Primrose 1

Carson Primrose

Mr. Sebeysten

Honors World Regional Geography

January 30, 2017

Kim Jong-Uns Control is Crumbling

Section One:

One of the highest ranking defectors from North Korea said that their countries

leadership was numbered because of corruption and discontent. The defectors name is Thae

Yong-ho. He just recently left North Korea last summer with his family and moved to South

Korea. Thae is now a part of the Institute for National Security Strategy and has vowed to spend

the rest of his life trying to bring down the North Korean government. (Sang-Hun) During the

period when Kim Jong-Un became president, many people thought he was going to be a good

ruler like his father and grandfather. Kim Jong-Un was to help modernize the country, but ended

up ruling with terror. He started executing numerous officials and he even killed his own uncle

Jang Song-thaek because he posed a threat to his power. Mr. Thae said the best way to change

the isolation in North Korea is by bringing in outside information to help the citizens form a

rebellion. Many items are being smuggled into North Korea from China and South Korea such as

movies, DVDs, and radios. Kim Jong-Un has such a weak control that women are trading goods

mostly from China and women are referred to as grasshoppers because they would pack their

items and leave when they saw police. Most people think of Kim as a god and Thae said that if
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he introduced a market oriented economy then there would be no place for him in the country. It

is very simple to smuggle items in to North Korea because many police officers will receive

bribes. Last year, the North conducted two nuclear tests and launched more than 20 ballistic

missiles, and it has openly vowed to develop the ability to hit the United States with a nuclear

warhead. (Sang-Hun) Kim Jong-Un is developing nuclear weapons as a reaction to American

hostility.

Section 2:

Both the news article and the notes we took in class relate in similar ways. People both in

the report and in our notes say that Kim Jong-Un will not be a good ruler because he is too

young. Also, it states that police officers are always searching for people smuggling phones, hard

drives, and DVDs into North Korea to show others what the real world is like. Most people also

believe that the North Korean regime will not last because people from other countries will enter

North Korea or there will be a rebellion. It states in the article that North Korea planned a

nuclear attack on the U.S. Finally, many people try to escape to South Korea for a better life, able

to use the internet, and have a say to do what you want without being ruled by a dictator. There

are many connections between the North Korean article and our notes.

Section 3:
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I totally agree with Mr. Thae about Kim Jong-Uns control crumbling. Kim Jong-Un is

running North Korea like a jail and people have no rights and are being watched all of the time.

The article said that Kim rules North Korea with a reign of terror. It does not surprise me that

most people want to leave the country or start a rebellion to get Kim Jong-Un out. Unlike his

father and grandfather who were great rulers and help keep the economy in tip top shape. Now

that Kim Jong-Un is ruler people have no internet, tv, or food and this upsets me. There are little

kids living in the streets trying to find food since their parents cannot get the food or they just do

not have the money. Many children cannot use the internet or watch television. I do not know

what I would do in my free time if I have no access to electronics or the internet. If I was living

in a situation like this then I would try my best to get to South Korea because they have one of

the best economies, have access to the internet, and have a better chance of getting a job. Living

in North Korea sounds like a nightmare and if I could not get out of there then I would do my

best to start a rebellion.

Work Cited Page

Sang-Hun, Choe. "North Korean Defector Says Kim Jong-Un's Control Is Crumbling." New York

Times. New York Times, 25 Jan. 2017. Web. 25 Jan. 2017.

<https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/world/asia/north-korea-defector.html?

rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FNorth
%20Korea&action=click&contentCollection=worldion=stream&module=stream_unit&

version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=collection&_r=0>.