CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
DEDICATION
A NOTE ON THE KOREAN ALPHABET, ROMANIZATION, AND PRONUNCIATION
CHOSUN TOURS WELCOMES YOU TO NORTH KOREA!
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
EPILOGUE
IM KWANG-SOO
AUTHOR’S NOTE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
COPYRIGHT
FOR THE PEOPLE OF NORTH KOREA
Both North and South Korea use hangul, which means “Korean letters,” a highly accessible phonetic system created in the fifteenth century for spoken Korean. Hangul is sometimes referred to as the most perfect alphabet in the world, with twenty-four letters you can see on the facing page.
These letters are combined into blocks of syllables to form words, so, for example, Mia’s Korean name, Han Sung-mi, would be written as: . Korean vowel sounds are soft, as in Spanish, where a (├) = ah, as in father; u (┤) = uh as in sun; oo () = long u, as in woo; and i (|) = ee, as in prima.
Representing those sounds consistently in English, however, poses a number of challenges. For instance, South and North Korea currently use two different romanization systems. (North Korean spellings of Pyongyang, Kim Il-sung, and Kim Jong-un, if written using the current South Korean system, would become Pyeongyang, Kim Il-seong, and Kim Jeong-eun.) And because the sounds of English vowels can change by the word (consider the a sounds in father, fame, and fat), there’s no immediately recognizable, accurate, and wholly consistent way to render the pronunciation of Korean in English spelling.
For the purposes of this novel, then, I have chosen to reproduce Korean words and phrases with the spelling that most closely represents the actual pronunciation, to make it easy and consistent for young readers, many of whom won’t speak Korean. (This spelling usually resembles how it would be written using the North Korean romanization system.) For ease of deciphering, I’ve used hyphens between the syllables of an individual word or phrase, and between the two syllables of a given name. Korean words and phrases appear in italics only when they are spoken by someone for whom Korean is a foreign language.
In this guide, you’ll find some basic information about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and a list of guidelines to help ensure that your journey will be safe and rewarding. The DPRK is known as the most isolated country on earth, and tourists are allowed into the country only on state-approved visits directed by official North Korean guides. Please follow all rules, as the consequences for disobedience can be severe.
1392–1905
The peninsula is ruled for 500 years by the Chosun Dynasty, isolated by geography and interacting primarily with its neighbors, China and Japan.
In the 1800s, ships begin to arrive from the West. The kingdom of Chosun is gradually forced to open its ports to traders, missionaries, and diplomats.
1905–1945
Japan seizes Korea as a protectorate, then colonizes the peninsula by force.
Many Koreans fight for independence throughout this period.
1945
At the end of World War II, Japan is forced to surrender territory it seized, including Korea. Without consulting Korean citizens, the United States and the Soviet Union agree on what was meant to be a temporary solution: a “joint occupation,” dividing the peninsula along the 38th parallel.
The US installs Rhee Syngman to lead the newly formed Republic of Korea (ROK) in the south. The Soviet Union chooses Kim Il-sung, an anti-Japanese guerrilla fighter, to head the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the north.
1950s
The Korean War breaks out on June 25, 1950, when 75,000 North Korean troops cross the 38th parallel, intent on reunifying Korea by force. North Korea claims that the US and South Korea invaded the north.
US and United Nations forces fight alongside the South Korean army. The Soviet Union and later China send troops to support North Korea. The US drops more bombs on North Korea than it did on either Germany or Japan in World War II.
Huge numbers of refugees flee south.
After terrible losses, the conflict for control of the peninsula ends in an armistice in 1953. The Korean War has never officially ended, as a peace treaty has never been signed.
The division of Korea becomes permanent, with a heavily guarded border between the two countries known as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Families are separated, with members trapped on both sides, unable to reunite.
Both new nations struggle to rebuild in the aftermath of war.
1960s
Thanks to aid from China and the Soviet Union, North Korea’s postwar standard of living improves faster than South Korea’s.
1970s
North Korea’s growth slows dramatically. Meanwhile, South Korea’s economy takes off with aid from the US and Japan.
1980s
As North Korea continues to stagnate, South Korea’s economy booms as it prepares for the 1988 Summer Olympics, on its way to becoming one of the world’s industrial superpowers.
1990s
During a devastating famine in the north, as many as one to three million North Koreans die of starvation. Causes include the collapse of the Soviet Union, the end of Soviet aid, lack of fuel, economic mismanagement, international sanctions, isolation, droughts, and floods.
Partly as a response to South Korea’s growing economic power, North Korea begins to develop a nuclear bomb.
In 1994, the DPRK is shocked by the sudden death of President Kim Il-sung, the “Great Leader.” After three years of mourning, his son, Kim Jong-il, the “Dear Leader,” officially takes power.
2000s & 2010s
Economic conditions improve, but famines recur.
The threat of nuclear weapons development keeps North Korea in the news worldwide.
At the death of Kim Jong-il in 2011, leadership passes to his son, Kim Jong-un, the “Grand Marshall,” aged twenty-eight.
The DPRK, a nation of 25 million people, describes itself as a socialist paradise, where the state claims to provide for all the needs of the people: housing, education, jobs, clothing, and food. In reality, everything is controlled by a king-like Supreme Leader and a group of advisors. The smallest sign of criticism or rebellion against the Leader is punished. Citizens are taught that the US is an arch-enemy, ready to make war on the DPRK and controlling South Korean politics.
Framed portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il are found in every building, office, subway car, and family home. Monitors check to make sure that they are cleaned regularly, with a special cloth reserved for this purpose.
Every adult citizen is required to wear a badge with a portrait of the Great Leader, the Dear Leader, or the national flag pinned over their heart. Foreigners are not allowed to wear these badges.
The capitol of Pyongyang is an international city with skyscrapers, amusement parks, and glittering tourist hotels. Some residents are members of the elite classes and enjoy a lifestyle of relative ease and plenty, with children attending fine schools and colleges. Many Nor
th Koreans have approved mobile phones that use a domestic cellular network, but they can’t access international networks or browse the Internet.
Several hundred foreign diplomats, aid workers, investors, businessmen, teachers, and students live in Pyongyang, and approximately 5,000 foreigners visit per year, mostly on state-controlled tours through the capital and to approved sites in other parts of the country.
Outside of Pyongyang, especially in the northeast corner of the country, life is often far more challenging. Food shortages and hunger are prevalent. The children’s welfare organization UNICEF estimates that 45 percent of children are affected by malnutrition, which can lead to stunted growth. The breakdown of the food distribution system in the 1990s and resulting famines taught many people they had to rely on themselves in order to survive. There are now many independent vendors and markets, often outside of government control. The average North Korean now survives by offering goods or services for sale.
Every day people try to escape over the Yalu/Amnok and Tumen rivers between North Korea and China. Some 200,000 escapees are said to be in hiding in China, at least 30,000 have fled to South Korea, and others have sought refuge in countries around the world, including more than 200 in the United States.
Citizens who are considered disloyal — especially those who are not wealthy or connected enough to bribe someone — can be sent, without fair trial, to one of three types of brutal camps, sometimes with their entire families: labor training centers, for manual labor and many hours of political indoctrination, for six months to several years; reeducation camps, where inmates perform forced labor for years, with the possibility of release; and “total control zone” prison camps, where inmates perform slave labor and from which no one is released. Though the North Korean government denies they exist, it’s estimated that as many as 150,000 people are held in four massive total control zone camps.
Both North and South Koreans think of their own nation as the rightful government of the peninsula, and many on both sides — as well as Koreans all over the world — long for the reunification of Korea.
Stay with your group. Do not go anywhere outside of the hotel without a guide, especially late at night.
Obey all instructions from your guides and other officials.
Only take photographs when given permission. If you don’t follow directions, photographs could be deleted or your camera seized.
Until 2013, all cell phones of international travelers were confiscated at the airport. Recently, tourists have been allowed to keep their cell phones and, with an added SIM card, to text and make international calls, but this can change at any time.
The DPRK prefers that foreigners use euros, dollars, Japanese yen, or Chinese yuan for currency.
Though there are continuing rumors of electronic surveillance in tourist hotel rooms, these reports have not been confirmed.
Don’t bring up or argue politics. Even casual conversation that is deemed inappropriate could result in negative consequences for you and your guides. In severe cases, foreign travelers have been expelled or even arrested.
Show respect for North Korea’s leaders, policies, ideology, and customs.
We are guests here, and compliance with these conditions is the price of being one of the tiny number of foreigners allowed to travel within the DPRK.
OCTOBER 1
The scraping of a door jolted Mia from sleep.
Click. The door of the next room closed. Dad and Simon’s room.
She reached for her watch and pressed the button to light it. 12:21 a.m.
Mia slipped from her bed to the door, cracking it open without a sound. It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the corridor’s dim light. A dark form crept along, halfway down the hotel hallway. She squinted, trying to focus. It looked like … Dad?
She started to call out, then caught herself. Her father was moving funny, a little hunched over. He was sneaking down the corridor like he didn’t want anyone to see or hear him. It was Dad, wasn’t it? Yes, there was his old brown corduroy jacket as he passed under a lamp. He disappeared through the door that led to the stairway.
The stairs? Their rooms were on the fifteenth floor.
She stepped back, pulled her door closed, and leaned against it, tugging on her lip. Her skin had that prickly feeling — here comes trouble.
It didn’t make any sense for Dad to sneak around the hotel in the middle of the night. They were here on vacation. Dad was just showing them the country where he sometimes worked. But even if he’d been on a work trip, she couldn’t imagine that would involve prowling around the hotel at 12:21 a.m.
She could knock on their door and try to wake up Simon. No, that was hopeless. He was taking sleeping pills to get over jet lag. If she did manage to wake him up, he’d just yell at her, then turn over and go back to sleep. She wished Mom were here, sharing the room with Mia as planned.
Maybe Dad was just going down to the lobby for a drink. If she followed, she could sit with him and talk like they did at home sometimes, just the two of them in the dark.
She grabbed a sweatshirt from her open suitcase, yanked it on over her pajamas, and wedged her feet into her sneakers. Grabbing her room key from the bedside table, she eased the door open again, slipped through, and carefully, carefully, let it close behind her.
She looked both ways down the hotel corridor before darting to the elevator…. But Dad had used the stairs. If he was trying to be quiet, she wouldn’t be helping by activating the lights, sounds, and movement of the elevator.
She opened the stairway door and slipped inside. A dark tunnel plummeted down, down, down, with only occasional pinpricks of light. Clearly, the hotel did not expect their guests to creep down the stairs before dawn. Mia grabbed hold of the railing so she wouldn’t miss a step in the gloom.
Maybe Dad was just going to take a walk. He was having a harder time with jet lag than Simon and Mia — because he was older, he said — even though they’d stopped in Beijing for three nights on the way, and even though he took trips like this all the time. He might have gone to get some fresh air.
But he couldn’t just walk out of the hotel; that was one of the things on the tour company’s What Not to Do list. She kept coming back to how Dad had looked. As if he didn’t want anybody to know he was in the hall.
Nighttime activities that had to be hidden seemed even more dangerous.
She started down again. She hadn’t thought to count the floors when she began; had she passed by four landings or five? She realized now that she had no way of knowing if Dad had just gone to another floor, to someone else’s room.
She stopped again. Maybe she should just turn around and go back to her room. But she didn’t know what floor she was on, so she couldn’t count her way back up to the fifteenth. They must have been marked with numbers somewhere, but it was really hard to see in the dark.
This was all a terrible idea. She never did stuff like this, jumping in without a plan. Her brother was the one who acted first, thought later. Mia was careful. And right now, here, stuck in a dark stairwell in a strange hotel in a foreign country, she couldn’t think of a better plan than being wherever Dad was. She might as well find him.
It seemed as if she had been moving endlessly downward when she noticed she could see a little better. The light was gradually increasing in the stairwell. The door on the landing below her had a glowing window. It must be the lobby.
Mia stood on tiptoes to peer through the glass in the door. All the glittery chandeliers were turned off. The wide room was lit by only a few lamps attached to pillars. The part she could see looked deserted.
She pushed open the heavy door and slipped through, stepping into the shadow of a pillar to scan the area. Down a far corridor, lights and faint music came from the hotel bar. But no one was in sight in the open lobby area, except a clerk behind the reception desk, who was bent over some work, not looking in her direction.
Okay, Mia, now what? She’d gotten all the way down
here, but she didn’t actually have a plan. Except to be where Dad was. To make herself feel safer. And — somehow — to keep him safe. That seemed kind of ridiculous now.
To her left, a huge framed painting hung on the wall. Kim Il-sung, standing with his son, Kim Jong-il, on top of a mountain. The first two dictators of North Korea, both dead now. Though most of the lobby was darkened, a spotlight was directed on the painting, illuminating the faces of the two men. They were smiling, but here in the hotel lobby in the middle of the night, it felt to Mia as if they were watching her.
Mia shivered. The idea of being watched made her want to crawl into a hole. And if people were observing her, then if what Dad was doing was secret, she might actually put him in danger. But she couldn’t stand the idea of going back to her room without finding him. She pressed herself against the pillar, paralyzed with indecision, for long minutes.
Then she heard a door opening. Mia swiveled around the side of the pillar in time to see two figures moving through a side door leading into the lobby. As they passed near one of the lamps, she saw it was her father, with a Korean man. Dad had been outside! But he was safe for now, and the two men were coming in her direction. She had to disappear, fast. She lurched for the door to the stairwell and fled upward. She took the stairs two by two, remembering to count floors this time, until she had to stop to catch her breath.
A door closed below her. She kept moving again, as fast as she could pull herself up, step after step after step. Fifth floor, seventh floor, tenth floor. She was dragging now, but she had to beat her father back to their rooms. That other man could still be with him. Or Dad might be alone, but she didn’t want him to know that she’d followed him when it seemed clear he hadn’t wanted to be seen.
Gasping, thighs burning, she finally reached the fifteenth floor. She yanked open the door with what felt like her last strength and jogged down the corridor to her room.
In the Shadow of the Sun Page 1
