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4 Myths about North Korea

Let’s be honest. We’ve heard them before, but some of these are just bad. Here are 4 myths about North Korea and why they're completely wrong!

Myth 1: North Korea is just Kim Jong Un and nukes.

News flash: North Korea is more than Kim Jong-un and nuclear weapons. It’s home to 25 million people who face one of the world’s most brutal regimes. The media headlines obsess over Kim Jong Un and nuclear warfare. But the North Korean people and their stories remind us that it is a country of people with potential and hope. Read stories of the North Korean people here.

Myth 2: The North Korean people are all brainwashed.

Goosestepping soldiers and images of hysterical crowds cheering for the Kim family are what the regime wants the world to see. But it’s definitely not the whole picture Even the regime’s tight control does not stop the North Korean people from becoming more aware of the outside world.

New technology and smuggled foreign goods in the Jangmadang (markets) give North Koreans new outlets to the outside. And this access to illegal foreign media is eroding loyalty to the regime. Just like any other person, North Koreans binge-watch South Korean dramas and Hollywood films—even without WiFi! Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

Myth 3: North Korea is hopeless and unchanging.


Yes, the North Korean people face the world’s most authoritarian regime. But they are shaking up the status quo and challenging the regime’s control at the grassroots level. They’re starting businesses and those who are able to escape are sending money and information back into the country. The changes they’re driving are irreversible and are small steps towards change and opening inside North Korea. Time and time again, North Koreans prove their resourcefulness and resilience in a system that has failed them.

Myth 4: There’s nothing I can do for the North Korean people.


Wrong! Though it may seem like North Korea is an issue too big for any one person to solve, you can still make a direct impact on North Korean refugees today by following any of these steps:

1. Donate to make rescue missions possible.
2. Watch a real rescue mission in action!
3. Start a rescue team to fundraise and spread awareness about the North Korean issue in your school or community.
4. Start a fundraiser on Facebook to fundraise in your community to help rescue refugees.
5. Connect with the global movement for the North Korean people by following us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube!


My Name Is Loh Kiwan | Fictional Story, Real Lives

March 8, 2024

From a crumpled piece of paper, he copies his name onto the Application for Recognition of Refugee status. The letters flow together in neat, sloping script to spell–Loh Kiwan.

This seemingly mundane declaration of identity serves as the focal point of Netflix’s recently released movie, My Name is Loh Kiwan. Showcasing the titular character’s past and present struggles as a North Korean defector seeking asylum in Belgium, the film follows Kiwan’s journey through both hope and heartbreak while he fights for a new life in freedom. He shows unimaginable resilience in the face of tragedy, betrayal, and bureaucratic apathy, carving out a place where he can live as himself, for himself.

   
“Be proud of your name, and live a full and honorable life.” 
– Kiwan’s mother (Ok-hee), My Name is Loh Kiwan

Though based on a fictional novel, Loh Kiwan’s story captures the real life experiences of many North Korean refugees. Whether it be the harrowing circumstances of his escape, the subsequent challenges Kiwan faces while applying for asylum, or even the emotional turmoil of contending with his trauma, My Name is Loh Kiwan derives its drama from reality when depicting the struggles of North Korean defectors.

Uprooted by an act of defiance that saves his friend’s life, Kiwan and his mother escape across the border to China and live there under constant threat of arrest and forced repatriation. With no legal status as refugees and no legal options for leaving the country without government approval, North Korean defectors in China are exceptionally vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation. They live in the shadows, concealing their identities as best they can, despite cultural and language barriers. If captured and returned to their home country, they are subject to brutal torture, imprisonment, and execution. Rather than face such inhumanity, many see suicide as a final escape and carry poison or razor blades with them, much like Kiwan and his mother. 

“If I knew there would be a risk of being repatriated to North Korea…I thought that it would be better to die. So, I would like to tell North Korean defectors to take ‘poison’ in a survival kit.”
– Soyeon Lee, Beyond Utopia

It is ultimately his mother’s sacrifice that saves Kiwan from such a fate. Her death forces him into a position nearly every North Korean refugee recognizes–having to leave behind friends, family, and loved ones with aborted goodbyes for the sake of everyone’s safety and survival. Kiwan’s only material connection to his mother is a photo and a wallet full of blood. In reality, most leave with even less than that.

Not wanting to incriminate the people close to them if they are caught trying to escape, most North Korean refugees forgo any identifying documents or proof of their existence. They take only the bare essentials for survival, not knowing that their arrival in a new country is only the beginning of their journey, or even if they'll make it.  

“You’ll just have to hang in there,”
is what he is told by the government interpreter. For the next year, Kiwan is left to survive on his own.

But this is not the narrative Liberty in North Korea believes in. No North Korean person should have to endure the struggles or celebrate the successes of resettlement alone. Much like the assistance Kiwan later receives from an advocacy group that offers legal support and a community of other North Koreans, LiNK walks with our North Korean friends on their journey to freedom. And when they begin new lives, we support their success, amplify their voices, cultivate more leaders and changemakers working on this issue together.

In this, Kiwan’s story reflects yet another reality of the North Korean people. Not only do they encounter extraordinary hardships, but also, they face them with extraordinary strength. Throughout the film, Kiwan persists in his pursuit of an earnest, honest life. Despite setbacks and situations where he’s forced into hurt or hiding, he stays true to his mother’s wish for him to live well, and in doing so, inspires the people around him to do the same.

“When I first met you, I was about ready to give up. I kept going just to see your face again. You made me believe life was worth it. You’re the reason I’m still here, Kiwan.”
– Marie, My Name is Loh Kiwan

He finds hope, love, and freedom in others, but most importantly, in himself. When placed on trial to prove his identity before the court, Loh Kiwan proclaims the name his mother gave him. 

Owning one’s identity as a North Korean person is not always easy. From the start of their escape, they are forced to hide. Once they reach freedom, the stigma and prejudice people hold towards their homeland pressures many to erase their accent or change their name–sometimes as a form of self-protection, other times as a way to fit in.

What Kiwan’s story shows, however, is that there is hope at the end of hiding. There is beauty in the simple, everyday life he longs for–a life where he can work for himself and share meals with friends, have a home, have a future, and have the choice to stay or go.

“I realized what I really wanted in the end was not the right to live in this country, but the right to leave it whenever I wanted to.”
– Kiwan, My Name is Loh Kiwan

This is the life the North Korean people deserve, and every day, both within the country and without, they fight towards a better future. Their courage and indomitable spirit are not just figments of fiction. With your help, their freedom will become a reality.

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