The Orphan Master's Son - Book Review

   Having living in South Korea for nine years, I've developed a bit of a fascination with North Korea.  I've stood on the other side of the DMZ.  I've looked through a telescope into the North Korean hills.  I've read several history books and followed the news to come out of the mysterious, murky North.
   Nothing has riveted me like Adam Johnson's The Orphan Master's Son.  It might be described as historical fiction, except that the history it describes is present day North Korea.  For one with a moderate knowledge of North Korea and a strong understanding of South Korean culture, this novel has the aura of authenticity.  Johnson has nailed the ethos of North Korea.
   Of course, he had to take some liberties with logic, making one person do far too many things.  However, some such bending of circumstances is often necessary for a cohesive and comprehensive narrative.
   Johnson has delivered a gripping and clear picture of life in North Korea through the lens of a single individual.  The voice alternates among various narrators and even to public service announcements broadcast into ever North Korean home through a nationwide intercom system.  The story deftly weaves humor, drama, suspense, intrigue, politics, love, despair, and hope.
   One of the most compelling lines comes from a supporting character, the high level Minister of Procurement, "No one is safe."  After the recent execution of Kim JeongEun's uncle (Korea's #2 leader), this one line is hauntingly true.
   It won a much deserved Pulitzer Prize in 2013.  I highly recommend it.  But don't start it when you're busy.  You'll want to read in every spare moment.

100 Things I Love About Korea: #70 - The Slow, Unsteady Opening of North Korea

This is a repost from July 14, 2011.  I had hoped to be here when North Korea opens up.  I guess there's better than a 50/50 chance it will happen within the next 10 years.

Coca-cola and KFC have recently signed deals to establish operations in North Korea.  (Short article ... slightly longer article).  So far, they will be limited to hotels and tourist locations serving foreigners.  However, make no mistake about it, this is a step into the future.
Communism can only survive within a closed system.  Dictators maintain power by limiting information.  (And yes, all communist leaders are dictators of one variety or another.)  With external contact comes information.  With information comes power.  With power for the people comes the fall (slow or fast) of all dictatorships.  Once people know there is an outside world where life is far better, they demand to participate in that better-ness, and they rid themselves of their ineffective leaders.
This is how it went in Eastern Europe.  This is how it happened in Africa and Latin America.  This is how communism has slowly been transitioning to capitalistic democracy in China.  And this is the beginning of the end for North Korea.
Actually, this is not the first crack.  Mass starvation, mass illegal immigration, and mass corruption were the first real cracks.  Porous borders with China brought black market capitalism and information (in the form of cell phones and DVDs).  International aid workers were a steady drip, drip, drip of outside influence.
But now, now, after these subterranean foundation shifts, we see the crack going up the wall, and it looks like the Coca-cola trademark wave.

100 Things I Love about Korea: #69 - Konglish and North Korean Refugees

My good friend Nikki Muyskins originally wrote this article for Fulbright Infusion Magazine, March 2011. It was later republished on www.engagemagazine.com.  I offer it to you now for your reading pleasure.

As I was on the plane on the way to Korea for the first time, I remember studying some “learn Hangeul” print-outs that I had with me, desperately trying to get some of this new writing system to stick in my mind.  I had a list of “Konglish” words to sound out for practice, which I suppose was meant to build confidence, but did little to calm my nerves when I would tediously sound out a word like “pi-ja” and still be unable to make the connection to the English word “pizza.”  What match would I be for the language barrier, if I couldn’t even understand Koreanized words from my native language?  How would I overcome linguistic and cultural obstacles, and learn not only to adapt to Korea but also to thrive in this foreign land?

Thankfully, I encountered many friendly people to help me along the way, and I have gradually learned more and more Korean.  Sometimes I enjoy the convenience of English loan words, if, for example, I want to take a “tek-shi” (taxi) to the “bus-seh tuh-mi-nuhl” (bus terminal).  Sometimes I just get entertainment out of Korean pronunciation, like the lack of “r” in “ma-teh” (mart) or the “sh” in “shoo-puh” (super(market)).  Other times I feel frustrated with loan words like these, like if my students don’t understand my pronunciation of “suh-tuh-di room” (study room) or laugh at my attempt at spelling a word like “saen-deh-wi-chi” (sandwich) in Hangeul.  Sometimes life in Korea can give me so much “suh-tuh-rae-suh” (stress), yet I am grateful that our languages do overlap in some instances.  Otherwise, how would I ever navigate the “in-tuh-net” (internet) on my Korean “com-pyu-tuh” (computer)?

Korea Tip 117: A Few Good Articles on North and South Korea

1. North Korea's Patchy Capitalism.  Due to the total failure of the government controlled system, North Korean citizens of all levels are resorting to gray-market capitalism.  Simply to purchase food and fuel, they must barter services and goods on the open market.  This hints at hopes and problems for unification.

2. Better Food-Aid to North Korea.  20 years of food assistance has failed to relieve chronic food-insecurity in North Korea, and hundreds of thousands have starved.  This is largely due to the governments incapacity and unwillingness to distribute the aid effectively and fairly.  Therefore, future aid programs need more stringent demands for outside involvement

3. Capitalism's Unstoppable Bubbling Up.  Once you start, you can't stop.  Capitalism is coming to North Korea, largely tainted with corruption and black markets, but still coming.  This is the crack in the communist system that will shatter it.  (This is why we should release all sanctions and invest and trade heavily with North Korea.)

4. Multiculturalism in South Korea. With increasing numbers of long-term foreign residents and multicultural marriages, South Korea is quickly losing its homogeneous make-up.  By 2020, 1/3 of all children born in South Korea may be multi-ethnic.  South Korea is still very much in the growing pains on adjusting to multiculturalism, but there are some signs of hope.

The First Crack in the DMZ?

Coca-cola and KFC have recently signed deals to establish operations in North Korea.  (Short article ... slightly longer article).  So far, they will be limited to hotels and tourist locations serving foreigners.  However, make no mistake about it, this is a step into the future. 
Communism can only survive within a closed system.  Dictators maintain power by limiting information.  (And yes, all communist leaders are dictators of one variety or another.)  With external contact comes information.  With information comes power.  With power for the people comes the fall (slow or fast) of all dictatorships.  Once people know there is an outside world where life is far better, they demand to participate in that better-ness, and they rid themselves of their ineffective leaders.
This is how it went in Eastern Europe.  This is how it happened in Africa and Latin America.  This is how communism has slowly been transitioning to capitalistic democracy in China.  And this is the beginning of the end for North Korea.
Actually, this is not the first crack.  Mass starvation, mass illegal immigration, and mass corruption were the first real cracks.  Porous borders with China brought black market capitalism and information (in the form of cell phones and DVDs).  International aid workers were a steady drip, drip, drip of outside influence.
But now, now, after these subterranean foundation shifts, we see the crack going up the wall, and it looks like the Coca-cola trademark wave. 

Nikki's Konglish with North Koreans

[My friend Nikki recently wrote this article about her life in Korea and her volunteer work with North Korean refugees.  Check it out.]

As I was on a plane traveling to Korea for the first time, I remember studying some “learn Hangeul” print-outs that I had with me, desperately trying to get some of this new writing system to stick in my mind. I had a list of “Konglish” words to sound out for practice, which I suppose was meant to build confidence, but did little to calm my nerves when I tediously sounded out a word like “pi-ja” and was still unable to connect it to the English word “pizza.”  
What match would I be for the language barrier if I couldn’t even understand Koreanized words from my native language? How would I overcome linguistic and cultural obstacles, and learn not only to adapt but also to thrive in this foreign land?

Thankfully, I encountered many friendly people to help me along the way. I have gradually learned more and more Korean. Sometimes I enjoy the convenience of English loan words if, for example, I want to take a “tek-shi” (taxi) to the “bus-seh tuh-mi-nuhl” (bus terminal). Sometimes I just get entertainment out of Korean pronunciation, like the lack of “r” in “ma-teh” (mart) or the “sh” in “shoo-puh” (super(market)).

Other times I feel frustrated with loan words like these. For instance, my students may not understand my pronunciation of “suh-tuh-di room” (study room), or might laugh at my attempt to spell a word like “saen-deh-wi-chi” (sandwich) in Hangeul. 

Sometimes life in Korea can give me so much “suh-tuh-rae-suh” (stress), yet I am grateful that our languages do overlap in some instances. Otherwise, how would I ever navigate the “in-tuh-net” (Internet) on my Korean “com-pyu-tuh” (computer)?

With my blond hair and blue eyes, I never fool anyone into thinking that I am Korean, and this generally earns me the benefit of the doubt along with some extra help. I fit very well into Korea’s conception of a “way-gook-in” (that is, a foreigner). Yes, I am a foreigner, but I am not the only type of foreigner in this country.  ...

Read the rest of this article, here.

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