Nothing to Envy Summary

What does it mean to live in the world's most repressive regime, where survival demands resilience, conformity, and sometimes, escape?

1. The Origins of a Divided Korea

The division of Korea traces back to the power games of superpowers after World War II. With Korea under Japanese colonial rule during the war, its future drew little notice until the global conflict ended. The United States and the USSR acted hastily to prevent each other’s influence from taking over the peninsula, splitting it at the 38th parallel. This arbitrary line was chosen not based on history or geography but convenience.

The split was made without giving the Korean people any voice in the matter. While the Soviet Union took control of the north and backed Kim Il-sung, a resistance fighter, in forming a communist state, the US supported the south’s Syngman Rhee, leading to the declaration of two separate republics by 1948. By 1950, tensions erupted into full-blown war when North Korea launched an assault on the South, resulting in the devastating Korean War.

Three years of war led to millions of deaths and practically no change in the boundary. The border remained at the 38th parallel, splitting families, traditions, and a once-united nation. The conflict continued to shape the identity of both counties and their citizens.

Examples

• The 38th parallel became the symbol of a divided Korea without Korean consent.
• Kim Il-sung and Syngman Rhee presented conflicting visions of Korea, militarizing their regions.
• The Korean War displaced millions, contributing to long-lived animosity between the North and South.

2. Life Under North Korea's Hierarchy System

After the war, Kim Il-sung established a rigid class system to maintain power and loyalty. Known as "songbun," this classification ranked citizens based on political allegiance and family background. Society was divided into three categories—loyal core, wavering, and hostile classes. Songbun determined access to food, housing, and education.

Improving one’s rank was nearly impossible. A family’s political history dictated its status for generations, and any misstep, such as a disgraceful relative, could lead to a demotion. This system confined individuals to lifelong socioeconomic tiers, effectively neutralizing dissent by withholding basic goods and opportunities.

The songbun system wasn’t officially acknowledged, maintaining the illusion of equality within a communist state. However, it governed every aspect of life, making survival a matter of total loyalty.

Examples

• Background checks by Kim Il-sung categorized every citizen's political reliability.
• High-ranking families received better food rations and government privileges.
• Public housing allocations depended strictly on one's assigned class.

3. Juche: North Korea’s Self-Reliance Ideology

Kim Il-sung introduced "juche," or self-reliance, as the country’s guiding ideology. This doctrine emphasized Korea’s uniqueness and independence from foreign influence, urging citizens to believe they were superior to neighboring nations like South Korea and China. Juche fused communist principles with intense nationalism.

To reinforce juche, ideological sessions took place daily in workplaces and schools. For example, factory workers attended lectures during work hours, where they learned to internalize the idea of self-reliance through essays glorifying the state. News and media were manipulated to portray outside nations as weak and North Korea as an invincible bastion of communism.

Beyond lectures, surveillance ensured obedience. Citizens spied on their families and neighbors, reporting minor criticisms or deviations. This constant oversight turned loyalty into a survival skill.

Examples

• North Korean media mocked South Korea as a slave to Western powers.
• Workers were obligated to write essays lauding North Korea's self-reliance.
• Neighborhoods were divided into surveillance units that reported any dissent.

4. Kim Il-sung’s Cult of Personality

Kim Il-sung portrayed himself as a god-like figure through propaganda. Borrowing from religion, he cast himself as a fatherly savior, with myths crafted to support his image. For example, stories claimed seas calmed when people sang songs praising him. Portraits of Kim Il-sung and his successor, Kim Jong-il, were hung in homes, with citizens risking their lives to save these images during disasters.

The manipulation extended to public and private life. Couples married in front of his statues, and his advice was treated as gospel even for scientific decisions. Public mourning ceremonies following his death in 1994 resembled religious rituals, as citizens wept uncontrollably in the streets.

This cult of personality created a pseudo-religion and demanded unwavering worship from the population.

Examples

• Claims of double rainbows marked Kim Jong-il’s birth were taught as historical fact.
• Citizens faced punishment if portraits of Kim Il-sung weren’t kept clean.
• Marriage ceremonies became state-controlled events held at government statues.

5. The Fall of the Soviet Union and North Korea’s Famine

North Korea relied heavily on aid from the Eastern Bloc, despite its claims of self-reliance. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, this support ended abruptly. Without fuel and machinery, factories stopped production, while debts to China and Russia worsened the economic strain. Electricity and heating disappeared, resulting in extreme winter deaths.

The government’s focus on nuclear programs intensified the crisis. Aid offers from countries like the USA were rescinded after North Korea pulled out of nuclear disarmament agreements. By the mid-1990s, towns plunged into darkness, and rations dwindled.

As famine ravaged the population, millions perished. People turned to desperate means to survive, including consuming tree bark and grass when food runs collapsed.

Examples

• Factories shut down due to shortages of raw materials and power.
• Winter temperatures became deadly without heating or proper shelter.
• Crops failed, leading to the death of up to one-fifth of the population.

6. Black Markets: A Lifeline Amid Famine

When food distribution stopped, black markets emerged as the population’s last hope. Kim Il-sung allowed backyard farming to combat starvation. However, this expanded into illegal trade networks for rice, cornmeal, and other goods previously controlled by the state.

Farmers hid harvests instead of surrendering them to the government, while citizens traveled for trade and survival. Severe penalties accompanied attempts to trade grain, including executions. These unofficial markets helped many survive but also highlighted the government’s failure.

Eventually, in 2000, Kim Jong-il not only allowed black markets but taxed them, formally integrating them into the economy even as harsher regulations from time to time created chaos.

Examples

• Families traded household items or swapped homes for food.
• Cornmeal replaced rice as the main staple during the famine.
• Public executions punished those caught trading restricted goods like grain.

7. Escape from North Korea

Desperation drove many North Koreans to defect, despite severe punishments for failure. Most fled through China, using its rivers as gateways. Those with money relied on brokers to cross borders, secure fake passports, or arrange transport to South Korea.

Others escaped solo, braving the wilderness. Many women sold themselves as brides to Chinese men, while other defectors risked slavery or execution. Tales of relatively free lives in neighboring lands gave hope to starving citizens facing certain death.

The number of defectors increased sharply in the late 1990s, transforming escape into both a survival strategy and an act of rebellion.

Examples

• Brokers charged high fees to safely guide defectors across borders.
• Women became smuggled brides to escape starvation.
• Defectors surrendered themselves to Mongolian police to enter South Korea.

8. Rebuilding Lives in South Korea

Defectors who reached South Korea were granted citizenship and given resources to adapt. A reeducation process taught them daily habits, from cooking to using phones. Most struggled to adjust after years of state-directed living and faced discrimination.

Improvements were made to the integration process, including lump-sum settlement payments and welfare programs. However, adapting to freedom remained overwhelming for many, as the abundance of choice clashed with their lifelong conditioning.

Defectors like Mrs. Song found food courts and grocery stores baffling, reflecting the immense challenges of unlearning life under dictatorship.

Examples

• Defectors participated in democracy and human rights education programs.
• Refugees received roughly $20,000 in settlement support.
• Contrasts in lifestyle left defectors unsure of mundane choices like meal selection.

9. A Nation in Stagnation Under Kim Jong-un

Kim Jong-un initially created an image of modernization through construction projects like amusement parks. However, the young leader prioritized nuclear weapons over meaningful reforms. By tearing up the Korean War’s truce and heightening tensions with the United States, he led the country further into isolation.

While smart devices appeared in Pyongyang, internet access remained non-existent. North Korea presented a polished façade for foreign visitors, but its citizens continued to live in poverty and darkness.

The spectacle of progress under Kim Jong-un masked persistent suffering among the majority of North Koreans.

Examples

• Nuclear tests escalated during Kim Jong-un's leadership.
• Two million mobile phone users lacked international calling or internet capability.
• Diplomats visiting Pyongyang were shown well-lit streets that plunged into darkness after they left.

Takeaways

1. Educate yourself on the history and ongoing struggles in North Korea to understand its unique challenges and global implications.
2. Support organizations helping North Korean defectors by providing resources, aid, or advocacy.
3. Spread awareness about how dictatorships and censorship create suffering, fostering informed discussions within your community.