Ever New Year’s Eve, there would be an announcement that beginning from midnight, an honorable opportunity would be available for all prisoners to give a formal bow of respect to “Great Leader” and “Dear leader.”
For prisoners who were always so exhausted from overwork, hunger, and disease, this was a very tiring practice. But because of the fear of punishment, they would get up during the middle of the night and go to the propaganda office to offer New Year’s bows to the leaders.
The prisoners all look so tired and miserable, waiting in long lines throughout the cold winter night for their turn to bow. When they reach the hall, they bow before the pictures of the leaders and an officer takes their names.
The all know that they must come to the same place the next morning to listen to, copy and memorize the leaders’ New Year message. The security officer would threaten the prisoners, “Any of you who fail to memorize the leaders’ message by heart will be sent to hard labor. You got it? If anyone makes a single mistake or skips a single word, I will crush their heads. Those who have bad brains are not eligible to be citizens of the great fatherland, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea! You got it?”
| Ahn Hyok
Mr. Ahn Hyok was a prisoner at the Primary detention settlement. |
