It's That Friday Feeling.

Ok, so the last couple of weeks were a bit on the crap side. What with the perpetual state of tiredness as a result of the building work, the constant changes to my schedule, and some serious doubt on my part as to my teaching ability it’s probably safe to say Jo Teacher was not happy. This last week has changed all that around. On Friday last week I managed to get covered in bubble gum-ruining a perfectly good pair of work trousers and leaving me with very sticky shoes! The students found it hilarious, and their laughter was infectious. On the train to Seoul on Saturday I started speaking to someone who had previously taught in Hongseong-I explained apart from my apartment and the constant schedule crap I was having a great time in Korea, and I meant it. Perhaps one thing this experience has revealed about me is that I have a lot of patience-or maybe that I should get covered in bubble gum more often.

I haven’t had any formal teacher training. I have a TEFL certificate through i-2-i, which has been about as helpful as taking teaching tips from back of cereal boxes “Snap Crackle Pop.” As I have mentioned before the “Fun Fun English” books I teach from leave a lot to be desired and to say I am given free reign to teach what I want is an understatement. I could be teaching the kids German for all my hagwon knows. There is no curriculum, no lesson plans, no materials outside of the jumbled up flashcards and the text books, and no real understanding of how to teach the kids best. As long as I don’t finish the book too quickly it’s fine. The only feedback I have had was from the Elementary manager telling me to include more songs in my classes, which I kind of ignored. Some of my classes go well and the kids are coming along nicely, and others are like pulling out my own eyes with a blunt pencil. I am teaching myself how to teach, and hopefully I am not doing a completely terrible job. I guess it’s all part of the adventure. Here are a couple of funnies from this week.     

Yesterday, my Grade Four class aptly demonstrated the effects of the Nintendo DS on South Korea’s youth when I was greeted with a chorus of “Jo Teacher, Jo Teeeeacccchhhherrrrr.” It must show something about my classes if the kids can’t remember phonics but they can quote from their Nintendo DS. On Tuesday I had kicked eight of the students out of the class for not doing their homework, which left me briefly with the best three. So on Thursday I was delighted and amazed by the students and their sudden desire to communicate with me in English. I asked James what was wrong. He replied “Jo Teacher…..today is name changee….My name is Mario.” I went round and asked each student in turn “What is your name?” and instead of Eddie, Jerry, Tom, and Deon I was introduced to Luigi, Sonic, Wario and God. I “misheard” God as Goat though, much to the annoyance of Deon! Still, they were talking in English, one step at a time!

I was surprised in my one on one lessons when Sonia didn’t know who Kim Jong-il is, and Angela pointed to what she thought was South Korea on a map but what was in fact Florida. Still, I guess they are both peninsulas.

Today I went into my favourite Grade 5 class and Brady told me that he is Jo Teacher, and opened the class with my usual spiel of “How are you?” “How’s the weather?” and “What day is today?” (see the prop above!) So I must be making some impact!

My current project is Grade 4’s Thomas, who is probably the weakest student in his class. Every time he sees me he outstretches his hand and says “candy chuseyo”-thinking that he deserves candy for his use of one English word. If he can say a full sentence to me, maybe, just maybe he will get a piece of candy! 

Home Sweet Home

One giant box of giant peaches later and I have quit my Korean lessons. I get myself out of a stress making situation and yet I still find myself in the middle of one. It’s been a never-ending saga with my crap hole of an apartment and being woken up early everyday for the last two months by the building work outside and inside my apartment is driving me crazy. In my last post I said I wanted to avoid posting when I am in a bad mood-but I am tired and cranky, and in need of a good nights sleep, so I guess I will have to let that rule slide. Besides, there is a maintenance man behind me singing very badly in Korean, so I am allowed to be in a crappy mood.

When I arrived in Korea, I was told that my apartment wasn’t ready yet. Obviously my arrival date was a complete shock to the hagwon, what with my signed contract and all. So the first night was spent in a hotel, and the next day I was taken to my apartment. The hagwon kindly provided lots of household items, and after a good clean (the previous occupant had left behind a lifetime supply of dust and hair) I liked my apartment and its close proximity to the hagwon. It took a month to get connected to the internet and the shower leaked but it was “home” for the next year so I just accepted the flaws by occasionally moaning about them to my friends and family. Plus, I had air con, so at least on that side of things I was happy.

Then the problems started. My boiler broke down three times in as many months. In fact my first night in my apartment was one without hot water-my boiler made such a loud noise I honestly thought I was going to blow the building up. A new building is being constructed next to my block, and there seems to be no need for noise control or awareness of time. The slip road next to my block has been dug up many times now-normally at 7am with jack hammers that make the entire building vibrate. Before I went to Thailand, a gas pipe was installed running the length of my apartment. It wasn’t connected to anything until last week, over a month later. But I kept expecting my landlord to hammer on my door and finish the job. When the job was “finished” I was left with my old gas pipe and stove and an ugly crack in the wall. My television stopped getting a signal the same time they started installing the gas pipe, but when I showed my landlord he pretty much ignored me. I would tell someone at the hagwon, but to be honest I can’t be arsed with it at the moment. Besides, there are only so many times I can watch Narnia without wanting throw the TV out the window.

This week they have been replacing all the boilers in my apartment block. Obviously, with the temperament of my old boiler I welcome this, but the way in which it has been done borders on ridiculous. For starters, I had absolutely no idea this was going to happen. By now the landlord must be aware that my grasp on the Korean language is very limited (and yes I know that’s my fault not his) but a quick conversation with the hagwon, who could have passed a message on to me, would save a lot of time, confusion and frustration for all. For the last three days he has tried to let himself into my apartment and has been stumped by the fact I don’t leave my door wide open for him. Almost like a married couple, we have had the same morning chat for three mornings now.
Landlord (inspecting the door handle as though it’s some mythical creature) “Key, key……….Gas boiler……no key.”
Me (resigned tones, still asleep because it’s 7.30am and I don’t start work until 2pm): “Ok, ok…..”
So I get woken up a stupid o’clock in the morning. I wouldn’t mind this but the actual work they are doing doesn’t start until around three to five hours after I have been woken up. Plus it seems the work is done by a wide variety of different people, none of which can work together at the same time. Day one saw the old boiler removed. In fact all the boilers in the block were removed. On day two the new boiler was attached to the wall but not actually connected to any pipes. So far on day three the area around the boiler has been painted by the previously mentioned singing maintenance man. Surely, just hire the three workers to work at the same time, working a couple of apartments at a time.

Perhaps it’s irrational, but I can’t help but think that when my apartment was leased to the hagwon the amount of work that was planned should have been made known. I know that I am getting accommodation rent free, but a tired and cranky Jo does not a good Jo Teacher make.

Mood Walking.

No jokes about how teaching is an uphill struggle!

I try not to blog when I am in a bad mood, I worry that I might say something I will later regret. Plus, while it might help me release some of my frustration, I would run the risk of turning my blog into one big miserable rant about my experience in South Korea. Since 75% of the time is great it would be a shame to focus too much on the annoyances and disappointments. But it is still necessary to mention them, so at the very least I can read this back in ten years time and berate myself for getting worked up so easily.

One important lesson I learnt at university was that a good walk can clear your head much better than any drink (I am thinking of the alcoholic variety) and of course a walk is a lot healthier for you. Ok, so tonight my stroll led me to a bakery and to some blueberry muffins, but my night time wanderings also gave me time to think.

This past month or so has been blighted by constant schedule changes and lately lots of stitch-ups by my Korean teacher. The latest occurred today and is the final nail in my coffin of rage. As I mentioned in my last entry, Christina spoke to me during my last Korean lesson about the extra one-on-one classes she has set up for me. She suggested I teach 40 minute lessons rather than 30 minute ones to make up for the fact I am not teaching them on Fridays. I countered that time wise that wasn’t feasible and I kept calm about the fact she hadn’t been straight with me over it being three lessons a day rather than one. Today Angela tells me Christina had told her I would be teaching 40 minute lessons from now onwards. Sure, I have been tired lately, but I am fairly certain I haven’t been falling asleep and holding conversations I have no recollection of. Unless someone is spiking the Kimchi…..

So rather than heading to the pharmacy, which Christina owns with her husband, I decided to go for a walk to calm myself down. It was very effective, and no one got angrily shouted at in the process. There was an elderly Korean gentleman sat on a bench singing loudly, but he seemed quite happy to be honest, and he was surrounded by a couple of empty Soju bottles. Ultimately, I have decided that it’s time to put an end to the Korean lessons. While I still want to learn more Korean, they have become more trouble then they are worth and I don’t want to have a major falling out with Christina. Despite the stitch-ups and the confusions I do like her as a person and I would hate that to change. But it seems a bit pointless holding conversations with me and doing the complete opposite to what I have agreed to. Hopefully, this decision should put a stop to that, and not having the lessons should give me more time to make corrections to the text books I am expected to teach from!

Lost in Translation.

As with any experience, foreign or otherwise, you have to be ready for the good times and the bad times. You can’t have one without the other, unless you live in a movie or you are heavily drugged. If I enjoyed this journey too much I would be worried that someone had spiked the kimchi.

When I was eating dinner in the canteen today with a conversation occurring around me about someone called “Jo Teacher” I was pretty certain the kimchi was clean. No one made any attempt to translate what was being said, and since they weren’t talking about my hygiene levels I had no idea what was going on. I should point out that the only Elementary/ Middle School co-teacher who speaks to me is Fely who is originally from the Philippines and married to a Korean. It may explain why schedule changes are so last minute-just hand me a new schedule 10 seconds before it starts and I can’t kick up a fuss. Obviously, my situation would have been made a lot easier if I had learnt Korean before coming out here, but I did naively hope I would have a co-teacher on hand to help me with any problems. Fely does help but no one seems to have cottoned on to the idea of getting her to tell me important things rather than expecting me to instinctively know for instance that tomorrow the classes will start earlier.

Matters weren’t helped by my Korean teacher, Christina, neglecting to mention I would be expected to teach some returning students on a one-to-one basis, which means three extra lessons a day. When I agreed to what I thought would be one extra lesson a day I said that I would be willing to teach the students Monday to Thursday. Today she wanted to know why I couldn’t teach them on Fridays too…..largely because I want to travel and also because I have enough classes already thanks. She had already got me into hot water by talking to Mr Song (my director) about the lessons, which unbeknown to me I was originally going to get paid for privately. I am not allowed to teach private lessons-it wouldn’t go down very well with my alien status or my director. I just don’t like the loss of control over my life and the fact saying yes to one thing seems to result in me doing something completely different.

Being “lost in translation” of course has its fun side, and a small task like buying a bus ticket can feel like a huge accomplishment after a couple of minutes of embarrassed smiles and broken phrases. (In my case, never reaching the intended destination and ending up in the middle of nowhere-priceless!) Attempts at conversations with the GS25 (a local shop) manager and the guy who runs the coffee shop in the town centre are sure ways to make me smile inside and out. A couple of Korean teachers from another Hagwon had a chat with me while I sipped my caramel latte the other day and were just really friendly and lovely. Of course having a small child follow you around a shop pointing at you and shouting Miguk saram (American person), not so much. You get the idea though, it’s all about ups and downs and acknowledging that my Korean co-workers do not represent an accurate show case for Koreans in general.

An interlude in my Korean adventure-A week in Thailand.

My trip to Thailand couldn’t have come at a better time to be honest. My first three months in South Korea were incredible, but the constant schedule changes, the unannounced building work to my apartment and the inability of my boiler to sustain a month without breaking down had worn me out and left me feeling quite frustrated and fed up with the whole experience. In short, I needed to get out of South Korea and get out of the situation before I lost all motivation and drive, started teaching the kids French, and smeared the front door with superglue so the moment my landlord started hammering on it his hand would get stuck. Not only did I have an amazing and hilarious time, I also came to realise how fond I have become of Korea despite all the challenges, and how lucky I am to have such great friends, including the great ones I have made here.

I met up with the fabulous Sarah (honestly can’t thank you enough mate for such an excellent time! Suffice to say love ya Bitchmeister!), her wonderful mates Heidi and Tara (thanks for letting me gatecrash, you girls are awesome!), and Olly (nice necklace!) a fellow Brit they had met on their travels.

I was in Thailand from 5-10 August and we spent most of the time in Bangkok, with a day trip to Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand. We stayed near Khaosan Road, which seemed to be some kind of backpackers Mecca. It was very strange being surrounded by so many non-Korean faces everywhere I looked after three months of being a very small minority in Hongseong. The sight of the Thai language was weird after conquering Hangul, but one of the biggest shocks was the level of English-even the sleazy guys who grabbed you without warning and whispered “ping-pong show” like it was some magical drug could communicate in English-something I have only really experienced a handful of times in Korea.

The trip was characterised as such:
o On the cultural side-lots of Buddha statues, temples and pagodas. We also made it to the Grand Palace (after several Thais gave us conflicting directions and information about its whereabouts and whether it was open or not-it was. This was a lot like Korean signs “Temple in 400M”, turn a corner “Temple in 300M”) When we were at the Grand Palace we missed out on the famous Emerald Buddha because we were having too much fun laughing at the shirt Heidi had to wear to cover her shoulders. Good times!
o On the wildlife side-elephants, wild dogs (who according to our tour guide worked for the FBI and KGB-though looked more to be procreating rather than spying), roosters, and of course mosquitoes.
o On the transport side-Tuk-Tuks. “Just two stops, you want to drive?” Madness, the five of us cramped in a space made for three, clinging on to anything as the driver weaves through traffic, turning to face you and ask you where you are from. Then the awkwardness when you stop at a tailor, jewellery or travel shop so the driver can get free gas. Still I did buy two beautiful rings, and it was “funny” when we discovered that the air conditioned taxis were cheaper and much more comfortable.
o On the food side-British food-though I also had a Green Curry which was delicious. I was introduced to a café called “Oh My Cod” which served all manner of British cuisine-I really enjoyed tucking into a sausage and egg baguette while watching BBC World News, it was strangely comforting.

We went to a ping pong show, and it just felt so awkward and nasty to be honest, especially when the scary bouncer ladies in long black coats stood behind us and tried to rip up off. Sparklers should come with a label-not for internal use. Me, Sarah and Olly went for an oil massage, and who would have thought being nearly naked in a mattress filled room with a bunch of strangers could be so funny.

Bizarrely, one night I had a real craving for Gimbap, and I was excited when I saw things in Hangul-there was a Korean restaurant near our guesthouse Romanised as Dong Dea Moon (should have been Dongdaemun after the East Gate in Seoul! Hark at me making corrections!) When I was back in Korea the familiarity of it all was nice, I didn’t even mind the old Korean lady trying to actually stand in my shoes on the subway back to Yongsan. I didn’t get a seat on the train back to Hongseong so I crashed on my backpack in the café car, and a woman called Cho told me I “have good English pronunciation skills”-which was quite a relief. The train conductor took pity on me and found me a seat, all in all I came back to Korea in a much better mood than I had left it in.

But I just wanted to say a massive thanks to Sarah, Heidi, Tara and Olly for giving me some very funny memories, and a fantastic time.

Also, readers, can you please comment on my blog? So I can get some feedback, see who’s reading it and just because I miss you all!

Random Observations of Korea (ROK) part 2.

Ok, before I blog about Thailand I just wanted to write a bit more about my observations of Korea and also mention some more of the kids and some of the crazy and hilarious things that come out of their mouths!

I was walking to the train station today to buy tickets for my trip to Gwangju and during the twenty minutes walk I was reminded of some of the things I love, hate and just don’t understand about Korea. (I realise that some of these things apply to other countries too, I don’t mean to generalise they are just my observations.)

Love: At the start of the main road leading up to the train station there is always a gaggle of old Korean women selling various fruits and vegetables along the pavement. It is a proper little community and reminds me of farmer markets back home. I love knowing that the money is going to the person who made the product rather than a faceless corporation that packages carrots to within an inch of their very being just for the sake of being wasteful. Although talking of wastefulness, I have noticed that many things in Korea are overly packaged. There is a huge emphasis on recycling though, and it’s very common to see often retired men pushing ox carts down the street laden with cardboard they have collected.

Hate: Spitting. No exaggeration, I heard/saw 6 men hawking up the contents of their throat and spitting it out onto the street on my little walk. I probably would have less of a problem with the whole concept if it didn’t come with sound effects. Even some women are comfortable with “hhuuucckkkk”ing up their lungs and plopping the contents onto the street, into the bathroom sink etc. Every morning I am regaled with a chorus of various throat noises-I spent my first couple of weeks searching around the apartment for what sounded like a dying animal. Yet, it’s considered rude to blow your nose at the dinner table! In a country where 90% of the food (if you exclude the rice) is spicy!? When I hear the hocking sound though, I can’t help but shudder to my very core. Surely it would be better for people to stop eating/smoking what’s making them need to splatter the pavement with phlegm.

Just don’t understand: This woman I saw might just have been the village odd job-but she was carrying two umbrellas. (No, I am not obsessed with umbrellas honest!) One was up to protect her from the sun, and the other she was just carrying…either she’s just extra cautious, or well I don’t know. It’s similar to the river power walkers who feel the need to wear visors at 9 o’clock at night!

Ok on to the kids, so today I realised that I was being a tad bit too ambitious when I expected my grade 4 class (11 in Korean age, 10 in Western) to spell 3 letter words. This was even with me prompting them with phonics and at one point gesturing frantically at the board where I had written the alphabet. “Number one, pig…..P I G.” Still I have identified a very crucial problem and in my next lesson I will start trying to remedy it. Deon and Joo-Joo kept wanting me to call “sleepy” as a word, so to give them a bonus point I called number 16: “Sleepy” Deon slept it “sleey” and Joo-Joo yelled at me for “help.” Repeat to myself three time, “they are not beyond help, they are not beyond help…..”

I had to give Grade 3’s cute little Cathy a bear hug today. Fely and me conducted question time with the kids-how are you? How’s the weather? And so on. When Cathy was asked “how are you?” she responded in Korean, Fely translated it as “lonely.” Bless her, as she was leaving I gave a hug and it seemed to cheer her up. Despite some very loud tantrums (she’s probably a Korean version of me!) she’s on my list of kids I want to smuggle home in my suitcase!

Grade one provide the most giggles though. I was teaching them occupations the other day, and I sincerely hope that if my house is ever on fire I am saved by a “fire dryer.” Joyce tried to convince me her older brother (Jerry from Grade 3) is a pack-horse, when I asked her what he does-“Is Jerry a doctor?” “NOOOO.”  “Is Jerry a student?” “Nooooo.” Grabbing my phone, which has an English-Korean/ Korean-English Dictionary she frantically typed away producing “pack horse” with a very smug look on her face. It’s incredibly cute though when the girls get concerned if I am not wearing my glasses. They certainly make my time at the Hagwon very entertaining.

I must be doing something right too, because some of the Middle School students I used to teach have requested me back as their teacher. Jo Teacher indeed!   

Four Months-Has Jo Teacher been broken in?

Ok, I know what you are all thinking. “Alright Jo, enough of the history/current affairs lectures!” Don’t worry, I shall return to making random observations and recapping funny little stories about getting lost in translation in Korea.

I am now four months into my Korean adventure and it turned out that my umbrella wasn’t as sturdy as I initially thought. No that’s not a metaphor, my umbrella just fell apart so I had to throw it away, and the new one packed up a couple of weeks after I brought it. In a country where umbrellas are used come rain or shine, you’d think they would be built not to break the moment they are touched by, oh lets say, rain. Still, on the bright side, my boiler has been fine this month and I can have hot showers!

One thing I have learnt to appreciate (there is a long list of things) about South Korea is the fact it’s an incredibly safe place if you don’t take into consideration its northern neighbour. I am talking about the violent crime rate, or the lack thereof. When I am walking around alone late at night I don’t feel threatened, even when I am about to walk through a small crowd of sojued up old businessmen-on a weekday no less! Walking home along the river after my Korean lesson at around 10pm I often see young children seemingly without adult supervision. At the start of August a gas pipe was installed in my apartment. While the work was being done I was required to leave my flat unlocked when I went to the Hagwon, and aside from the ugly cracks in one of the walls my flat was how I left it when I returned. The gas pipe as yet hasn’t been connected to anything, and my landlord occasionally pops round at 7 in morning just to wake me up, shout at me in the Korean and point at the pipe, but that’s another story. I guess it’s just refreshing not constantly reading about so-called gang and knife culture.

Of course there have been schedule changes galore, and I am now flying solo with Grade 3 (12 kids) and Grade 4 (as of today 14 kids-new addition Deon). Both grades have a set of Tom and Jerry’s, and Grade 4 has a girl called Joo-Joo who for some reason feels the need to mount me from behind every time she sees me. Grade 3 has a little gem called Yarn (I have absolutely no idea why she’s called that!) who isn’t arrogant like some of the brighter boys. Grade 4 are having difficulty grasping the fact I don’t speak enough Korean to understand them, but once they get bored of trying to explain something to me I am greeted with a chorus of “Are you crazy?”s followed by hysterical laughter when I respond “Yes, I am.” Well, it does help. Grade 3 are much cuter, more cheeky than naughty, and really fun to teach, except when it comes to games-honestly, the competitive nature of these kids is frightening. In one class, three of the girls burst into tears when they got an answer wrong and no amounts of “It’s ok, don’t worry” helped. I just wish they could break the classes down a little bit, because some of the weaker children would really benefit from a smaller, calmer environment. One of my lovely Grade One girls has left (Jane), but as a result Joyce has become more chilled out-swings and roundabouts. I was apprehensive about Christian (“How are you?” parrot boy) being moved up to the top set of Grade Five, but apparently being the weakest in the class has a real affect on a child-he was so polite and tried so hard today that I had to stop myself looking for switch-robot kids! I must have reached a level of acceptance now because the constant change is no longer getting a rant out of me anymore-I’ve been broken in it seems! However, I was reminded that I worked in a “run for profit” organisation when Fely told me there is talk of kicking Henry out of the Hagwon. Henry is one of the Grade 2 boys who’s finding English difficult, he really sweet and unassuming though, unlike some of the older kids who act out when they don’t understand. Apparently, he’s not doing well in any of his subjects, “he’s too stupid” (not my words) for the Hagwon.

I have had a month of Korean lessons now, but I am under no illusions that I am any good. I can understand the odd phrase, and I am getting really good at guessing what questions are being asked of me (Where are you from? Are you a student? Etc), but really I need to find an outlet outside of my Korean lesson to practice. Obviously it would be detrimental and unhelpful to try out my Korean in classes. With regards to my Korean co-workers I would get more conversation out of a gaggle of mime artists. But I am trying, and hopefully I will meet someone who’s happy to listen to me buggering up their first tongue! I have no fears about “losing face”-did you read my response to “Are you crazy?” Just to show off, I am nothing but honest, here are a couple of phrases I have mastered!

나는 매일 머리를 감아요 – I wash my hair everyday. (I might meet some really interesting in my personal hygiene levels-the sentence structure-I everyday my hair wash.)

나는 귀여워요 – I am cute. Apparently! Just by being a Westerner I am told I have a cute face, which is always nice!

I realise the two phrases above could both be part of some online dating profile. Why I feel the need to rain on my own parade is beyond me-especially when I don’t have a functioning umbrella!

I wanted my four month reflections to be about Korea, but next time I will blog about my adventures in Thailand-and explain how the trip made me realise how fond I had grown of South Korea-and also how glad I was to meet up with a familiar face.

The North-South Divide.

It’s not the best picture in the world, but above is a picture of The Statue of Brothers from the Seoul War Memorial of Korea. In my defence though it was a really sunny day, and I never claimed to be the new David Bailey!

Here is the text describing the statue.

"The Statue of Brothers is an 18 meter wide and 11-meter high symbol of the Korean War. It consists of the upper part, lower part and inner part. The upper part of the statue depicts a scene where a family's older brother, an ROK officer, and his younger brother, a North Korean soldier, meet in a battlefield and express reconciliation, love, and forgiveness. The lower tomb-shaped dome was built with pieces of granite collected from nationwide locations symbolizing the sacrifices made by our patriots. The crack in the dome stands for the division of Korea and the hope for reunificiation. Objects inside the dome include a mosaic wall painting that expresses the spirit of the Korean people to overcome the national tragedy and a map plate of the 16 UN Allied Nations that dispatched troops to the war. The links of iron chain on the ceiling signify the unbreakable bonds of a unified Korea."

When I was preparing to come to the Republic of Korea (South Korea) I would just say I was going to Korea when people asked where I was going. I got asked a number of times-notably by the nurse giving me my vaccinations and the Post Office clerk sorting out my currency-“North or South?” To think, I get annoyed when Americans, and even my fellow Brits, can’t tell where I am from-add “Oh, you’re from Australia right?” to my list! I just wanted to provide some information to explain why I am not in North Korea.

North Korea or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is still under Communist rule, and as well as having one of the most oppressive regimes in the world, the nation also has nuclear capabilities, and a completely ruined economy. It has been estimated that up to two million people have died in North Korea since the mid-1990s due to famines caused by natural disasters and economic mismanagement. On top of this, the country relies on foreign aid to feed millions of its people. This aid comes from China, America and even South Korea, not that the people of North Korea are made aware of this. Kim Jong-il’s totalitarian state has also been accused of systematic human rights abuses. Reports of torture, public executions, slave labour, and forced abortions and infanticides in prison camps have emerged in recent years and a US-based rights group has estimated that there are up to 200,000 political prisoners in North Korea (0.85% of the population). There is no press freedom in North Korea, with government stations constantly pumping out propaganda, largely anti American in tone. The propaganda also displays South Korea as a puppet of the United States. Plus, to sustain faith in the Communist regime a cult of personality has been built up around Kim Jong-il, and no mention is made of the economic hardships and famine.

With the stark divide between the two halves of Korea it’s impossible to tell if there will be a Berlin Wall moment any time soon, particularly since North Korea has recently stopped its nuclear disabling. As part of the six party deal reached in February 2007, North Korea said it would scrap its nuclear ambitions in exchange for aid and diplomatic concessions. In June 2008 North Korea provided a list of its nuclear capabilities and began the dismantling of its nuclear programmes. Part of the deal was that the U.S. would remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. Unable to verify whether or not the North Korean report is accurate due to the secretive nature of the Communist regime has left the United States with no real choice but to keep North Korea on the list. But the truth of the matter remains, children in North Korea face a bleak future of malnutrition and famine, and families torn apart by the Korean War in the 1950s won’t be having a “Statue of Brothers” moment for a long time.

For more information, see the BBC, Guardian and Amnesty International websites.