Case Study : The Female American Consultant

1984 demonstrates a dystopian society in Oceania by presenting a relentless dictator, Big Brother, who uses his power to control the minds of his people and to ensure that his power never exhausts. Aspects of 1984 are evidently established in components of society in North Korea. With both of these society’s under a dictator’s rule, there are many similarities that are distinguished between the two. Orwell’s 1984 becomes parallel to the world of dystopia in North Korea by illustrating a nation that remains isolated under an almighty ruler.

Cultures around the world are divide by their distinctive characteristic of people, and how people interact within their society. Most cultures are driven by the way their environment has been set for them. Many of cultures have to adapt to the way their environment are due to the conditions that are set for them and the amount of resources that they are provided. The biggest drive for culture are the historical custom. Most countries continue to carry their ancestor custom so that the tradition may stay with them throughout their years, in which making other countries distinctive from one another. One of the particular country that will be discuss in this report is North Korea. In this report, I will be discussing the North Korean culture, with describing their living condition in the country, common issues that they face with on a daily bases, and common threat that they pose on other countries.

The government structure of North Korea has its existence in one man, Kim Jong Un. It existed in his father, Kim Jong Il, before him, and in his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, before him. North Korea has one of the few successful hereditary dictatorships based on a personalistic regime where the leaders are worshipped as almost a deity (after Kim Il-sung’s death he was made “eternal president”) creating a dynastic transfer of power (Aoki, 2012). In China the one party of the Chinese Communist Party will rule as an Authoritarian body over the nation, but in North Korea the sole power rest dangerously in the arms of one person. Some of the reason for this dissimilarity between the two government structures lies in the country’s differing political cultures.

As a result of the regimes isolationist policy the people of North Korea suffered greatly in both mental and physical health. The hold the state had over the beliefs of the citizens presented in “Nothing to Envy”, varied from absolute belief to uncomfortable awareness. The reader is presented often with Mrs. Song’s dedication to the regime, and Kim Il-sung himself. A mother of four she was often gone from home, working and attending ideological training sessions. “Fridays she stayed especially late for self-criticism. In these sessions members of her work unit- the department to which she was assigned- would reveal to the group anything they had done wrong—Mrs. Song would usually say, in all sincerity, that she feared she wasn’t working hard enough” (Pg. 43).When Kim Il-sung died, she

Wendy E. Simmons once believed children would display what a country's main motivations were. Throughout the chapter, Simmons showed personal growth, by changing her preconceived notions. With the changing of these notions her personal growth was immense, she was able to open up her mind to new ideas, different types of situations. The hardships Simmons faced in the schools, and the feelings she had about North Korea as a country, aided in her learning of a life lesson to never go into to a situation having preconceived notions. Simmons preconceived ideas about children, of the country in which they live, were challenged by her trip to North Korea.

Kim has seen Vietnam in flames, been in a communist re-education camp and moved to Canada, where her parents have very little money as they work minimum wage jobs. With the help of her parents, she is given opportunities and is able to pick out the positive things in life. She is able to reflect upon the hardships her parents faced such as being put in a communist camp and having to lose everything and move to Canada. Despite being very uncomfortable and not understanding a thing the teacher or other are saying, she is able to find happiness in the little things many people would skip over or take for granted. Her negative

Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick provides insight into the lives of North Korean defectors while in North Korea. Their accounts give inside information about the North Korean regime which makes it possible to analyze to what extent society was an egalitarian utopia. The interview reveals that people were discriminated by social class as evident by those who were richer, and thus in a higher social strata, having more opportunities for success. There was also economic inequity which was apparent by people having different degrees of struggle. However, the problems North Koreans faced was similar, which showed there was some equality from their struggles. Overall, the interviewees give accounts which contradict the idea that the North Korean regime was promoting egalitarianism through their accounts which give counterexamples regarding social class and economic status, so their claim of egalitarianism is mostly false.

Suzy’s inability to find her identity reinforces itself in her ineptitude in keeping a steady job. She provides a list of her previous occupations, none of which lasted more than a matter of months. Intriguingly, the one job that she has stuck with is that of an interpreter. Despite her detachment to either American or Korean culture, she willingly delves into a job where she is forced to see and feel the different aspects of both cultures through language. What appeals to her is the fact that, “Both sides need her desperately, but she in fact, belongs to neither” (15). She finds safety in limbo, without the weights of cultural formalities and responsibilities looming over her. However, she does feel sympathy for the Koreans because she

Understanding how North Korea as a country defines itself in a changing world. Where do they derive their customs and practices, political standings and military power? Define North Korea’s history leading into the modern age and define its culture and characteristics and how they interact with the world today. Understanding a subject as broad as the term culture begins where the culture began with the birth of civilization and the people that influenced it. There are many factors that play a role in the shaping of a nation none so much as turmoil and conflict and the Korean peninsula saw its fair share for the better part of a millennia. A complete statistical breakdown of North Korea shows a struggling nation that strongly depends on

Elllen’s female identity made her an alienated participant in the work place in Korea, whose culture is dominantly masculine. The acceptance of her came in and took responsibility as the senior member of the project was early based on a compromise of her obtaining of required skills, however, her identity as a female was constantly reemphasized in the company’s social events.

South Koreans cultural dimensions differ largely from the US. According to Hofstede’s models South Koreans cultural dimensions are uncertainty avoidance, collectivist, and long term orientation. The US dimensions include individualism, masculinity, and they have low rankings in uncertainty avoidance, long term orientation and power distance (Hofstede 2009). These differences mean that negotiation factors, communication, leadership techniques and issues such as time must be dealt with differently in these cultures. It shows that greater planning and understanding needs to take place in order to successfully penetrate different regions as they have vastly different values, needs and

Read the case: Kelly’s Assignment in Japan (Chapter 9 pages: 363-365) posted on Connect learning platform –study reflectively and identify the characters and the principal issues in this case.

South Korea appears in the first quadrant of Figure 2.2 in which states that the country has a culture with relatively larger power distance and lower individualism. South Korea has a relatively large power distance due to the country’s strong emphasis in respecting for one’s elders and superiors. This cultural belief is deeply

Kelly’s company put her in an unrealistic situation of requiring an answer within two days of extending her the position abroad. Kelly’s company should not have assumed because she had great success in business relationships in London and Germany, which have similar cultures to the United States, it would have implied she would have been just as successful in Japan. The company lacked in preparing her in the customs and cultural ways of the Japanese, instead only considering the financial compensation as enough motivating factor. The company should have provided training of Japanese for the family, assisted in Joe’s networking in Tokyo to locate a job and should have been readily available for Kelly’s family with any questions and provide timely follow-up. Kelly lacked in doing her due diligence into the Japanese culture and fully understand what it would take to move her family abroad. A little research on her part into Japanese culture, customs and etiquette would have provided her with forethought on how to handle herself in Japanese

In this interview Ben Bagley asks Theresa Han about the difference between Korean and American culture. Theresa is a teenager who recently moved to the United States so she has an excellent perspective for understanding the differences and similarities between these countries.