A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea

by Masaji Ishikawa

The system was known as the “feasibility concept.” Feasibility concept! That’s what happens to language in countries like North Korea. A totalitarian dictatorship is a “democratic republic.” Bondage is known as “emancipation.”

If a farmer had the audacity to object to the absurdity of some directive, he was told, “The reason you can’t get the job done on time is your total lack of loyalty to Kim Il-sung and the party.”

Once beyond school age, individuals were all expected to carry out two functions: to contribute to production and to take part in military operations. The whole system was based on the “Four Military Lines.” The key tenets were “arm the entire people,” “fortify the entire nation,” “build a nation of military leaders,” and “complete military modernization.” So various militias were formed.

The three castes were “nucleus” (or “core”), “basic” (or “wavering”), and “hostile.” Three criteria determined your caste: your birth and background, your perceived loyalty to the party, and your connections.

Juche. “Our Juche farming method . . . the revolutionary Juche approach to production . . .” It was always the Juche

Speed above all things’ hasn’t turned out so badly in this case!” I said. “Speed above all things,” she replied with a laugh. It was another of the times’ ubiquitous slogans.