[imText1]”I am sorry that I can’t reveal more because my family is still in North Korea”
Mr. Ho Hye Il, who came to Korea in 2005, is the publisher of “The Kaleidoscope in North Korea” and a former security guard at the time of the Inter-Korean Summit, did not say a word about his personal information. When asked to at least allow a photo from behind, he replies only “sorry”.
As he was close to the core of the leadership in North Korea, he chooses his words carefully. However, he says he chose to publish a book disclosing the realities of North Korea because he wanted to “deliver even the least bit of truth to South Korean citizens”.
The stories were appalling, revealing things that no one wants to believe.
– Why did you compare North Korea to a Kaleidoscope?
North Korean society is hard to understand from the perspective of a South Korean person, which is why I named the book “Kaleidoscope of North Korea”. Many people are starving and being oppressed by the dictatorship, but North Korean society subsists for some strange reason. Can anyone understand a society where millions of people participate in Arirang (a large game) and shout “Long Live Leader Kim Jong Il” as they die of starvation?
– What kind of attitude do North Korean elites have, when they must be aware that North Korea is hopeless as they come in contact with outside information?
First, elites should be categorized into two different groups. One group consists of those who gained power solely from their background, without skills or knowledge. Those are the people in the frontline of North Korean politics.
North Korean Elites Share A Destiny with Kim Jong Il
The second category consists of those who contribute to the subsistence of society with skills, knowledge and brains.
The first group is aware that their lives will come to an end when the society collapses, as they have seen the collapse of the Eastern European communist countries. They are afraid of being criticized about their past, which makes them dedicate their lives to the perpetration of the regime. In other words, they share a destiny with Kim Jong Il.
Those who belong to the second category are mostly opportunistic. While grappling with the moral issues that come from their position, they still don’t want to have to modify their own way of life. They cannot live without North Korean society, which makes them obedient to the regime and protective of their positions.
– What is the proportion of these people in power in North Korean society?
Broadly speaking, about 40% of people are either party members, in National Security Agency, the Safety Agency, in military leadership, work as prosecutors, or in the courts, government-affiliated organizations, or administrative and economic organizations.
The middle class, which consists of 35% of the population, includes the educated and college students, such as scientists, skilled workers, authors, artists, professors, and doctors. Their lives are similar to the lower class, but they don’t put up much resistance to the regime.
25% make up the resistant class. They hope for war so that they may rebuild their lives and start again. They will be the first opposing group in the frontlines when political change comes in North Korea. The North Korean regime, therefore, has prepared an execution list in order to get rid of the threatening resistant class.
The North Korean regime considers securing the middle class as a very important task. The middle class in the North would be financially secure whether or not they live in a capitalist society, and would therefore accept a transition to capitalism. The North Korean regime therefore takes precaution against them.
– What are the living standards of the security guards?
[imText2]Singles have single rooms. Liquor bottles are often found under their beds as if they are water bottles. The security guards drink the rest of what Kim Jong Il leaves unfinished at parties.
There is a military base which takes care of burying left over food. The regime does not want people to know that the Leader eats such luxurious food, which is why the left over is buried and not distributed.
We security guards did not know that people were dying of starvation during the “March of Tribulation” (Mass starvation period in the 1990s). We ate three times a day, and never suffered due to a lack of food.
‘Military Authority’ is an Incorrect Expression
– Recently, word has arisen that there was a cancellation of cross-border training due to resistance within the military authority. Could this mean that there is a leakage in Kim Jong Il’s power? Would it be possible for the military authority to resist under the Kim Jong Il regime?
It is not possible to understand North Korean society simply from a South Korean perspective. North Korean society is beyond common sense or universal values. Military authority cannot exist in North Korea. The training was meant to be cancelled from the beginning.
Therefore, the South Korean government needs to adhere to a consistent policy. The South Korean government is cornered often times because they alter their policies, while the North Korean government remains consistent.
– A story that vehicles were absent from the conflict because soldiers sold all the oil at the time of Yeonpyong naval battle is getting attention. Please explain that situation.
Immediately after the patrol boats and warships were ordered to depart for battle, their engines died. The soldiers had sold all the fuel in order to buy alcohol, and had filled the fuel tanks with water.
The battle ended before the warships were able to refuel.
This was not an uncommon occurence, as much war materials and food are sold by the military. Particularly, equipment and fuel are often sold.
– In the book, you say 3~5 bombs are present at events that Kim Jong Il attends. Is an anti-government movement being activated?
Some might think that it is very surprising to hear that explosives are present at events that Kim Jong Il attends. However, casual conversation among the security guards is common, such as “How many are there this time?”, “Oh, not many – only two”.
Explosives targeting Kim Jong Il were found set up at the Yongcheon explosion. They were small explosives that cannot be made with North Korean technology, leading people to believe that they came from outside the country, and causing Kim Jong Il to become concerned over his safety.
At the time of the Yongcheon explosion, a shaman who was a special secretary at the department of the Central Party told Kim Jong Il to leave the event, which saved his life. When this woman, who speaks with Seoul accent, tells him not to go certain places, he never disobeys her. (Shamanistic practices within the government were removed by policy long ago. However, Kim Jong Il manages a few number of shamans to “protect natural monuments”-editor)
There are many who aspire to be Ahn Joong Geun (a Korean independence activist during the Japanese Rule), but approaching Kim Jong Il is impossible. The change in North Korea must come from the bottom. The people in support of Kim Jong Il must be challenged.
– Some reports charge that many North Koreans are addicted to drugs. Is that true?
It is not accurate, but I speculate about 5~6% are addicted. They mix some base material for drugs with tobacco and smoke. Some raise marijuana in their gardens. There are many addicts in Shinuiju, Wonsan, Nampo, Pyongsung, and Pyongyang.
In Shinuiju, people looking for pills and white powder are often seen in front of the Yalu River Hotel or the Gapmoon Inn. The poppy business, which began under order from Kim Jong Il, is connected with the Japanese mafia, the Yakuza.
Among officials in North Korea, the majority of those who are engaged in the drug business are addicted themselves. It is also noted in my book. that a director of the 518 Office for Military affairs under the Security Agency is known to be a drug addict. People have complained about his 50-hour-long meetings.
Young People Should Be Thankful That They Were Born in the South
– It seems like the military is the only body to be trusted since Kim Jong Il announced his Military First Policy. How faithful is the military to the regime?
The faithfulness of the military is still absolute. Even though people say that the military is weak, among a total of 1.3 million soldiers, 12,000~13,000 are marked as “guns and bombs” for the Leader. They are brainwashed by the dictatorship of Kim Jong Il, in a situation comparable to Hitler’s treatment of the German people before World War II, although Hitler didn’t let his people die of starvation..
– The succession of power in North Korea is getting attention. Did you hear any rumors of a possible successor when you were in North Korea?
Kim Jong Il will succeed his power to his children. At this point, Kim Jong Chul, Kim Jong Il’s second son, is the most likely cadidate to replace him. Kim Il Sung started thinking about a successor after he reached the age of 60, and it is time for Kim Jong Il to begin to ponder such decisions. Since his son has no history with the peope, Kim Jong Il will idolize him with a lesson by Kim Il Sung, the eternal poem of North Korea. When the leadership in the military enters their 30s and 40s, the military authority will have fostered support for Kim Jong Chul as the rightful successor.
However, it seems as though China supports Kim Jong Nam, Kim Jong Il’s first son. During a terrorist attack in Spain, the Chinese Safety Agency protected Kim Jong Nam. It was claimed that when Kim Jong Nam visited Spain, the terrorist attack was an attempt against him, and the Chinese Safety Agency protected him.
However, discussion about a likely successor is meaningless when the Kim Jong Il regime itself isn’t clear about its future. The question of a successor might not even become a real issue.
– Is there anything that you want to say to the DailyNK readers?
I want to tell the young people in Korea that if I was born in South Korea, I would live my life thankful that my parents never sent me to North Korea.
Apart from discussions about being poor or wealthy, dictatorship or democracy, North Korean young people do not even realize how much their lives are oppressed. They endure the reality that is their life, and are pleased that they have adjusted to such lives as well as they have.
Many ask if the book is based on truth. I tell them that it is all true, and that I am only sorry that I cannot reveal more because of my family left in North Korea.
I also think that readers of this book are the ones that really have love and consideration for the people of the North and for unification. and I want to express my gratitude for their concern about North Korea.”
