Zee JLF | In N Korea, you only see what regime wants: Suki Kim

Suki Kim, born and raised in South Korea, is an American writer and journalist who authored the award-winning book Without You, There Is No Us: Undercover Among the Sons of North Korea's Elite. It was the outcome of the experience she had gathered in North Korea posing as an English language teacher to a premier educational institution run by Christian missionaries. Kim attended the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival. Edited excerpts.

There are now concerted attempts by North and South Koreas to come together. Players from both countries will march under the unified Korean flag for next month's Pyeongchang Winter Games. There will even be a joint women’s hockey team? How do you view this desire for unification?

This is not about unification at all. It’s a curious process under the order of the North Korea to legitimise its rule. It’s all an eyewash, a publicity stunt by the North and the South. South Korea’s President Moon Jae-In is pro-North. The regime and the South’s government are playing with the emotions and sentiments of the North’s impoverished people. The North has recently tested nuclear missiles. Now that the muscle-flexing is over, what is it left with? So it has come back to seek aid; some money will now change hands under the table. It’s a win-win for both governments. We have seen such attempts at reconciliation before. Unification is not possible. And, mind you, South Korea is also opposed to unification because the deprived and psychologically damaged people of the North will be a burden on its economy. The North’s refugees are treated as second-class citizens in the South.

How strong is the Chinese influence in North Korea? What sort of role does China play to help the regime?

There is a strong Chinese influence in the North. The two Koreas have been separated for more than 70 years. And the North’s only allies are Russia and China. Culturally and geographically it’s closer to China than Russia. North Korea has erased its past before 1945; the Confucianism that happened, and the 5000-year-old Korean history. The regime did that to burnish the image of the Great Leaders: the grandfather and the father of the current ruler Kim Jong-un, and that tradition continues till date. It's similar to what China did to its history and traditions. The North Korean defectors end up in China and are used for cheap labour. When the influx of refugees breaches the critical level, the Chinese authorities catch them and send them back. China will do the minimum so that the regime doesn’t fall because both countries want the status quo to be maintained. If North Korea falls or comes under the influence of South Korea, which is virtually under the US, then America’s reach expands.   

What was the regime’s response to your book?

The regime threatened the institution I was working with in the North. That was its way of telling me: ‘Stop the book’s publication.’ It was scary inside North Korea but once you come out, such threats have no effect.

How many times have you visited North Korea and since when? Have you seen any change in the people’s lifestyle?

I have been there five times since 2002. My final visit was in 2011 when I stayed for six months. In the North, you see only what the regime wants you to see and it is always watching you. But Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, did look better over the years. When I first went in 2002, it was right after the great famine that wiped out nearly three million people. Since then the North did make progress out of sheer desperation. There was a thriving black market and people could procure things for a price.

How was the book received in the West?

The book was well received, but the Western press was very critical with my approach. Suddenly, it was questioning my methods instead of focusing on the plight of the North Koreans. It is impossible to get real information if you visit North Korea as a journalist. So, for me embedded journalism was the only way. When I was teaching in that missionary school, BBC had come to shoot. That school is for the children of the political elite. BBC saw that the university students were playing basketball. That was not the real picture. North Korea is built on lies and deception. Many so-called renowned journalists whose bread and butter depend on North Korea haven’t been able to ferret out information. So, naturally, there were enraged when the book came out.

PICTURE FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSE

The book — Without You, There Is No Us: Undercover Among the Sons of North Korea’s Elite — was well received, but the Western press was critical of my approach. It began questioning my methods instead of focusing on the plight of North Koreans. It is impossible to get real information if you visit North Korea as a journalist. So, for me embedded journalism was the only way.