google maps imaging further skews u.s. perception of north korea

Early this week, Google lifted the veil shrouding the world’s most secretive country with its detailed map of North Korea. Featuring roads, railways, hospitals, schools, and even the occasional restaurant, the country above the South is no longer an empty white area. Although this may be a massive step toward Google completing its mission of “providing people with the most comprehensive, accurate, and easy-to-use modern map of the world,” one must ask who this map was made for. Internet access in North Korea is of course restricted to the very elite, and tourists visiting the very secretive country would hardly be in need of a map with their very knowledgable government-provided guide. Rather than convenience the citizens and tourists of North Korea, Google has begun to force the secretive and backwards DPRK closer to the precipice of modern civilization and has taken a large step toward unveiling the crisis in the North to the general conscience.

Among the landmarks now labeled in North Korea, perhaps the most striking and uncomfortable are the fully labeled prison labour camps which appear as light grey areas. Among the rows of uniform rectangular buildings which occupy Camp 22 in the North-East corner of the country on the border with China, one can now see, labeled, the “Office of Gulag Director,” the “Guard’s Restroom,” and the “Pharmaceutical and Food Factory” where prisoners labour. Far from a convenience, these labels make real what was previously limited to the rants of human rights activists and fringe protesters. The same medium which allows us to find the nearest Starbucks can now be used to expose the humanitarian crisis of our generation. 

The nighttime satellite image of North Korea remains an empty void. NASA’s new image of the Korean peninsula re-affirms the north’s status as an awkward blank above a glittering and prosperous south. It is an expanse which appears from space as nothing more than what may be a body of water between South Korea and China, and also where twenty four million people may live unnoticed by western eyes. What Google has done is fill this void in the eyes of the general public, and identify signs of life in a country where these signs have long been few and far between.

This is not the first time that this dark space on the world’s map has been filled in. “North Korea Uncovered,” created by a former PhD student of John Hopkins University, Curtis Melvin, is the product of years of research in the analysis of satellite photography and eye-witness reports, and is above all a valuable tool for those who wish to further understand the issue at hand. Despite Mr. Melvin’s map being more detailed and more accurate, it is the accessibility of Google’s which gives it the potential to become a catalyst in public awareness.

Speaking with the New York Times, Mr. Melvin commented that Google’s map “provides the umph to get more people focused on the issue.” Only time can tell, and yet the sardonic comments posted through Google’s user-generated review section seem to suggest that at least people have noticed. “Looking for some alone time? No worries all families are separated upon entry. Who knows what adventures await you in North Korea's leading death camp.”

The west has become somewhat of an audience to a mischievous caricature of North Korea, and laughing at the inanity of the DPRK and its leaders has become entertainment. One would be hard pressed to find someone who does not smirk at the idea of Kim Jong-il’s birth being foretold by a swallow and then marked by the appearance of a double rainbow over a mountain. And yet the dark contrast between such a fairytale and the utter depravity which is the reality in North Korea should press western audiences to perhaps adjust their viewpoint. Since he has become the supreme leader, Kim Jong-un has given a shoot-to-kill order to soldiers patrolling the border, overseen the successful launch of a rocket which could lend itself to long range missile technology, and promised future testing in nuclear devices. Perhaps our smirks should begin to show some concern. The thousands of people weeping at the death of Kim Jong-il - rather than it being merely something strange or even comical - demonstrates the extent to which the cult of personality has been allowed to permeate the minds of a whole nation.

The value found in Google’s new maps can only be realized in our reaction to them.  When the UN special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, Vitit Muntarbhorn, reported that the country was “sui generis (in its own category),” and recommended that it be placed at a top priority, his voice fell on mostly deaf ears. The darkness which shrouds North Korea, however, is beginning to brighten. March of this year will see the next session of the UN Human Rights Council, and it is a prominent opportunity - albeit one which is long overdue - to begin an inquiry into crimes against humanity in North Korea. We can not wait for the DPRK to wither away naturally; history judges harshly those who in possession of evidence choose not to confront the criminals.

A version of this article appeared on the Opinion Page of Washington Square News, Feb. 6 2013.

reacting to rape in india

In the wake of the trial covering the recent rape and murder of a 23 year-old woman in Delhi, the western media has brought about some ill-minded commentary. Certain publications have taken to blaming misogyny in India on Islam and the supposedly radically different outlook which Muslims have compared to the rest of the world. Rather than show this fanciful claim to be false, perhaps it would be better to simply point out that all five of the men who are accused of carrying out the attack are Hindus and that (according to the 2001 census) 13.4% of the country is Muslim - hardly a majority. Using Islam as a scapegoat here cannot be justified.

Rather than asking why India is a misogynistic country and then blaming one cultural foundation or another, one should pursue the means to real change.

The rape of late last year is not the first to receive national publicity in India. In 1979, a sixteen year-old girl named Mathura was raped by two policeman who were later acquitted because the girl was not a virgin at the time the rape took place. After large scale protests, and coverage from India's media, there were significant changes to the law. In 1983 a provision was made to the Evidence Act which states that if a woman says that the sexual intercourse was not consensual, then the court is to take the statement at face value and presume that what she says is the truth. Such a victory should not be seen as minor. Not only does this provision show the power which protest holds for real legal and social change, but it also more importantly empowers the victim to point out her attackers and identify them as rapists.

Since 1979, India has grown in affirming the status of woman as equal to men. The year 1984 saw the end of the 15-year premiership held by Indira Ghandi - the world's longest serving woman prime minister. The 1990s saw the creation of numerous NGOs concentrating on woman rights (such as the Self Employed Woman's Association). 2001 saw the government declare the Year of Women's Empowerment followed by the enacting of the Women's Reservation Bill in 2010 which retains a minimum of 33% woman membership in parliament and other state legislative bodies.

These milestones reflect the growing trend towards equality in India, and even perhaps suggest that the real catalyst for change is real legal action as apposed to the criticism of out-dated cultural foundations.

What is true is that India is a deeply divided country. Cultures of misogyny and patriarchy are prevalent with some - and yet it would appear that the ideals of equality and egalitarianism are prevalent with much more. In trying to explain the cultural cause for misogyny in India we always find ourselves lacking in explanation. Rather than attacking the supposed root of a problem we will lose ourselves in petty arguments and achieve nothing but the explaining away of the problem. If India is to enjoy real change, and if the west wants to help her achieve it, then all we should do is support the protestors on the street calling for a judicial system which represents the beliefs of the growing majority. Anything more or less would be damaging.

different perspectives

My girlfriend always talks to me about religion. Before you think she's a Jehovah's Witness or an over-zealous evangelical, let me explain. She's studying theology at university, and so when I say religion I really mean high theological issues. One running argument which we have is the use of religion in modern day society - she sees religion as intrinsically useful as it helps people live and grow. Rather than about subscribing to a set of belief or dogmas, religion is more of a 'guide' or rather a certain perspective through which one can see and order the world. In such a way she offers a redefinition of religion - one centred not around dogma, nor even notions of faith, but rather simply of world outlook. My rebuttal would be to see that this all sounds like an illusion which can be used to make sense of a purely nonsensical world. When I look at nature and the general makeup of things, I don't see order - I see chaos. Animals become extinct, we die of preventable disease in our old age after we've lost a large majority of our sensory capabilities. None of these things suggest any sort of intelligent designer - let alone a benevolent one.

I misunderstood what she had said, however. Her argument is not a teleological one - nor is it one for the existence of God(s). Rather, it is a defence of a perspective - one which can be likened to a preference and more importantly a way of life. When it comes down to it we are all forced to form the conditions and logical processes which then set out to create an order out of the chaos in front of us - and religion is one such order. There is hence dialogue between religion and secularism. Rather than see the two perspectives at complete odds, perhaps we should begin to focus on their similarities. They are after all different perspectives to the same view.

north korea and china

There exists camps where the children of political dissenters are born and are raised in a state of absolute ignorance to the external world and the humane customs which occupy it. Here the children and their parents work from 5:30 in the morning until midnight in mines under the threat of torture or death while living on rations of cabbage and corn. There exists cities where the streets are all but deserted and restaurants where customers - who are exclusively foreign - may frequent once every two months.

As the first year of Kim Jong-un’s leadership in North Korea comes to a close, we inevitably look at what has elapsed. Needless to say the media has done its fair share in publicising his reign and creating a mockery of what is in actuality a crisis. The Onion ran an article in which it deemed Kim, “the Pyongyang-bred heartthrob,” to be the “sexiest man alive” - and Chinese state media quickly relayed the Onion article as ‘truth.’ In response to the 5.6 million online votes which granted Kim the prize of being the winner of TIME’s annual “Person of the Year Reader’s Poll” - the magazine was forced to publish a rather embarrassing explanation. The article began with, “Kim Jong-Un is having a good year,” but then quickly moved on to assert that “this doesn’t mean Kim is TIME’s Person of the Year,” and that “the choice is made by the editors of TIME, and will be revealed Dec. 19 on the Today show.”

The west has become somewhat of an audience to North Korea’s mischief, and laughing at the inanity of the DPRK and its leaders has become the entertainment. One would be hard pressed to find someone who does not smirk at the idea of Kim Jong-il’s birth being foretold by a swallow and then marked by the appearance of a double rainbow over a mountain. And yet the dark contrast between such a fairytale and the utter depravity which is the reality in North Korea should press western audiences to perhaps adjust their viewpoint. Since he has become the supreme leader, Kim has tightened the border, given a shoot-to-kill order to soldiers patrolling the border, and oversaw the successful launch of a rocket which could lend itself to long range missile technology. Perhaps our smirks should begin to show some concern.

How does a country like North Korea sustain itself? The logical answer to such a question is that it doesn’t. De facto absolute monarchies have become an anomaly in modern society - hereditary dictatorships have long been shown to be unsustainable in the face of popular sovereignty. The French Revolution is perhaps is the most obvious example of this fact. Yet, since its formal declaration in 1948, North Korea has remained a single-party state with a de facto hereditary monarchy - why?

Although the popular conception of North Korea is one of a hermit, a more accurate conception - at least for the purpose of discerning its sustainability - would be that of a parasite. The DPRK prides itself on its supposed self-sustainability, and yet this is a fiction. The fact is that the regime relies heavily on foreign aide and support from both humanitarian organisations and political allies. The former of these donors are necessary for the survival of innocents trapped in the prison nation, and yet the latter only serves to sustain this prison. China is the most prominent of North Korea's allies - and similarly also their most valuable friend and donor.

Since the Korean War, China and North Korea have enjoyed close diplomatic relations, and have in the last decade dramatically increased the amount of trade between the two countries - 30 fold between 2002 and 2012, 1.4 million dollars to 42 million. Although such a number is high - and, as Pyongyang begins experimenting with some economic reform, a good omen for future Chinese entrepreneurship in the country - one must question if it outweighs the human suffering felt by millions.

Such a question, however, is purely rhetorical and one must accept that rarely does such a question lead to any actual change. Let us therefore take a different route. In order to argue for China to disconnect itself from North Korea, one should begin by looking at the alternatives. North Korea's demise should be presumed inevitable - no matter what amount of money you throw at it, de facto hereditary governments cannot survive, especially those which are abusive and rely on fear. It's no good, however, waiting around for the inevitable to happen while countless more suffer and die at the hands of criminals. We should therefore look for a catalyst - China.

China's relationship with North Korea has grown increasingly unstable. After condemning the recent rocket launch and the DPRK's insistence on maintaining its nuclear weapons program, Beijing is beginning to risk losing face with respect to the rest of the world. It is no longer worth sustaining the decrepit country as an increasingly worthless buffer to American interests in South Korea. China has been put in far too many awkward situations. In 2010 the United States along with South Korea accused the North of sinking a South Korean ship with a torpedo. After being pressured to agree with these allegations, China refused. Later in 2012, the North Korean government was accused of sabotaging a 40 million dollar Chinese investment in the country. These blunders are becoming far too frequent, and would lead one to believe that perhaps China would benefit greater from a more sustainable neighbour - perhaps a North Korea run under a South Korean-like system.