Kimchi Mamas

Book Review - Escape from Camp 14

Disclosure: I got a free copy of this book to review.

Escape from Camp 14 written by Blaine Harden tells the true story of how Shin Dong Hyuk broke out of a brutal labor camp in North Korea, eventually making his way to the USA. Complete with maps and drawings, Blaine makes it easy for the reader to picture this harrowing story. I heard Shin Dong Hyuk speak at an event in Stanford before so his story was not new to me. However, reading about the details made it so much more real.

Born inside Camp No. 14 Shin Dong Hyuk was the product of a marriage that was itself a form of reward, a reward reserved for prisoners who modeled "good" behavior such as snitching on fellow prisoners. He survived by doing whatever he could to secure food. He grew up to be the model snitch, not even thinking twice to snitch on his own family.

This book provides an accurate and horrifying look into North Korea's infamous labor camps. A hopeless world where humans become driven by hunger and hunger alone. Where affection does not exist. Yet even in such a bleak place, compassion comes at unexpected times. 

Save My Friend

Looks like someone read my request! (Just kidding, I know I'm not that powerful.)

There is now a petition to pressure China to not send North Korean refugees back to North Korea, where they will be severely punished, if not killed. If you have two seconds (who doesn't have two seconds?) please go to www.savemyfriend.org and sign the petition.

Many people have used change.org to successfully bring about a change. (Remember when banks were considering getting rid of free checking accounts? Yeah, Change.org!)

The petition already has more than 165,000 but they need more signatures. The goal is 500,000. Thank you kimchi mama community!

 

- Mary 

Kim Jong Il is Dead

By now most of you probably heard that Kim Jong Il is dead at the age of 69. I saw some footages of North Koreans "mourning" via a Reuters video and to me, they just looked like people "faking" it. After reading this post on Ask A Korean, I can hardly "trust" North Korean journalism or even clips of videos that are released to the outside world.

Anyway, what does the passing of Kim Jong Il mean to me? Not much. I just hope that his son is not as corrupted by power to the degree that him and his father were. I was rather disgusted by his son's pudgy face in light of the fact that many in his country, at this very moment, are starving.

Who knows? Maybe reunification can really happen. Perhaps I may, one day, be able to travel to North Korea with my children.

What are your thoughts on Kim Jong Il's death?

- Mary

Arirang

Just read The Korean's post about how Arirang belongs to Korea (sorry, the post seems to be down at the moment), in response to Roboseyo's post about how nobody owns Arirang.

Roboseyo posted this on his blog and I found it so moving, I had to share with you. The New York Philharmonic performs Arirang in North Korea.

 

Thank you for sharing that Roboseyo.

In regard to whether or not Arirang is Korean, I don't even know why this is a question. It seems to be more about whether a national entity can claim to own a culture, than about if Ariring is really Korean. The former issue seems, to me, to be a bit silly. I mean, if the Korean government is spending money to promote Korean food, doesn't that, in some sense, mean that the culture is inextricably linked to the country? Culture is ever changing in this age of globalization, but just because cultures are being combined and spreading outside the national borders, doesn't mean that all of a sudden, it's not the originating nationality's culture.

Arirang is Korean. Period. Does Korea "own" Arirang? I guess not, since anyone who wants to can sing it and play it and perform it, but no doubt about it, it's Korean.

- Mary

6.25. 육이오

Today is 6.25. 육이오. Today is the 60th anniversary of the Korean War. The Forgotten War as many call it. Apparently, a lot of Americans have forgotten about it. Well, not me.

My grandfather died during the war. My father was a toddler when the war broke out and walked until his feet bled, trying like everyone else, to flee to Pusan. The war made my grandmother a widow, and in a way, is the reason why I am even in America. If it wasn't for the Korean War, I am pretty sure that I would be living in South Korea right now.

My deepest gratitude goes to all the soldiers who fought in the Korean War to defend South Korea. I also thank the countless people that worked to help South Korea recover from the war and help it be the amazing and economically thriving country that it is today. Thank you.

- Mary is taking a moment to reflect on this day even though she should be preparing for her son's dol (1 year birthday) tomorrow.

Open Thread Thursday

The sinking of the South Korean ship Choenan, the ever-flowing oil spill, Facebook's newest privacy settings, (edited to add) the upcoming World Cup games...

What's on your mind today?

- Kimchi Mamas

Join our Group on Savvy Source!

If you can please direct your attention to the birdie on the right side of the page, we now have an online community where we can truly have two-way conversations!

I look forward to setting up meet-ups, securely sharing info on our Kimchi babies' development, and just talking and swapping tips with each other.

Just click on the birdie, set up an account with Savvy Source or use your Facebook login (that's what I did), and join Kimchi Mamas!  See you there!

Extra bonus: Inspired by Mary's post last week, we will donate $1 for every person who signs up to a charity that helps North Korean families.

Food and Parenthood

There is nothing more satisfying than watching my children eat. At every meal, I encourage my 3 year old, "Eat some more! One more bite! Here is some rice and ghim (seaweed paper), open wide!"

I watch my 5 month old baby at my breast and listen to him swallowing the milk. Gulp gulp gulp... and I smile.

What is it about food that brings people together? Especially in the Korean culture, perhaps due to it's history of war and famine, food is such an important part of life. A very common Korean greeting is, "Did you eat rice?" (literal translation). Parents call their busy children and ask, "Did you eat dinner yet? No? Tsk tsk... you shouldn't skip meals!" The best way to show a guy you love him is to pack him a nice lunch and bring it to his office, according to the Korean dramas! Or maybe buy groceries and cook for him. Better yet, cook him porridge when he is sick. It works the other way around too.

Reunititing Families to Unite A Nation

Whenever North Korea is in the news, and lately that's been pretty frequently, I'm struck by how the media talks about the country as if it were separate - a truly alien and different entity from industrialized, modern, democratic South Korea. And no doubt there is much to separate - over a half century of disparate ideologies, influences and, of course, the DMZ, two and a half miles of the most militarized border in the world.

But if there is any evidence left that Korea is truly one nation waiting for reunification, it is the thousands of Koreans cruelly separated from their family members all these years. Children separated from parents, brothers from sisters. These tragedies are nearly mythic, part of the many narratives of war that our grandparents and parents have carried with them all these years. Over time they become nearly irrelevant, their potency diluted against the mongering of missile testing, sanctions, politics.

But this week, those stories are being told again. 97 families were reunited in the North Korean mountain resort of Keumgang and 99 will be reunited next week. These are families - Korean families - able to embrace each other again after decades of separation. They are the fortunate ones. There are thousands of families who applied who were not picked for this round (and hopefully there will be more) of reunification meetings.

I've read that many people in South Korea are ambivalent - or at least concerned - about reunification, whether it will ever happen and even, whether they want it to, considering the possible economic ramifications. But I know most Koreans still yearn for unification. They still know, despite all their modern differences and latent ideological and political hostilities, that the 38th parallel is truly just an arbitrary line drawn in the sand of one nation. They are not truly North or South, they are simply Korean and one day will be so in name too.

- Nina Moon

Euna and Laura sentenced to 12 years in labor camps

I'm in shock and I am angry. And worried. Very worried.

Of the conclusions I've seen floated around, this is the worst case scenario come true.

Here are the reports on CNN and the NY Times. Please feel free to add more links in the comments.

My thoughts and prayers are with Euna and Laura and their families right now. Especially Hannah, Euna's four-year-old daughter. God.

- Nina