In this journey box, you will find a variety of sources that portray modern life in North

Korea. Shown in one of the included images, from the outside, North Korea is shown to be a

beautiful city with tall buildings and colorful landscape. But from the inside, the citizens know

this is not the truth, and that the beautiful border cities are a deception; in reality, no one is

permitted to inhabit them. In posters, the former Supreme Leader Kim Jong Il is shown to be

benevolent, adored by smiling children. Accounts from escaped North Koreans tell a much

different story.

In December of 2011, Kim Jong-Il died of a heart attack, and was succeeded by his son,

Kim Jong-Un, who is now the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Propaganda of various types paint both leaders as generous, and the citizens worship their “Great

Leader.” In this journey box, you will see photos that create an illusion of a peaceful North

Korea; photos which the leaders of the country have approved to release to the general public.

Due to the secretive nature of the country, photos which depict the ugly side of life in North

Korea are practically nonexistent. In fact, there are strict regulations on where and how photos

may be taken.

In speeches, Great Leader Kim Jong Un speaks highly of the country and its citizens,

describing the people as having a “revolutionary enthusiasm.” From the outside, the Democratic

People’s Republic of Korea seems like a paradise. The Regime releases nothing of the prison

camps or daily rituals which citizens must follow. The Regime releases nothing of the systematic

execution, or the punishment of a child for the crimes of his father. The Regime releases nothing

of the starvation and oppression of its people. Instead, the Regime releases only that which

shines a positive light on the country.

In this journey box, bear in mind that each resource only tells one side of the story.
The sources can be found in the following order:

Page 1: Photo of a false village set up on the border

Page 2: Political poster of Kim Il-Sung

Page 3: Photo of Statues of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il

Page 4: Photo of a North Korean Military Parade

Page 5: Photo of Kim Jong-Il’s body in a Mausoleum

Page 6: Kim Jong-Un’s New Year’s Day Speech Transcript

Page 7: Speech Transcript from an escaped North Korean

Page 8: Video Interview with a Child of a Reward Marriage

Page 9: Drawings of a Prison Camp from a survivor