Monday 23th Octuber 2017
Dear Verónica
How are you? How it’s going? Have you seen my family? How are they? I’m writting you because I wanna to explain you why I am working in North Korea as Minister of Education and why I have to take this job. I hope you stop judging me after I tell my reasons.
Well, as you know, North Korea is a totallitarian regime, where are no freedoms of any kind. I explain a little more of what I see from here. First, as a totalitarian regime, the cult of the person, was imposed from Kim Il-sung, then his son Kim Jong-il, and now, in this days, Kim Jong-un, who is the supreme leader of North Korea. The totalitarian state has the following characteristics, which are practically the following: we can say that there is a unique party, the Worker’s Party of Korea, although now it had become more like a dynasty; the ideology of cult to this family gives it the absolute authority of power; everything is controlled by the state, from education and economy to recreational/free time, is almost nonexistent the private life of the people, in addition to the policy of terror imposed, has more than 120 thousand political prisoners.
Before taking this job, the last one education minister, Kim Yong-jin, was murderer for ‘showing an anti-revolutionary negative attitude’. That's where they contact me, they take me to the force - that's why I was afraid to reject the proposal, they also threatened my entired family -; and after a year, I can just send a letter without any revision. Now, so that you are not disappointed with me, I am plotting a plan so that the North Korean people can gradually have a better education, and see the lie they have lived, because with education and a little culture, you can change the world.
It is a long-term plan, first, we will teach the basics of 'normal' subjects in the West society as economy, biology, literature (here they say that the supreme leader writes 3 books a day, even the classics he has written!), national and international history, philosophy, languages, politics and more. In order for my plan to work, I have to convince everyone that I am the best choice to personally review the learning material in schools and not the supreme leader any longer. Kim Jong-un has to blindly trust me.
Then we will – my team and I – edit the books with the true information. It’s not biologically possible for someone to sleep 3 hours a day, eat a handful of rice a day and be fat. Is it not possible for a communist regime to count on technology and money if the 'market' is airtight and has no foreign income. It is also contradictory that other ministers can speak Spanish or English and doesn’t know the culture and societies where these languages are spoken. And lastly, if the basic salary is $ 1 and that is enough to cover all the needs for all North Koreans, how in a communist regime where riches are equally distrusted, do ministers have lifes styles of Western luxury?
I think it's a long but very long plan to fulfill, I hope they don’t catch me in the attempt, but if they find me, I hope that I already changed a little bit North Korea, nothing I loose trying, I just hope that they realize how contradictory it is the way of their living and that they alone begin the fight for their freedom. Meanwhile, for now I only have to gain the leader's total confidence.
I hope now you understand my reasons… a hug. Greetings, kisses, hugs and loves to my family, tell them that I am well and don’t worry about me, tell them that I love them and I will see they soon.
Thanks for everything,
Claudia.
