Dear Leader by Jang Jin-Sung

Author:Jang Jin-Sung
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rider

NORTH KOREAN

WOMEN SOLD AS ‘PIGS’

5

BY THE TIME I had finished outlining the Seed-bearing Strategy, Mr Shin was leaning forward, listening intently. He had kept a somewhat condescending distance from us since our first meeting, but seemed to soften after my account. As if to introduce himself to us for the first time, he told us that he was thirty-two and that he had been born in Yanji. He had worked for five years as a broker helping North Korean refugees escape from China, and boasted that he had contacts in the intelligence agency in South Korea. He added that anyone working with North Korean refugees was monitored by the Chinese authorities, and that he had already had to move house several times.

He glanced over at his wife as he told us this. The many moves explained why the apartment was so devoid of personal belongings even though they were newlyweds building a new life together. He now wanted to settle in South Korea and have some stability, even if it meant doing menial jobs there. He sighed as he spoke, and I felt that we still weren’t safe in his hands. However, on learning that Mr Shin’s wife was from North Korea’s North Hamgyong Province, my trust in him increased, though Young-min did not yet seem convinced.

‘Breakfast is ready!’ Mrs Shin declared from the other room.

As soon as we joined her, I exclaimed that it was wonderful to meet another North Korean, and Young-min and I both asked eagerly about her story and her hometown. But her face remained blank, as if to ask why we were making such a fuss about her past. She spoke only to tell us to tuck into our food, and we fell silent.

She brought out steaming rice and a tofu stew with red chilli oil floating on it. The chopsticks and spoon were carefully placed next to our food. Even if she was a bit unfriendly on the outside, she was clearly a warm-hearted woman. This was the first proper sit-down home-cooked meal we’d been able to enjoy since crossing the river, so I immediately picked up my spoon. Then I realised that the low table was too small for four adults, and that only three places had been set. I noticed a bowl and chopsticks placed on the floor in the kitchen area and saw that she had already sat down beside them. Before I could ask her to join us, she put a spoonful of rice into her mouth.

‘Come, let’s all eat together out here,’ Young-min called out. She lowered her eyes and turned away from us. North Korea is a patriarchal society, which went straight from feudal Confucianism to Kim dynastic rule. The plight of women becomes much worse the further north you venture from Pyongyang, and the cold and harsh climate only makes their domestic work harder. But to witness such an example of North Korean provincialism in a foreign land embarrassed me. Mr Shin sighed too, saying they needed to buy a bigger table.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.