Chang In Sook was born in Chongjin, North Hamgyong province, and majored in bridges and tunnels at the Pyongyang College of Transportation. She worked for 26 years as a designer (equivalent to a position between a vice-minister and a department chief in the Ministry of Construction and Transportation in South Korea), and took part in major construction projects in North Korea. Her works include the 170m Juche Tower, the 8km Street of Liberation and the highway connecting Pyongyang and Nampo.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ever since the June 15th Joint Declaration signed by the two Korean leaders, various organizations have jumped onto the 'visit North Korea' bandwagon, and we have witnessed all sorts of exchanges including the reunion of separated families. South Koreans seem to think that North Korea is now entirely open to the world, and are exclaiming in admiration over its well-kept appearance, which is exactly as advertised by its government.

Looking at this North Korea boom, we North Korean defectors cannot help feeling frustrated. Ideological achievements can always be over-valued or under-valued depending on the spoken or written words used in the evaluation. But you cannot say you are full unless you have eaten, and you cannot say you are warm unless you have winter clothes on your back. Forcing you to say you are full and warm is completely unreasonable, and it makes government puppets out of everyone.

My homeland, the place of my birth, the place where my ancestors lie and my umbilical was buried, the place that I yearn to be if only in my dreams. Even when I talk in my sleep, I murmur the name of my hometown, and the names of my family and relatives. All 70 million Koreans yearn for reunification, but not as fervently as the North Korean defectors who can never return to the homeland they left behind unless the two Koreas become one. The march toward reunification is long and weary. But reunification is an imperative. We have to get rid of the seemingly endless obstacles in our way, and if need be, let our bodies become stepping stones in our inexorable march towards reunification.

No one questions that the fundamental factor in winning any battle lies in knowing your opponent well and setting your strategies and tactics accordingly. Likewise, having an accurate, unexaggerated understanding of North Korea is of utmost importance in these times. But the people returning from visits to North Korea all say completely different things about the country. The only thing in common to their stories is that they met designated people and saw designated scenes under the supervision of a designated North Korean guide (a security agent). Of course, it cannot be denied that North Korea is stepping up its westward diplomacy and devising ways to get as much aid as possible from South Korea, at the earliest time possible.

I recently met someone who had been displaced during the Korean War. He had been on the Mt. Kumkang tour, during which, fascinated by the beautiful scenery, he took a few steps away from the designated area while photographing the scenery, only to have his film confiscated. He told me that he regretted spending all that money going on the Mt. Kumkang tour. I told him, "You didn't really tour Mt. Kumkang, sir. You merely went mountain-climbing." With a humorless laugh, he replied, "You're right. I followed a designated mountain trail with guards posted every few meters, so you could call that mountain-climbing."

There must be many others besides the displaced people like my friend who feel that way. I was saddened by this realization. During the first round of reunion of separated families, several press and broadcast journalists contacted me to ask all sorts of questions. What kind of clothes will the people from the North be wearing? What kind of gifts will they bring? The journalists were curious about so many things. And as far as clothes and gifts were concerned, my predictions were 100% accurate. People may wonder how I could be so accurate in my answers. But this is nothing strange, since the reunion unfolded according to a well-rehearsed scenario that has remained unchanged for decades. In North Korea, nothing happens that has not received prior approval of the party, and all activities are part of some regulated and planned event. So the journalists would have received the same answers that I had given had they asked anyone else from North Korea. What is more heart-breaking is that all activities are personally directed by Kim Jong Il, and all events are carefully choreographed to praise and glorify him.

Throughout the thirty-odd years that I lived in North Korea, I was also a part of many of the events, and I carried out the party's dictates on several occasions. Whenever delegations from the U.S., Japan, Korea or any other capitalist country came to North Korea, we had to spend the whole night sweeping the streets and cleaning the tiles that cover the outer walls of buildings. Old people and young children were locked up in their homes and everyone else had to be dressed in their Sunday best. We were told to show our pride in the greatness of Kim Il Sung and his son in replying to whatever questions we were asked, and we had a hard time memorizing pre-assigned answers.

Most people would have heard by now of how the North Korean authorities mobilized crowds of people to put on acts along the course that the South Korean dignitaries took during the summit. The listless movements of pale-faced North Korean on-lookers during the Daedong River bank stroll, boat ride, Mt. Moran and Neungra-do sightseeing tour… It was unbearable, as if I was the one being forced to stand there watching the frolic.

That was not all. Asked when reunification would be possible, Kim Jong Il boasted, "One word from me and reunification can be achieved straight away. Only a person of my position can say something like this." Kim Jong Il's arrogance earned him even more praise from his followers, who called him "our big-hearted general" and "our decisive general." It was more than I could bear. There are so many things we have to do, so many obstacles to overcome on our road towards reunification. But the North Koreans actually believe that it all hinges on the words and actions of one Kim Jong Il. Their blind and foolish faith is truly astounding.

I recently met Dr. Vollertsen, a German doctor who had stayed in North Korea to look after North Koreans in orphanages and homes for the elderly. He had even donated his own skin for a skin graft operation to save a North Korean patient. But this dedicated man had been labeled an anti-revolutionary and expelled from the country simply because he had tried to guide western journalists who had accompanied the U.S. Secretary of State on her visit to North Korea to out-of-bound areas. I was aware of this before I met Dr. Vollertsen, but I still felt guilty in front of him, as if I was the one who had done him wrong. According to the good doctor, he had to report to the authorities 7 days in advance before visiting an area, and even then, he was under tight surveillance as he went about administering to the people. Dr. Vollertsen commented that people should not talk about North Korea before they know exactly what they are talking about. He also pointed out that too many people are saying that North Korea is changing before the changes have even taken place. But so many of the South Koreans who have visited North Korea are making irresponsible comments on the country, in contrast to a non-Korean such as Dr. Vollertsen, who has such an accurate view of North Korea.

We must neither under-estimate nor over-estimate North Korea. I believe that when it comes to North Korea, wisdom lies in accepting its good points and trying to correct its bad. Instead of going to pre-designated areas and listening to prepared comments from North Koreans specially selected for that purpose, it would be wiser to listen to us North Korean defectors who have lived a large part of our lives witnessing both the good and bad times in North Korean society. We are not foreigners but the same Koreans as the people living in South Korea. So discussing North Korean issues with us and coming up with counter-measures after consulting with us would be a much better route to take. It worries me that the irresponsible claims of a few people who have seen only one side of North Korea have such a big influence on the South Korean people.

In conclusion, I would like to add that whatever scenes of North Korea you see on television are all carefully choreographed dramas that have been approved by North Korea's central party. I hope that South Koreans will be able to look beyond that facade, to the resilient and intelligent North Korean people who all feel truly grateful for the help they receive from various South Korean organizations. The doors to reunification will surely open one day, and I believe that when that day comes, people from the two Koreas will be able to open their hearts to each other and live in peace and harmony.

The heavy burden of reuniting the two Koreas rests on our shoulders. But if we all gather our strength, wisdom, courage and determination, we will be able to throw that burden into the seas surrounding a unified Korea, and shout for joy, "Long live one Korea!?

<Chang's letter to Nknet>

It has been almost three years since I first set foot in South Korea. Living in a country with a system that I was taught to hate, everything is still strange and unfamiliar. News reports are especially confusing, and I do not know what to believe.

The newspapers are full of articles analyzing the social phenomena in North Korea in one way or another. And every time we North Korean defectors come across such articles, we feel insecure and nervous. In particular, we are quite alarmed by the way people who have paid short visits to North Korea say this or that about the country. But Nknet has been commenting on the situation in North Korea - including the human rights situation - with admirable accuracy, for which I am truly grateful.

My warmest regards go to all the members of Nknet for keeping your faith in times of hardship and doing the right thing for the Korean people. I promise to be a faithful and model reader of 「KEYS」 . I will also contribute to enlarging the 「KEYS」 readership so that more and more people will have an accurate understanding of what the Korean people are going through.

I look forward to reading more good articles in 「KEYS」 , and I wish the staff great success.