MovieChat Forums > The Propaganda Game (2015) Discussion > Why can't the people of North Korea leav...

Why can't the people of North Korea leave?


I don't remember him ever asking. I remember hearing the spin on why others are not free to visit, but I don't recall hearing their justification for not allowing their own people to travel. I know in reality why they don't, i just want to hear how they justify it.

Casey: I say she's a very nice person.
Dan: I say she has no reflection.

reply

Their government wont allow people to leave because they wouldn't come back and would probably tell the world how it is there. If they are caught sneaking out they will be imprisoned. There is at least one example of that in the movie...



What a crazy nation of socialist republics that are together in a federation, of craziness

reply

Like i said, I know why in reality, I want to know why the documentary didn't ask them why, if they have such a wonderful government and the people are so devoted, why can't they travel?

Casey: I say she's a very nice person.
Dan: I say she has no reflection.

reply

It seems like the documentary team were only allowed to question certain things and not get into anything too controversial. I'm surprised they got to ask about the concentration camps. The loyal Spanish man had an answer for everything.

"Adding sound to movies would be like putting lipstick on the Venus de Milo."-MaryPickford

reply

I imagine they justify it with something along the lines of "If our people visit capitalist countries their minds can be poisoned and they come back to Korea being an enemy to the Korean people" (Which would in some ways be pretty close to the truth, if you replace "poisoned" with "informed"). Or they might say that Koreans abroad risk being kidnapped or killed by imperialists who hate Koreans so much they're willing to kill innocents.

reply

I think this is pretty spot-on. Alejandro Cao de Benós speaks extensively about the "brainwashing" effects of Western culture and capitalism in the film; it's likely that the propaganda machine would label anyone leaving the country "contaminated" and a threat to North Korean sovereignty if they ever returned.

reply

Apart from high level (Communist) party members, I don't think the 'average comrade' has enough money to even travel to the capitol city, let alone take a jaunt to another country.

reply

This ☝



----I highly doubt anything written below this line will change my mind----

reply

The people are taught from a young age there is no reason to leave. They believe that the conditions in the rest of the world are even worse than they are there.

I'd suggest reading two great books about North Korea and life there.

"Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea" and "The Aquariums of Pyongyang"

They both give a real life account of what it really means to live and grow up there.

"I knew it. I'm surrounded by *beep*

reply

The "reasons" I've read about why the people in N.K. can't leave include the following: Because N.K. already is the best possible place in the world, so why would anyone even WANT to leave paradise? Also, because the N.K. government doesn't want people traveling outside the country, as it would make North Koreans feel bad to see how terrible the outside world is - the government is simply trying to prevent their people from getting too depressed about the billions of people who don't have it as good as they do in N.K.

It sounds ridiculous, but those two "reasons" seem to be part of the official reasoning for N.K. citizens not being allowed to leave their country.

reply

The "reasons" I've read about why the people in N.K. can't leave include the following: Because N.K. already is the best possible place in the world, so why would anyone even WANT to leave paradise? Also, because the N.K. government doesn't want people traveling outside the country, as it would make North Koreans feel bad to see how terrible the outside world is - the government is simply trying to prevent their people from getting too depressed about the billions of people who don't have it as good as they do in N.K.

It sounds ridiculous, but those two "reasons" seem to be part of the official reasoning for N.K. citizens not being allowed to leave their country.

reply

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup there were a couple of north korean soccer players who defected and escaped. The media attempted to figure out who were the players, and during the open training sessions they had the players train with jerseys that did not tell their names. I remember a news piece with several worldwide journalists with the player's photos, attempting to facially identify who was missing. They could not do it.

Finally the north korean team noticed and closed the gates. I think eventually they figured out who escaped.


"You keep him in here, and make sure HE dosen't leave!"

reply

Since I try to read all impartial accounts about everyday life in DPRK, I noticed several things that are important for this discussion.

First of all, North Koreans cannot travel freely even from cities they live in, they need some kind of permit. Tons of people travel all the time, so I guess that permit is not so hard to obtain, either legally or to buy it on the black market (just guessing for the latter). But the very fact that you need a permit to leave the town and visa to leave the country gives a person a certain mindframe and I guess nobody is questioning it, so it just doesn't need to be justified by authorities.

Secondly, I read several accounts about North Koreans travelling to China. I guess it can be done, but there is a catch - they never issue a visa for the whole family, so if you want to travel abroad, you have to leave someone behind and have to state the exact date when you'll be back and report to local offical upon return. It is a deterrent for defectors. Probably getting a visa or a passport isn't so easy and invokes a certain scrutiny, so majority of people just leave it be.

The keyword here is the mindframe - they just don't think that way or maybe even think that travelling abroad is not so important because they have their own landmarks, places to be, seaside, etc. And it surely is expencive for them.

reply