Should we send propaganda balloons to North Korea? - By Changhun Lee

 

          It’s just another day of arduous labor in the factory. He lays down his tools, takes off his gloves and stands up to drags his heavy body back home. Just before exiting the factory, he pauses. The gigantic picture of Kim Jung Il looms before him, like any other in any other factory. He salutes, for all the marvelous deeds he had done for him, his family, and his country. Walking back home, he stops before the huge statue of Kim Jung Il. He salutes, and moves on. Back home, his wife and children greet him. Dinner is ready. But before dinner, he walks to the portrait of Kim Jung Il. He salute. His children burst open their doors and enter the living room. They show him some balloons, which they had found while playing outside. Oddly, there seems to be objects inside. He pops the balloons, instantly making his children burst tears. News articles, letters, and several photos fall to his laps. He reads them. Over and over and over again. He stands up. He slowly walks towards the portrait he had saluted to half an hour ago. He stares at the man inside. And he rips it apart.

           A likely story? Maybe, maybe not. But it gives a glimpse of what I want to talk about in this paper. But before anything else, let’s go over what is going on.

           North Korea, once again, has successfully dominated the cover of innumerable word newspapers with its usual threat of nuclear tests. Whether it is an empty threat or a real danger is yet to be undiscovered, but North Korea has shown for sure that its change in leadership does not mean softening its barricade against the word. For decades, the world has tried to communicate with the rogue state. But attempts of peace talks, aid, and treaties have proven to be futile; we received more assaults and threats in return.

           Yet the inner side of this seemingly strong and vigorous nation is more tender and vulnerable than that of any other. Its majority of the citizens suffer under abject poverty and fear of the state. The part of North Korea that is revealed to the rest of the world is the brightest side of the dark cave.

           I’ve actually been there when I was a little kid in elementary school. I was participating in a camp to North Korea, supposedly to learn about the country and ponder over unification. Unfortunately, we only visited the restricted area that the government had taken care of beforehand. So we had no actual opportunity to see the life of an average North Korean. During the camp, I never succeeded in seriously musing on unification; I mostly enjoyed playing with my new friends. But I do remember one thing that didn’t involve silly pranks with my friends.

           It was the last day, and I and my friends entered a noodle restaurant after climbing the KeumKang Mountains. We waited, and a waitress approached us to ask what we would like to have. My first impression was that her accent was really funny. We all held out laughter until she left. I even recorded her voice to share the experience back in South Korea with my family. But after talking to her two or three times, something other than amusement caught me. I began to form sympathy for her in the corner of my mind. She was always smiling so brightly when she talked to us with an friendly tone. But I couldn’t erase the thought that her smile and tone were somewhat artificial. Them seemed like parts of a big system, already set and planned. Of course, I might have been wrong. Now to think about it, even South Korean waitresses are told to smile by their employers. But the smile just seemed different at that time. It lingered inside my head for several days.

           This experience taught me something. The reason why we should unify not only lies in the safety of South Korea or its economic development, but also in the North Korean citizens themselves. I genuinely care for them and wish they lead decent lives. But is it any useful that I, a normal high school boy, care about unification and North Koreans? I say yes, because to the surprise of many people, the answer to unification may not be all about President Obama, Park Geun Hye, or even Kim Jeong Eun.

 

     

            Instead,it might be about balloons.

           Yes, balloons, as in the colorful round things that float and pop. South Korean citizens as well as the army have sent balloons that contain messages or articles over North Korean border in the past decades. The messages and articles mainly criticize North Korea and communism. The uniqueness of this method is that it tries to instigate the citizens, not the leaders. Regardless of the strong dictator regime in North Korea, no nation can avert collapse forever when the citizens turn their backs against the government. This is why North Korean government has virtually brainwashed every citizen into believing that democracy is evil and the Kim family members are godlike beings, like the man in my introduction illustrates. To solve this problem is simple: let the citizens know that they have been worshipping charlatans who have ripped off everything from their lives. No matter how hard we try to talk with the government, we will be simply wasting time and money. Propaganda balloon does this job best, thus being the most efficient method to take us one step closer to unification. Once turmoil rises among the citizens, the North Korean government will have to come up with a solution.

           Another reason to allow the sending of propaganda balloons is that North Korean citizens have the right to know. The innocent citizens are suffering under famine and preposterously oppressive policies. The international community, especially South Korea, has the obligation to rescue the North Korean citizens from this abyss of lies. Under the Korean constitution, North Korea is not a proper government. In other words, the people who live in the territory of North Korea are technically still our citizens. To neglect them is abandoning the right over our citizens.

           North Korea has responded to propaganda balloons with bellicosity and hostility. Ithas threatened to shoot missiles if we continue. Kim Jung Il has also stated that the balloons are “an unpardonable challenge to the army and people of the DPRK and a deliberate act to push north-south ties to the lowest ebb”. This has caused many people to stop down with fear. But there can be no unification without sacrifice. We can wait several decades until North Korea yields to democracy. But this seemingly innocuous plan also belies the sacrifice of innumerable North Korean citizens who will be oppressed for years. Furthermore, the threat that North Korea make is usually a simple rhetoric. Therefore, liking propaganda balloons directly to physical assaults is a rash conclusion.

           Right now, the Korean government is prohibiting the sending of propaganda balloons after a hostile threat from North Korea early this year. A group called ‘Fightersfor Free North Korea’ had planned to send 200000 balloons over the border lastyear in October, but South Korean troops banned the act.

 

           We must not forget that change will only come when North Korean citizens start to throw a suspicious glance towards Kim Jung Il’s portrait in their homes, one by one. The few ones, who rip apart the man inside, like the man in my story, will certainly arouse more actions. And hopefully they will be freed.