Escape from camp 14

Escape from Camp 14, a book about the journey of man from a gulag to outer world is a must read. Published in 2012, the book has raised a serious concern about the human rights and the living of people in North Korean GULAGS.
 

It is commonly believed that people, when lose everything, may still be able to live with hopes. It is hope that keeps us alive and makes us keep going. But, you might be surprised that this is not true for the people born in North Korean Gulags. The people born and brought up in these gulags under the rule of North Korean Dictator do not know what is there outside the fence; they do not know what it means to live like a common human being. The brutality of the guards make people inhuman and they find every other person a competitor whom they should compete with for food. 

Shin, a man from North Korea, was born in camp 14, one of the  harshest North Korean Gulag  and lived there for 24 years without even being aware that there exists a world outside camp 14. The only thing that he would look forward to everyday is his meal. He saw, while he was a mere child, his friends being thrashed to death because she found some grains of rice on the ground and kept them in her pocket, which is a SIN in these gulags. He also saw his mother and brother being executed to death. He did not know what human emotion is. He thought every other person in the camp was his competitor. He never had enough food and he used to be hungry round the year. He would elated to find a rat in the field. He would even relish undigested  kernels in cow dung.

He did not have nay hope to look forward to, he did not have emotion to be hurt, he did not know what happiness to be sad. He thought everyone lived in the similar way everywhere in the world. Most surprisingly, he even did not know that there are other countries in the world. He did not know whether the earth is round or flat. He did not know that even common people, outside the labor camp, can have rice because rice, chicken, pork were luxury that he always looked forward to.

Yet, it is surprising that he escapes the camp with such close control and supervision. He made his remarkable journey to China to South Korea and then to The United Staes. The escape, according to Shin, was for food. He started dreaming about food soon after he came to know about it from Park , another cell mate, who had lived in Pyoungnyang as a high profile government officer and had traveled around the world. He start dreaming about the escape when Park told him that people like him also can have barbecued pork and chicken outside the camp. All he wanted to do was to have rice with barbecued pork and chicken. Thus, he along with Park made a plan to escape in the course of which Park lost his life. However, Shin makes it to China by bribing the soldiers in the border. Then, he takes a refuge in a nearby village and learns rudimentary Chinese language and also earns some money as a domestic worker. Then, after undergoing different challenges he makes it to South Korea and then to the United States of America. 

Naturally, he is traumatized by his experiences in the camp for 24 years when he sees a different world outside. He has nightmare every night for a long time even after the escape. He cannot trust people easily and thinks that even closest of his friends are conspiring against him. Yet, he learns to adjust in the larger society and learns the norms and values of the civilized society.

He now works as a human rights activist. He dreams to bring down the gulags in the North Korea with the support of the international community. 

Having read the book, I felt that I am very lucky to have born in Nepal. Nepal is not a perfect place to live in and is ranked one of the poorest countries in the world. Yet, I feel that I am fortunate because I have right to speak and do not need permission to travel to any part of the country. Likewise, I can live my life the way I like. I have access to education and other basic things to live a life of ease; I do not need to face the brutality and do not have to live a life that somebody dictates. I am also fortunate to know about the world and to be educated in English language. 

It is a high time that the international community tie certain action to bring down the gulags that exists only in North Korea. I strongly feel that these people also have a right to live like every other normal human being.