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This is what it's like to go undercover in North Korea | Suki Kim
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This is what it's like to go undercover in North Korea | Suki Kim

Introduction and Background

The speaker introduces themselves as someone who lived undercover in North Korea for six months in 2011. They were born and raised in South Korea but currently live in America. The speaker had previously visited North Korea a few times and realized that to truly understand the country, they needed to immerse themselves completely.

  • In 2011, the speaker lived undercover in North Korea for six months.
  • The speaker was born and raised in South Korea, which is considered an enemy by North Korea.
  • The speaker currently lives in America, which is also seen as an enemy by North Korea.
  • Previous visits to North Korea made the speaker realize that total immersion was necessary to understand the country beyond its propaganda.

Teaching at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology

The speaker posed as a teacher and missionary at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST), an all-male university founded by Evangelical Christians. PUST educates the sons of the North Korean elite without proselytizing. The students are expected to be future leaders of the isolated dictatorship.

  • The speaker posed as a teacher and missionary at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST).
  • PUST was founded by Evangelical Christians who cooperate with the regime.
  • PUST educates the sons of the North Korean elite without proselytizing.
  • The students at PUST are expected to become future leaders of North Korea.

Total Control and Propaganda

North Korea is described as a nation where everything revolves around worshiping the Great Leader. Every aspect of life is centered on Kim Il-Sung, including books, newspapers, songs, TV programs, flowers named after him, and mountains carved with his slogans. Citizens are required to wear a badge of the Great Leader at all times.

  • North Korea is a nation where everything revolves around worshiping the Great Leader.
  • Every aspect of life, including books, newspapers, songs, and TV programs, focuses on Kim Il-Sung.
  • The citizens of North Korea are required to wear a badge of the Great Leader at all times.

Total Control in Education

The speaker describes the heavily guarded prison-like environment at PUST. Teachers can only leave accompanied by an official minder and are limited to sanctioned national monuments celebrating the Great Leader. Students are not allowed to leave campus or communicate with their parents. Their days are strictly scheduled and any free time is devoted to honoring the Great Leader.

  • Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) has a heavily guarded prison-like environment.
  • Teachers can only leave campus on group outings accompanied by an official minder.
  • Trips are limited to sanctioned national monuments celebrating the Great Leader.
  • Students at PUST are not allowed to leave campus or communicate with their parents.
  • Their days are meticulously scheduled, and any free time is dedicated to honoring the Great Leader.

Discovering Lies

The speaker starts playing a game called "Truth and Lie" with their students as an attempt to reveal some truth about them. However, it becomes apparent that lies are deeply ingrained in their lives due to propaganda and indoctrination. Critical thinking is not allowed in their world.

  • The speaker plays a game called "Truth and Lie" with their students.
  • Lies seem hazy for the students as they have been taught lies or lie out of habit.
  • Critical thinking is not allowed in their world due to propaganda and indoctrination.

Challenges in Teaching

The speaker finds it nearly impossible to teach essay writing to the students because they are simply told what to think and obey. Critical thinking is not allowed, making it difficult for them to come up with their own thesis and make evidence-based arguments.

  • Teaching essay writing proves to be nearly impossible.
  • Students are told what to think and obey, leaving no room for critical thinking.

Revealing True Feelings

The speaker assigns the students the task of writing personal letters as homework. Over time, some students begin to write letters expressing their true feelings, revealing their frustration with the sameness of everything.

  • The speaker assigns the students the task of writing personal letters.
  • Some students start expressing their true feelings in these letters.
  • They reveal their frustration with the lack of variety in their lives.

This summary covers only a portion of the transcript provided.

Living in North Korea: A Personal Experience

This section provides insights into the experiences of living in North Korea, focusing on the relationships formed with young men and the challenges faced in sharing the truth.

Living with Young Men

  • The narrator spent time with young men in North Korea.
  • They ate meals and played basketball together.
  • The narrator referred to them as gentlemen, which made them giggle.
  • They blushed at the mention of girls.
  • The narrator developed a deep affection for them.

Sharing the Truth

  • The narrator wondered if revealing the truth about their country and the outside world would improve their lives.
  • However, sharing the truth was dangerous for them due to potential persecution and heartbreak.
  • In a personal letter, a student expressed understanding of why they were called gentlemen - it symbolized wishing them to be gentle in life.

A Letter to My Students

This section explores a hypothetical letter from the narrator to her students, reflecting on their time together and expressing wishes for their future.

Reflecting on Their Time Together

  • It has been over three years since they last saw each other.
  • The students had only one wish during their time together - for the narrator to speak Korean to them once.
  • Despite being there to teach English, they wanted to share a bond through their mother tongue.

Wishes for Their Future

  • The narrator doesn't want them to lead a revolution or take risks due to constant surveillance in North Korea.
  • She hopes they live long and safe lives as soldiers of their Great Leader.

Pyongyang: Beauty and Darkness

This section delves into the perception of Pyongyang's beauty and its symbolic meaning within North Korea.

Perception of Pyongyang's Beauty

  • The students asked if Pyongyang was beautiful, hoping to hear the narrator's affirmation.
  • The narrator couldn't truthfully declare it as beautiful because of its symbolic representation - a monster that feeds off the rest of the country.
  • Despite her perception, she cannot hate their home and hopes they can make it beautiful in the future.

The transcript is already in English.

Channel: TED
Video description

For six months, Suki Kim worked as an English teacher at an elite school for North Korea's future leaders — while writing a book on one of the world's most repressive regimes. As she helped her students grapple with concepts like "truth" and "critical thinking," she came to wonder: Was teaching these students to seek the truth putting them in peril? (This talk was part of a session at TED2015 guest-curated by Pop-Up Magazine: popupmagazine.com or @popupmag on Twitter.) TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more. Find closed captions and translated subtitles in many languages at http://www.ted.com/talks/suki_kim_this_is_what_it_s_like_to_teach_in_north_korea Follow TED news on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tednews Like TED on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TED Subscribe to our channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector