Date of Award

Spring 2021

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Historical & Political Studies; College of Arts & Sciences

First Advisor

Dr. Jennifer Riggan

Abstract

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, more commonly known as North Korea, is most commonly known for its possession and testing of nuclear weapons and threatening to use these weapons of mass destruction. Less commonly talked about are the human rights violations that are being experienced by the citizens of North Korea. Most, if not all, of the information regarding North Korean human rights that have been reported on comes from individuals who have escaped the Kim regime. There is very limited information traveling in and out of North Korea that is not heavily monitored by the government. These individuals who have escaped the Kim regime tell of horrible conditions and abuses North Korean citizens face every day. The North Korean government has tight control over the lives of every citizen living within the borders by using fear to control their movements, actions, and beliefs. The government implements fear into the lives of its citizens by implementing public displays of power to show the nation’s strength to its citizens, use secret police to spy on its citizens, displays of violence and executions by the military or law enforcement are not uncommon, as well as the use of inhumane treatment and torture of individuals who are imprisoned in political prisons, and repercussions an action can have on one's family for a crime committed by a family member. Literature written by Michael Taussig, Alexander Hinton, Achille Mbembe, and many other authors will be used to further explore how fear is being used as a method of control by the North Korean government.

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North Korea: How Fear is Used to Control a Nation

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, more commonly known as North Korea, is most commonly known for its possession and testing of nuclear weapons and threatening to use these weapons of mass destruction. Less commonly talked about are the human rights violations that are being experienced by the citizens of North Korea. Most, if not all, of the information regarding North Korean human rights that have been reported on comes from individuals who have escaped the Kim regime. There is very limited information traveling in and out of North Korea that is not heavily monitored by the government. These individuals who have escaped the Kim regime tell of horrible conditions and abuses North Korean citizens face every day. The North Korean government has tight control over the lives of every citizen living within the borders by using fear to control their movements, actions, and beliefs. The government implements fear into the lives of its citizens by implementing public displays of power to show the nation’s strength to its citizens, use secret police to spy on its citizens, displays of violence and executions by the military or law enforcement are not uncommon, as well as the use of inhumane treatment and torture of individuals who are imprisoned in political prisons, and repercussions an action can have on one's family for a crime committed by a family member. Literature written by Michael Taussig, Alexander Hinton, Achille Mbembe, and many other authors will be used to further explore how fear is being used as a method of control by the North Korean government.