the choice and most likely multiple warnings. So there isn't turning back now.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very confusing yet very thought provoking event. Here we are taught that North Korea is a bad place and no one should want to go there. It makes me wonder what South Koreans are being taught. I would assume that a South Korean citizen would want to go anywhere but North Korea in hopes of bettering themselves, not the other way around. Clearly these people were either immensely desperate or nuts. I guess they learned that North Korea isn't the ideal place to go.
ReplyDeleteThis act was very strange. I wouldn't have ever though that people would want to leave South Korea for the north. Any stories I had ever heard made the north out to be much worse than the south. After reading further into the article though, you find out that they had socio-economic problems and that they were only leaving as a last resort measure. I still find it strange that they would think that the north would be worse than the south. They surely hear the same news that we hear, and that has to be a total turn-off to going there
ReplyDeleteThe act was strange, but understandable if you can understand their situation. These six people had the worst socio-economic situation in South Korea; this left them no hope at all. When a person loses all hope, strange things can happen out of desperation. They sought a better life, so they thought the only way to achieve that would be to start from scratch in North Korea. They did not know better and acted accordingly. It is a shame of what happens on that peninsula.
ReplyDeleteThis story is odd but comprehensible. As others have said desperate people go to desperate measures. It is sad though that they were imprisoned and that a woman was killed simply because they were in economic hard times.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if it's appropriate to use this story to make any conclusions about life in North and South Korea. However, the defections of these South Koreans might be indicative of a harsh South Korean society. South Korea has the second highest suicide rate in the world, and its men are especially troubled. While these seemingly deranged individuals obviously don't represent a very large portion of the population, South Korea might nevertheless consider improving its mental health system and its support for those fallen on hard times.
ReplyDeleteThis story is strange, but it is not completely impossible. In any community there are those who unhappy with their situation and seek a way out. In this case, the idea of North Korea could make sense because it is a place where all the common people are equal. For someone who feels like they do not get the same opportunities as others who are well off as many South Koreans are, North Korea may be a better option in their minds.
ReplyDeleteRunning away to North Korea is a phrase you don't hear too often. I can understand that the South Korean runaways felt cheated by their own system, but they should have known North Korea was not the answer. With the wealth of information available on North Korea, one would think those living in free countries would appreciate their situations. But, everyone's situation is different, so I really can't criticize the runaways if they felt running away to North Korea was their best option.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of anyone EVER searching for a "better life" in North Korea. I'm shocked by this article. Based on the situations these men were in, it is understandable to me why they would do such a thing. The men had made a mistake because they were going through a hard time and they were just trying to start over in North Korea. Overall this article is just strange.
ReplyDelete