Jeremy Hunter’s Foundation Lecture. North Korea Exposed: Daily Life in The Hermit Kingdom
To begin with Mr Hunter enlightened us on the current situation between the US and North Korea, showing the potential danger that the ‘Little Rocket Man’ poses to the Western World if the Singapore Summit fails. He also explained about the Cult of personality that surrounds the Kim Dynasty, shown by Kim Il Sung’s creation of a new national religion that, worships him as the ‘Eternal Leader’, follows his life principals… he even had his own calendar.
Most interestingly, Mr Hunter elaborated on the Orwellian practices of the Hermit Kingdom, telling us of Radios don’t switch off, like the telescreen in 1984, worshipping the likeness of the leader, reflecting the worshipping of Big Brother’s portrait, travel limits on citizens, and the national haircut. We were also told of state informants, who informed on family members and friends, this reminded much of the audience of Orwell’s Thought Police, showing that Orwell’s 1984, has well and truly come true.
Mr Hunter also told us about the interesting way the Rogue state makes it money, using clever tactics, such as drug smuggling, and counter-feigning currencies, and these operations are in place across globe operating though their diplomats and their ability to use diplomatic immunity should they be caught.
We were also told of the horrors that come after a crime. We were told of public executions, and concentration camps, with the largest being Yodok which houses 50,000 prisoners. We were also told about the difficulty of escaping the nation, with many risking death, through the long trek over mountain ranges, and through jungles. If caught they risk repatriation, where they are tortured and give up information on what they saw, and tortured up until they point that start to believe the propaganda again. Mr Hunter also reflected on what a 2nd Korean War would look like, touching upon the North Korean arsenal, their supplies, and how long they could last without resupplying. Mr Hunter concluded, that a 2nd war would be devastating to the whole peninsula. On the other side of the argument, we were also told about the cost of reuniting the two nations, we were told that reunification would be financially devastating for South Korea cost over $1 Trillion, and that the cost of bringing the North Korean citizens, and infrastructure would be a huge burden to the South, and because of this many in the south oppose Reunification. Mr Hunter told us this would not be unlike German reunification, however the gulf between two sides on so many different fronts would make it many times harder.
Mr Hunter’s mix media presentation also kept us on the edge of our seats with a mixture of statistics, pictures, videos, interviews, and speech really making us understand the difficulty of North Korean daily life. I felt like my view on North Korea was changed dramatically by the lecture, as I learnt of the impact trade restrictions have had on the ordinary people, and the corruption of the ruling class has seen their lifestyles get worse.
Jackson van Uden. Year 13.