Imagine a life where every step, your thought patterns are completely determined by the authorities from the first day you are born. In a country cut off from the flow of global modernity like North Korea, this reality is not a dystopian movie plot, but rather the normality of life that millions of its citizens are forced to swallow. There, the freedoms we consider a basic human right have turned into the most expensive form of luxury.
Since kindergarten, the minds of children in North Korea have begun to be "formatted" through an education system based on propaganda. Unlike children in the outside world who grow up with fairy tales or funny songs, they are taught to memorize modified history and listen to hymns to the Supreme Leader.
This appreciation forms a single narrative in their minds; that their country is the safest paradise in the world, while the outside world, especially the Western bloc, is a cruel enemy always waiting for the right time to destroy them.
When growing up, there is no culture of surfing the internet, streaming videos on YouTube, or socializing on TikTok before going to bed. The global internet is completely non-existent for the majority of the population. Instead, they are only allowed to access Kwangmyong, a tightly monitored domestic intranet network containing only a few hundred government-approved websites.
The smartphones they use are equipped with special software that will take random screenshots to ensure that no one is trying to download “illegal” content from outside.
Because of this overly strict control, young people’s desire for outside entertainment has been replaced by risky underground activities. Watching South Korean dramas (K-Dramas) or Hollywood movies on a smuggled USB drive is a serious crime that can lead to a forced labor camp sentence.
Anyone who dares to do so has to close the windows tightly, turn down the volume on the television, and live in constant fear of surprise raids by the Inminban (neighborhood committee) who act as government spies.
Not only that, physical space to move around is also very limited and controlled. North Koreans cannot buy train tickets to travel to the next city at will, let alone plan a vacation abroad. Every trip across the country requires an official permit and a strong reason such as work or death.
Even small things like haircuts, hair color, and even the ban on wearing blue jeans (as they are considered a symbol of Western capitalism) are regulated by national law.
Ultimately, if we are destined to be born and raised in North Korea, we will most likely only have two choices for how to continue our lives. Either we become a completely obedient citizen because our minds have been influenced by propaganda without knowing the existence of the outside world, or we choose to live pretending to comply in order to save our own lives and those of our families.
This story behind the iron curtain is a great reminder to all of us that the pleasure of freedom as small as choosing what to watch or talk about today is a priceless gift.
