This article really is an eye opener to the world. It stated the issues in Asia. This article is available at http://www.time.com/time/asia/covers/501060501/story.html.
The article written by Bill Powell of the TIME magazine is all about the issue between the North Korean citizens which came to China illegally and the Chinese government. It's primary purpose is to write about the forced migration of the Korean citizens back to their own native land with certain imprisonment terms. The article expressed it's thoughts about the issue, and the events like the taking part of the Bush Administration in the United States against the Korean government, the support given by the Christian groups to help Korean refugees out of China, which was lead by Reverend Tim Peters. The article also mentioned about the tragic experiences of a Korean refugee and her life to China and how they were brutally treated in prison by the Chinese government.
As I read the article, I was moved by the story of the woman who was forced to abort her child and brutally treated inside the prison; they were not given enough food to eat, they were treated worse than an animal in their cage. The article was written in an honorable manner, without bias in both parties. He vulgarly write the controversies that happened both in China and North Korea. The thoughts were well expressed and the contents were fair and just, and is really relevant for the world view today. The messages were clearly stated.
China wanted to migrate North Korean illegal aliens out from their country. Somehow, I could not blame China if they want to repatriate those Koreans who were in China illegally. They were just trying to protect their countries from intruders, for instances, and maintain the stability of their beloved country. It is, somehow, the fault of the Korean who entered China knowing that they don't have legal documents. I assumed that they must knew it before they take moves in entering China.
The alien people is not the only one to be blamed but also the North Korean government for they are the responsible for his people yet it remained quiet and seemed like it doesn't care for his people. It is stated by Bill Powell in the article according to Rev. Peters “...Shamed, be means, by it's instinction, and by its lack of attention.” I assumed that the Korean government really did nothing because, a person can not say bad about the government unless he observed it. As I read this phrase I was shocked and I felt anger to the government as Peters described it. In addition to this there was an article written also by Bill Powell about the governance in North Korea. One question that was formulated in my mind, what is the role of the government if not for his people? The government should protect and help his citizens who are in need not just for their own intentions. It is one of the reasons why Korean chooses to live in China rather than in North Korea because of it's governance, which is also like a prison.
It is not wrong nor a mistake to push those illegal aliens away from your territory but not in a brutal way. China treated the prisoners worse than an animal in a cage. There is a scarcity of food and the prisoners only eat the remains of the apples eaten by the guards was really not humane. Though, they say that it is a way of disciplining those who violates the law but it is really exaggerated and they don't have the right to treat these people like an animal. They don't even have the privilege to abort the unborn child from Kim Myong Suk. Instead of doing these stupid things, why don't they return them directly to their native lands?
Geography had affected these issues, in the first place North Korea lies northeast of China were most prison and events takes place. It is really obvious that China is overpowering North Korea and they are abusing it. We all know that China has a bigger territory and boundaries than that of North Korea and it is economically richer that Korea.
The lack of attention by the Bush administration triggers this issue, because in this time, North Korea and Bush had a misunderstanding. In the article President Bush said that he hate the President Kim Jong Il. Another related article stated that Korea rejects new talks with the United States and described the President George W. Bush as “imbecile” and “tyrant” who was worse than Adolf Hitler(Spacewar, 2004). I suggest that the United Nations must took place and solve this problem between China and Korean refugees.
The Christian contribute a lot in the escapo of the Korean refugees, because they were the one who helped and exerted more effort to free the citizens than the North Korea Government, itself. They helped the aliens out of China by constructing underground railroads and making routes through Laos for safety. They made strategies and plans to bring back the Korean citizens safe.
These Korean citizens experienced a traumatic event from the hands of China. I can relate this story between Malaysia and Philippines, years ago, when Malaysia deport the Filipino domestic helpers from Sabbah back to the Philippines but I think, it is not as brutal with North Korean refugees. The worse thing is, even those who have legal documents were included in the issues, where in fact, Sabbah should be a territory of the Philippines.
Another which is closer to the issue is the African-American slavery where they also made underground railroads in order to escape from the states in America. “..an African American could better understand the absolute necessity of helping these refugees” for they had experienced almost the same brutality.
This event contributed a lot not only in the history of Asia but also for the views of the people in Asia. It opened the eyes of many Asian that freedom is something everyone wants to have at some point in time.
