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Karla Kristina Marin - DS 100 - February 17, 2015

Problematizing Hermit Kingdom
According to the Dictionary.com, the word hermit means isolation or seclusion from
everyone. Thus, the Hermit Kingdom was defined as Korea, during 1637-1876 when all of its
connections with other countries, except China were cut off, thus resulting to the isolation of the
country during the Choson dynasty. In this period, China was closely associated with Korea that
it influenced the country on its cultural and political aspects. Korea was closed to western
countries that many from the West tried to open this closed kingdom, but in the end, it was Japan
who successfully opened the isolated country. And now, in the 21st century, the term hermit
kingdom represents North Korea.
We are all aware that North Korea is the most closed country in the world, having very
minimal foreign contact, is actually making efforts to put a stop to Chinese domination in their
country, mainly because of what they have experienced before with China, ruling Korea. Being a
hermit kingdom, the country only has one source of information to the outside world: the state-
controlled media. The North Korean government was very strict of every technological device
that its people have. For example, radios and televisions of North Korean people were being
sealed by the government. By being sealed, those devices that are being sold inside Korea were
set to fixed-tuning (that gives the government the control to whatever its citizen watches or
listens to). And if the device came from overseas, the police technicians disable the tuning
mechanism of the device, make the owner pay for it, and return it to them. They are also very
strict with the possibility of the people from the areas near the border of China watching Korean
language Chinese TV. In this place, TV receivers have channel dials, and remote controls were
banned. When it comes to publications, only citizens with security clearances have access to
foreign publications which for them is, dangerous news about the outside world. And speaking
of gathering news, ordinary people from NoKor dont have access to the Internet. The World
Wide Web was only used by the foreign embassies and some military researches. Although the
country provided a substitute which is called Kwangmyong network, only official institutions
have access to this. When it comes to travelling, until the early 2000s, people from NoKor can
only travel overseas when they have official business to attend to. Even foreign visitors in the
country were very controlled and marriages between a North Korean and a foreigner is
forbidden, which is why those who got married during the 1960s were made to divorce. With
these rules and prohibitions, those who cannot comply will have to face heavy punishments.
Being a hermit kingdom may have some advantages (keeping the traditions and ethnicity
of a country and preventing the westernization of this Asian country), but as we can see, some
rights are being violated through this kind of system. People are being restricted from everything,
keeping them from having freedom. Also, the people lack knowledge to what is happening to the
outside world which makes them clueless to the issues the world is facing. Being this isolated
from the other countries causes food impoverishment, and other problems. The people are being
treated like prisoners for they are being controlled by their government like robots. Yes, this may
be a fact, but it doesnt mean that we just have to accept it as what it is. Problematizing hermit
kingdom gives us awareness to what is happening behind the walls of North Korea, thus, giving
us a chance to make an action to help make a change to this kind of system that violates the
human rights of our fellow human beings.

References: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hermit+kingdom

http://www.historytoday.com/wilson-strand/opening-hermit-kingdom

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/north-korea-media-control-201452853742460657.html