The taste of freedom

MANILA, Philippines - History is the witness that testifies to the endless conflict between North and South Korea. Just a few months ago, the media were flooded with reports about North Korea’s alarming declaration of “state of war” with their peninsula brothers. This appalling issue piqued my interest so I delved into it and stumbled upon Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West by Blaine Harden.

Little did I know that turning the first page would significantly change how I view the world and how I value life.

This is the harrowing tale of the life of Shin Dong-Hyuk, the only person known to have been born in and escape from North Korea’s toughest and most brutal gulag or prison camp, Camp 14.

Shin’s first memory as a child is that of an execution. He, together with the people in Camp 14, sees it natural to be executed as punishment for breaking rules. They have 10 camp rules to follow, the “Ten Commandments,” as Shin later called them. On account of the harshness suffered by those in Camp 14, one might think that all of the people held captive there committed some grave or unforgivable crimes; however, this is not the case. If someone commits a crime and is taken to the camp, that person’s family goes with him along with three generations thereafter. The crime Shin Dong Hyuk’s father had committed was being the brother of two men who committed treason. Shin’s crime was being the son of his father.

Camp 14 is known for its brutality. The guards maintaining it seem to have an almost complete license to abuse and rape prisoners. They beat prisoners to death or let them work in harsh and inhuman conditions. When Shin accidentally breaks a sewing machine, they cut off a portion of his middle finger. They torture him for a confession as they suspend him from a hook while hanging over a fire.

One of the daily problems people battle in Camp 14 is hunger. For the first 23 years of his life, Shin ate only corn porridge, pickled cabbage, and cabbage soup. When he was six years old, his teacher discovered five kernels of corn in his classmate’s pocket. The girl was beaten to death. Shin felt no pity. To combat hunger, Shin tries different unimaginable ways. He even searches through cow dung for undigested kernels of corn. His happiest childhood memories are when his belly was full after eating roasted rats.

Inside the Camp, neither love nor family are words with meaning. Shin calls his parents “father” and “mother” just because he thinks that those are the proper terms to call them. There are no strings attached. He sees them as competition for survival. In order to have extra food rations, Shin snitches to the guards the plan of his mother and brother to leave the camp. This results in their public execution. As Shin watches them struggle, he thinks to himself that they deserve it.

Shin does not know of life beyond the high-voltage barbed-wire fence. He has not tasted any food other than the usual corn and cabbage. However, this changes when he meets Park Yong Chul. Park tells Shin stories about life outside the Camp. Shin’s favorite is the different varieties of meat like chicken, pork, and beef. Although freedom, in Shin’s mind, equates to meat, for the first time in his life, he wants to have a taste of freedom. With hunger as his driving force, Shin succeeds in escaping.

Escape from Camp 14 was written mainly to raise people’s awareness regarding the lives of people confined in prison camps in North Korea. It very well serves its purpose. I knew there are prison camps in North Korea but I was very much surprised by the severity and torture the prisoners are experiencing.

I would not say that I enjoyed the book but I could say that it is worth the read. Every time I turned a page, every moment I read a word, my heart was burdened by this inconceivable reality. It seems like the story was directly taken from George Orwell’s 1984. It is a real-life dystopia. It is a nightmare turned into reality.

Shin might not have felt pity when his mother and brother were executed or when his classmate was beaten to death. However, we cannot blame him for that. Like his mother and brother, he is also a victim himself. They were products of a system where they were raised not to feel any compassion.

After reading Shin’s biography, I feel blessed that I am living in the Philippines. I can say that I am lucky because I have tasted meat and rice. I am fortunate because I know the meaning of love and family. As normal citizens, the least we could do for all those people still imprisoned in North Korea’s gulags is to include them in our prayers and hope that one day they could also one day taste chicken, pork and beef.

THIS WEEK’S WINNER

Aprille Mae Kaye Valentin, 22, loves reading books about dystopia, young adult, nonfiction, sci-fi, and mystery. She blogs about books, poems, and food. She has four dogs and a cat.