By Jimin Hahm
As sanctions prove ineffective, information is the key to penetrating the Hermit Kingdom.
North Korea (NK) is a lot like Shawshank prison in the film The Shawshank Redemption. Kim Jong-un (KJU) is the warden, the keepers of the regime are the guards, and the people are the inmates who are isolated from the rest of the world, constantly monitored, and stripped of basic rights such as freedom of movement and communication.
There are differences of course. For one, KJU is much more powerful than the warden of Shawshank. KJU’s prison is not only heavily fortified and armed with conventional and asymmetric weapons, it could also have nuclear weapons soon. More importantly, unlike typical inmates who count the days to freedom, the majority of North Koreans not only consider NK their home dating back some 4,000 years, but are also indoctrinated and trained to fight for the NK regime against the enemies outside its walls. In fact, most North Koreans would probably not choose to escape NK even if the prison walls came crumbling down.
For four millennia, the Korean peninsula was a feudal, stratified society where the ruling class reigned supreme while the majority of the people remained poor, generation after generation. The Korean people however, despite their generations of hardship, conformed under the given conditions and circumstances. In fact, all that the Korean people desired was to effectively mind their own business, isolated from the rest of the world. However, this desire was increasingly disrupted starting in the 19th century by geopolitical factors.
Read the full story at The Diplomat