OCTOBER 2019| The Australian Women’s Weekly 69
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM BAIDAWI AND GETTY IMAGES. *NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED.
younginterpreter.Shetellsmeopenly
ofherpride,asa youngsoldier,in the
ArmyofNorthKorea,andherbelief
in theWorkers’Party.Shewasutterly
shockedtofindhercountryin thegrip
offaminewhenshewasdischarged
fromthearmyin themid-1990s.
“Shefoundsocietyin a stateof
collapse,”theinterpreterexplains.
“Herparentsvolunteeredtowork
fora statefarmbecauseit hadbecome
sodifficulttogetrations.Shesaw
beggars,childrenabandonedin the
streetsbecausetheirparentscould
notfeedthem,peopledyingwithout
food,burglariesandtheft,and
neighboursturningoneachother
andstealingfromeachother.”
Inthemilitary,shesays,women
sufferedgreaterhardshipsthanmen.
Sanitaryitemswerenotissued,just
reusablerags,andmaleofficialswho
tooksexualadvantageoftheirfemale
colleagueswereneversanctioned.
“Ifa womanbecamepregnant,
shehadtoleave.Therewasa lotof
harassment,groping,misconductand
evenrape.Theordinarymenwho
livedoutsidethemilitarydidnotlike
womenwhohadbeendischarged
fromthemilitary,sotheysuffered
abusethentoo,”sheexplains.
DespiteMarxismandthetenetsof
universalequality,whicharesupposed
tobethebackboneofKoreansociety,
Confucian patriarchy defines the lifeofthefamily.EvenKimJong-un’s
intriguingyoungersister,Kim
Yo-jong,whosomesurmiseis his
right-handwoman,veryoften
appearsin subservientroles,holding
a crystalashtraywhileherbrother
enjoysa cigarette,orpassinghim
a pentosignaninternational
agreement.Andbothsheand
KimJong-un’swife,formersinger
andcheerleaderRiSol-ju,have
periodicallydisappearedformonths
frompublicview,eachtimeeliciting
internationalconcern.
Defectorsreportthatthereis no
protectionforwomenagainstsexual
anddomesticviolence.Eventhose
whojointhearmyandtheWorkers’Party– traditionallypathstoa more
securefuture– arevulnerableto
uncheckedsexualviolence.
Lastyearin London,anAll-Party
ParliamentaryGrouponNorthKorea
launcheda reportdocumentingsexual
violenceagainstwomenandgirls
throughthevoicesofdefectors.
Accordingtothegroup’sco-chair,
ConservativeMPFionaBruce,the
experiencesdescribeda “landscape
ofcrueltyandbrutality”.
Womenreportedthatlaws
protectingwomenandgirlsarenot
onlyinsufficientbutpoorlyenforced.
Atthesametime,theintersectionof
statepropagandaandthephysical
powerthatmasqueradesas “unique”
ideologyhasnotbrokendown
patriarchalnorms.
Towardstheendofourtime
together,theformerarmyrecruit
speaksaboutherslowrecoveryfrom
thetraumaoflifein theDPRK.It took
twoescapeattempts,imprisonment
in a re-educationcamp,beatingsand
10 yearsspenthidingin a remote
villagein north-easternChinabefore
sheandherhusbandfinallysaved
enoughmoneytohirea brokerand
seekasylumin theUK.
“Iamsohappytoseemychildren
at school,”shesays,“toseetheyare
freetomovearound,theycansay
whattheythinkandthereis norisk
ofbeingcaughtforsayingthewrong
thing.I donotfearthepolicehere.
Butstill,whenI hearsirensat night,
I dreamthatI willbecaughtby
thepolice.”
Then,justa weekafterwemeet,
she sends anemail,writtenbyher
son,imploringmenot
tousehernameorany
detailsofherstory.
(Wehavechanged
manydetailsto
ensureshecannot
beidentified.)
I askheronefinal
question:Whatare
herhopesforher
homeland?
“WhatI want
forKorea,”she
respondssimply,“is
to be free.”AWWDespitebeinghisright-handwoman,Kim
Yo-jong is subservient to her brother.