Interview

 
A North Korean defector who knows what is going on inside that country warns of the new South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his pro-North stance.

We asked Mr. Do about his experiences in North Korea, and the prevailing problems.

-—Please tell us about your job during your North Korea days, and how you ended up defecting.

Do: I polished my literary skills at Kim Il-sung University and became a specialist writer for the regime in charge of state propaganda. I was able to read Kim Il-sung’s written commands to the Central Committee, the high government officials. This was because in order to write propaganda that coincided with the government’s ideals, we needed to study Kim Il-sung’s words and commands to the Central Committee.

So I got to know what Kim Il-sung was really thinking, and began to write poems that satirized the supreme leader’s ideology. I was doing this in secret, but I showed them to a friend of mine, and we talked reprimanding the government. But this friend was actually an undercover agent from the State Security Department.

I endured 3 years of harsh questioning and torture. Some of the people that were captured with me were sent to concentration camps for political criminals, and some died during torture. I also nearly died, but was somehow released alive. Then a friend from State Security Department told me that they were trying to capture me again, so I defected.

We Can’t Call This A Country

-—What is your opinion on the current state of North Korea?

Do: There used to be many government officials who were loyal to the Establishment, but now there are very few who are truly loyal. Many only put on an act of loyalty in order to survive, but they’re actually thinking, “We can’t call this a country”.

During Kim Il-sung’s reign, the people were only disappointed and disillusioned. But now, if people spoke out honestly, they’d all want Kim Jong-un dead right now. Why is this? It’s because Kim Jong-un has achieved far less than Kim Il-sung, and so the people don’t have a reason to respect the current leader.

Foreigners may think that the North Korean people respect Kim Jong-un for his nuclear developments, but all of those cheers and praises are for show. In truth, the people are thinking, “there is no way he can win against the U.S. with one nuclear weapon”; “All he is doing is increasing tension with other countries and getting sanctioned by the international community. He must be an idiot.”

Moon Jae-in Supports North Korea

-—What are your thoughts on the new South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s North Korea policy?

Do: In June 2000, South Korea implemented the “Sunshine Policy” North Korea support agenda. Before then, North Korea was so poverty stricken that they could not even imprison criminals for lack of food supplies. The country was on the verge of ruin, to the point where Kim Il-sung made an inter-regime announcement that, “we are facing the greatest crisis since the founding: the state system has collapsed”.

When support supplies began to be sent in, however, Kim Il-sung made a victory declaration to a restructuring of the state. And what did he do? He conducted a nuclear test in 2006.

Kim Il-sung’s worries now were that the army used all the support supplies, and the civilians who got none, might rise up in discontent. But the people, who had long survived through tough times, and learnt farming and trade, had no need to rely on the authorities.

Seeing their self-sufficiency, Kim Il-sung stopped feeling any burden of responsibility for the people. He didn’t hesitate to use the support to fund his nuclear projects. He planned to eventually invade nuclear-free South Korea and bring an end to the U.S.-South Korea alliance.

After 11 years they finally legislated the North Korean Human Rights Act in the South Korean National Assembly last year. But the North Korean Human Rights Fund, which is required for this law to take effect, is inactive despite being well prepared. Moon’s Democratic Party of Korea’s opposition to the project was why the Act took so long to pass, and the Fund has yet to move.

There was also the ROKS Cheonan sinking incident in 2010 under President Lee Myung-bak. This was the incident where a North Korean submarine fired at a South Korean ship killing many. Investigations revealed a North Korean torpedo. Despite clear evidence that North Korea was behind the sinking, the Democratic Party of Korea did not accept this. They exhibited unbridled support of North Korea.

Moon has announced the removal of the national department of the National Intelligence Agency. In other words, he is saying he will not arrest spies within the country, which will allow North Korean spies to enter South Korea and Kim-regime propaganda will spread to the neighboring country.

There used to be a political party called the Unified Progressive Party, which was connected to the North Korean government. It was forcibly dissolved, but there is a chance that a similar party will appear again.

If these forces remove the U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, and North Korea continues its nuclear development, it will be a matter of time before South Korea falls into the hands of Kim Jong-un. It will be the exact opposite of the reunification of Germany: the financially stable South Korea will be unified under North Korean command.

We are nearing a point where we can bring an end to the Kim regime. Moon should not hinder the United Nations by supporting the North.

(The end of interview)