Stars Between the Sun and Moon by Lucia Jang & Susan McClelland

Author:Lucia Jang & Susan McClelland [Jang, Lucia & McClelland, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781771620369
Publisher: D & M Publishers
Published: 2014-10-11T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

From the day our great father’s son, whom we called the General, emboldened us to take up the mantle of the Arduous March, we mustered our nerve, put aside our worries and dug in deep. We also started receiving information about the rest of the world over the radio and in our newspapers, learning that the ussr had become capitalist, driven by greedy oligarchs. We, the people of Chosun, the government told us, were susceptible to the same fate.

“There are black clouds on the horizon. Winds of temptation gush over us,” a radio broadcaster announced. “The capitalists want Chosun to fall.”

These words became part of a song that was played over and over on the radio and at marches held in Pyongyang in support of the Arduous March. Veterans of the Korean War came out into the streets wearing their uniforms. I watched on a neighbour’s black and white television set as they saluted while marching past the General. Kim Jong-il praised the soldiers’ absolute loyalty and said the veterans would lead the fight against the capitalists.

“If the Americans come, we will be ready,” people shouted in the streets.

A movie called Nation and Fate was released in the cinemas. The story was about North Koreans who lived abroad, travelling from one major city to another, only to realize that Chosun was the best place on earth for them. South Korean president Park Chung-hee was shown in the movie to illustrate the evils of capitalism. “Why would anyone want to hurt our dear leader? This leader of the puppet army in the south must be a horrible person,” I overheard people in the train station saying to each other.

Kim Jong-il continually told the people, via the Party, that things would get better. I believed him. But until they did, we had to survive.

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