North Korean Culture and Society in the Works of Blaine Harden, Hyeonseo Lee and Yeonmi Park

Abstract

The prominent goal of this paper is to examine North Korean culture and society in the select works of Blaine Harden’s Escape from Camp 14, Hyeonseo Lee’s The Girl with Seven Names, and Yeonmi Park’s In Order to Live. The research explores how these works highlight the challenges of escaping tyranny and assimilating into a new culture while offering information on the evolution of culture and identities through cultural study. The personal accounts of North Korean defectors offer priceless insights into life under a repressive system as well as the difficulties experienced by those who manage to flee such inhumane conditions. This evaluates how the protagonists, Yeonmi Park, Hyeonseo Lee, and Shin Dong Hyuk depict the challenges and victories of their journeys. This research reveals the unheard voices and untold tales of the sufferings endured by the brave individuals in a brutal regime, who have crossed borders which serves as a limelight for other nations who are unaware of North Korea.