N Korea defector to sue Chongryon over emigration program

Monday 09th June, 04:00 AM JST

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8 Comments

zaichik at 08:26 AM JST - 9th June

Hmmm...were I the judge, I'd be inclined to rule "caveat emptor" and tell her to get over it. It was her choice to believe in the propaganda....
timeon at 10:04 AM JST - 9th June

pro-North Korea group neglected to explain the reality of the situation in North Korea

how stupid can you be? you have the craziest propaganda system in the world and you expect them to advertise like: "please come to our country. it's the crappiest country ever, you'll eat rice with salt when lucky, tree leaves and ants otherwise, you won't be able to buy anything in shops, you'll have to sing hymn to Kim everyday and so on. welcome"
jewel at 10:27 AM JST - 9th June

A woman like that will never be satisfied. She had freedom in Japan where she had full access to info. about NK, but willingly chose to go there. Once she got there, she found it wasnt her cup of tea and got out alive. She should be thanking God that she is one of the few ppl that successfully escapes. Of the few that escape, many of them are sent back to NK to be killed or put in gulags, and the others that escape, they have to live in hiding in China with no refugee status, no legal rights, and no security. She is one of the few that escapes and has a country to accept her. Whats more, she returned to the country so "divorced", but it took her back. She should be living the rest of her days in gratitude. With that said, she is doing a service by exposing the NK sympathizers in Japan.
Alphaape at 11:09 AM JST - 9th June

If my math serves me right, if she is 47 she would have been born in 1961. She went to NK in 1963 when she was 2 years old. I don't think that she was of the age to really understand what such a move would entail. If anyone had the right to sue, it would be her parents, since they were the adults in the situation, and I doubt if they are still alive.

I read a good book on this same subject, "The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag" by Chol-hawn Kwang who is a defector himself; talks about his growing up in Japan, in a relativly middle class comfort, and upon his grandmothers urging, being part of the Chosen Soren, the family moved to Pyonyang. They even shipped their family car, a volvo, over and had started off relatively comfortable. Later, things begin to fall apart due to petty jealousises and soon they had their car re-possessed and then sent to a gulag. The changes he described, and how the grandmother would not come to terms with her decision to make the entire family move over is quite interesting. One interesting story is of how another Chosen Soren family had moved to nK, and they got sent to the same gulag. They marveled when the boy of the authors age told him and friends that one could walk into a convenience store at any time of the day, and buy food and toilet paper. That was unheard of to them.

I would have imagined that being here in Japan, people should have seen the other side of the news and see how the reporting of conditions in nK are different from the propaganda that they receive from these groups. If they are dumb enough to go, then they deserve what they get. But in her case, she was a minor.
PuffinMuffin at 12:57 PM JST - 9th June

shes demented?
usaexpat at 11:59 PM JST - 9th June

The only good thing is that this lawsuit will bring more attention to Chongyron which I am surprised is even allowed to operate in Japan. I feel sorry for her, probably her parents who were the fools if her age is stated correctly.
OssanULTRA at 12:01 AM JST - 10th June

Jewl hits the nail on the head. Kind of hard to sympathize with her considering her age at the time. But the more pressure continues on the NK sympathizers in Japan the better.
jewel at 10:33 AM JST - 10th June

Alph, I didnt do the math so Im glad you pointed it out. The article writes "A woman who fled to North Korea" which clearly sounds like she was grown and made the decision to "flee" on her own. It does not say anything about her going with her family or others. I think this was poor reporting. I wonder if she places any responsibility on her parents for making such a foolish decision or is she lying about her age. Anyway, the book you suggested sounds really interesting.