Sold into Abuse, Violence & Forced Labor: Lives of North Korean Women

[imText1]“I received all kinds of despicable treatment living outside of North Chosun (Korea). No matter how much I cried, no one in China would have sympathy on me.”

April 5th. The female defectors sat in a coffee shop in Shenyang as tears overflowed from their eyes. Their rough hands, coarse skin and large tear drops epitomized the torrential storms experienced.

That’s what happened in the mid-90’s. It’s been 10 years since the mass starvation. Since then, North Koreans have learned to struggle with death for live. For the lives of starving husbands and children and to feed one’s parents, these women had climbed mountains and farms, scrambling through various markets.

Women travel through the markets carrying packages that reach their height. On returning from family visits in China, women tie numerous plastic bags to their bodies full of goods to sell back in North Korea. Then, all the food that is acquired through these means, slips down the throats of their husbands and children.

This is how North Korea women fed and clothed their families for the past 10 years. Unable to prevail the destitute poverty that lay ahead, some women failed to cross the Tumen River and were targeted for slave trade where they went from village to village in China being sold as goods.

Age is not a factor in the slave trade business. There are 14 year old teenagers and even 50 year old women. A woman’s dignity is lost, and rather prices are determined by age and beauty. These women are sold into abuse, violence and forced labor in the mountainous regions of China.

The DailyNK interviewed 5 female defectors currently living in China. One of the women had been living in China 7 years, while another defector had left North Korea last month. Through these women, we were able to hear about the lives of North Korean women in 2007.

Though 10 years have passed since 1997, these women agree that, “their lives as women in Chosun had thoroughly deteriorated.”

▶ Interviewees:

– Kim Young Soon (23) – defected 2006, ceased studies in a Pyongyang university

– Ahn Mi Run (43) – defected 2003, born Hoiryeong, North Hamkyung, escaped slave trade

– Choi Kyung Ja (35) – defected 1997, born Hamheung, South Hamkyung, married to a Korean-Chinese husband

– Lee Eun Hee (39) – defected 2000, born Shinuiju, North Pyongan, street marketer

– Kang Soon Nyo (40) – defected 2002, born Hyesan, Yanggang, escaped slave trade

◆ North Korean women responsible for lives = In the past, North Koreans relied on a national distribution system which secured their food and daily necessities. By the 1990’s, this system degenerated and the nation faced a mass food shortage. As distributions came to a complete halt, people who once depended on this system or worked in small businesses and farms became helpless, and eventually died.

As the battle with hunger commenced, women began to run small businesses at markets to feed their families and keep them alive. At first, these businesses were a means to remain alive, but today trade has established itself as a market in North Korea’s economy.

For the past 10 years, North Korean people learned the way of life on their own accord, Ms. Ahn said.

She said, “At first, children and parents died of hunger together. Then, women started to take their place in the markets. One woman who lived in Wonsan began carrying fish on her back to the villages and exchanged it for corn. Then in 1998, the home phone was used to take orders. Now, no one trusts the nation. Rather, people have come to accept their own way of living.”

Kim Young Soon explained, “Before the big famine, men were responsible for the well being of their families. Though Kim Il Song once made an order to elevate female elites, the male position was also raised accordingly. Hence, the head of the family still rotated around the male figure. However, after the march of suffering, more than 90% of women took on the responsibility of family head. Men were considered insignificant and labeled daylight lamp, discomfort and doggy.”

In the beginning, the only work available for women was to sell foodstuffs at the markets. However, as money was accumulated and market strategies developed, women began to trade with other districts, expanding their businesses.

“Eventually, all women were trading some sort of goods. Women would travel on cargo trucks or trains traveling to and from different villages, carrying two or three packs that weighed 50kg. Many people boarded these vehicles and as a result, some fell off and even died. Yet, women still continued to trade” said Ms. Ahn.

As people began to accumulate money through bartering and the market scale increased, men began to leave their jobs to try their luck in business. More recently, small-scale businesses have been hit with a major blow from the severe control of North Korean authorities at Jangmadang.

Lee Eun Hee says that she had acquired a substantial amount of money through business in North Korea. “I began my business with 800won. In the beginning, I sold noodles and later, I even sold manufactured goods. I received goods from Chinese merchants and then sold them at Pyongyang. Living standards slowly increased as men realized the importance of trade and began to participate in business. By 2005, the number of families living off cans of corn decreased significantly. Now, 40~50% of households eat rice.”

“This only came about from the perseverance of Chosun women who went about selling goods” she stressed.

◆ A wife beaten… The degenerating North Korean family = Though North Korean women are going to the extremes to take initiative for the responsibility of their family’s lives, the family continues to complain. In particular, domestic violence continues to dominate the woman.

According to the “2006 North Korean Human Rights Report” by the Korean Bar Association, 90.7% of defectors interviewed experienced domestic violence of some sort. It is inaccurate to state that this figure represents the whole of North Korean society, however, in comparison to the figures of domestic violence in other nations, this large percentage does give an indication of possible scenarios. (In comparison, the percentage of domestic violence in the U.S. is 16.1%, Korea 31.4%, and Japan 17.0%)

Ms. Lee clearly remembers a case of domestic violence experienced by a newly-wed middle school teacher. She retold her story.

“A soccer club manager lived next door to me and a law student who graduated from Shinuiju University came to be his bride. This lady was a middle school teacher was pretty and had a nice personality. Then, one day, the husband began to beat the lady so violently, the whole neighborhood could hear. No one imagined that he would ever beat a person like that. He often threw the ash tray. But then, he would also scrape her hand with a kitchen knife, burn her skin with a cigarette butt and even smash her head with the handle of an ax. In the end, the lady had to leave the school.”

Even as women experience these extreme cases of violence, they cannot abandon their homes. Feudalistic ideas are still remnant in the North Korean society and in most cases of not all, it is unacceptable for a married woman to return to her parents. Moreover, as domestic violence occurs frequently, it is considered a private matter and hence an invalid reason for divorce.

Shortly after the wedding, Ms. Ahn became a victim of assault and abuse but was fortunate to escape from this pain through an arduous divorce.

“I did not retort even as I was getting beaten. This angered him more and so he hit me more. Once, my eardrum burst and so I could not hear for a while. Even one of my ribs was fractured. There was never a time that my face was free of bruises. But these incidents are common and so divorce is denied. A divorce will not be approved because a husband beat you or he simply cheated on you. Even if you make a plea to the courts, they just tell you to figure it out privately .”

On a different perspective, Kim Young Soon who graduated from a university in Pyongyang explained that people who receive higher education are beginning to acknowledge male, female equality.

Ms. Kim said, “Mothers proclaim that they will never send their daughters into marriage where the husband beats the wife. People who have attended university aren’t so bad, but the uneducated hit women a lot. The issue is that women accept violence as fate. However, people are slowly awakening to the reality. The younger generation and university students are creating a culture where women are respected.”

In addition to this, women are finding it difficult to maintain a normal healthy family environment as they take on both the traditional role of caretaker and economic role of breadwinner. As priority is placed on earning an income, there is a lack of attention on children’s education and establishment of a secure home.

Lee Eun Hee admitted, “People are so busy that there is no time to see their babies grow, nor is there time to spend with one’s husbands. The moment you open your eyes, you must cook breakfast, send the kids to school and get ready to leave for work. On returning from work, you study and by night, you are so tired you need to lie down and rest. Where is the time to go to the fields and play happily? There isn’t even time to lie next to your husband at night and talk about the next day.”

“Children grow up not knowing their parent’s affection and mothers are too tired to show their love. Life was tough when we were given distributions but the future looks worse for women since the distributions have been suspended altogether. I only realized what love was once I came to China and watched Korean movies” Ms. Lee said while shaking her head. (continues)