Arirang, Modern Slave Performance in North Korea

Park A-ri

North Korean Defector

“Arirang” which is our folk song with contents of missing an estranged lover, is contained a strong hope for trying to escape from racial sorrow. It is really miserable for this “Arirang” to become noun in large—scale mass performance in North Korea that mobilized adolescents who are growing at their best. About when will the free world come brightly to adolescents in Pyongyang as being listened by this song of being oozed out deeply the mind of a woman who laments after being discarded?

Arirang performance, which was begun in order to commemorate Kim Il-seong’s 90th birthday in 2002, was started even this year from August 10th. North Korea is showing zeal for attracting overseas spectators. Arirang performance is the political event in a national mobilization type with no similar example in all ages and countries, which propagates excellence in the North Korean regime such as “construction of a ‘Strong and Prosperous Nation’ in 2012” by mobilizing 100,000 people including tens of thousands of students at the age of over 6 and even the rising and prime generations.

Given seeing just apparently, the card section without even one error and the mass gymnastics with unitary movement as if being one body will allow an exclamation to naturally come out. However, in the other side of colorful event are hidden bitter tears of young students in tens of thousands, who were mobilized forcibly to the severe training in more than 6 months and to the performance for 2 months.

Students dislocate by excessively pressing while carrying out exercise of forcibly stretching legs out for mass gymnastics, on the one hand. Children, who swelter in strong sunlight, fall down by several tens, on the other hand. Also, students are not almost given water or are forced to contain their urine in order to be unavailable for going to toilet, thereby not’ only urinating with being mixed blood but also suffering disorder in urination. Students also suffer trouble in physical growth due to immovable posture for a long time.

Especially, when there is even a little mistake during training, the students are beaten without gloves by an instructor as well. Also, children, who made a mistake, cause other students to fail to go home, and arc also hurt mentally in a situation that needs to experience the outer corner of the eye in hatred and a Victim of bullying.

Students, who were mobilized to Arirang performance, not only are violated even a right of being educated such as what teaching is done at a time during vacation, but also need to be supported by parents’ burden because the authorities’ fail to sufficiently support even clothes and shoes necessary for performance.

Agony and hunger in North Korean residents except some high classes are a fact that is well known already to the world. However, Arirang performance is not ‘a show in the world’ any more. Rather than a concern about violation of human rights or human accidents against young students in the training process, it is nothing but mass madness that tries to utilize it just as a tool of displaying loyalty to Kim Il—seong and Kim Jeong—il and of earning foreign currency.

Arirang performance, which is indulged with infringing upon human rights for idolizing Kim Il-seong and Kim Jeong—il, needs to be immediately discontinued.

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