Too Ill for Freedom?

There has been a bit of discussion of the Shin Dong Hyok article (here and here) about the mental health of Shin and millions of other North Koreans. The perception is that because of the environment that is North Korea, if the regime collapses and the borders open up, it is like releasing millions of potential sociopaths upon the world. This perception, in some people’s minds, seem as another justification to put off reunification and keep the regime afloat a little longer.

There’s no doubt that over 60 years of brainwashing will be a big obstacle for North Koreans adapting into the rest of the civilized world, call me naive but I guess I have more faith in humanity than most people. There is always evidence of North Koreans taking matters regarding their own survival into their own hands. And Shin Dong Hyok, despite only hearing about the outside world from a companion, risked life and limb to reach the unknown is a testament of my faith. I do not know why some people are fixated on his attitude towards his family, considering that he rarely saw them thanks to KJI social engineering.

The regime of Kim Jong-Il is responsible for the mental health of millions of starving, imprisoned, tortured North Koreans. If there is a group of people who ought to be deprived of their freedom, it is Kim and his enablers.