Summary Of Captain Lee's The Martyred

Two dictators with bias opinions, both ran a country under communism and discriminated religions while other were petrified to speak up, therefore living in fear of what could happen to them. Sarah’s family, as well as many others were arrested and taken to a concentration and labor camp in France during the Holocaust. A similar action, but with slightly less extremity is taking place in North Korea at the moment, as Christians are forced to hide their religious beliefs as,” The North Korean regime has continued to position itself as one of the world’s worst persecutors of the religious, torturing and killing people who practice their faith”.   The religious discrimination in North Korea resembles much like the early years of the Holocaust  because, “The Commission has received reports that officials have arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and sometimes executed North Korean citizens who are found to have ties with overseas Christian evangelical groups operating across the border in China, as well as those who engage in unauthorized religious activities such as public religious expression and persuasion” (United States Commission on International Religious Freedom).

This particularly highlights the level of propaganda and separation from the rest of the world that is created from the political pressure that Kim Jong-Il is able to provide. Propaganda is actually so effective under the Kim family’s hands that it is the center of the little social media that exists in North

The Martyred” by Richard E. Kim Chapter 1-11 Reading Summary “The Martyred” is the novel written by Richard Kim about the Korean War and its consequences on the religious life. The first eleventh chapters of the story introduce the main character, Captain Lee, and describe his relations with his friend, Park, the ways of how they achieve the current military positions, and the tasks they have to complete during the war. The author uses the narration and a number of dialogues to describe the war’s reasons, methods, and outcomes. The idea to mix up religious and military ideas in “The Martyred” seems to be powerful indeed; still, it requires much attention from the author to every single detail like family relations, personal ambitions, and the desire to get to the truth.

One night while he was in the Army, he took a train to the river, where he swam to China. Comparing North Korea to China, he realized that they had been brainwashed. When describing his education, he said that 30 percent of their studies was about the leader and 20 percent was about the enemy aka people who were living in paradise because they had money and land. He recalls many time when people would be sent to prison because of saying a “wrong” word. A common saying, “there is an ear, even on the wall” If the people know that there is a punishment by the government for their wrongful actions, they most likely will not commit that act as a common saying amongst the people was “there is an ear, even on the wall.” Because of this fear and the brainwashing at a young age, it is common sense for North Koreans to have genuine faith in the great leader.

Following the end of World War II in 1945, a conflict arose between North and South Korea, sucking in the United States into war in order to protect its influence abroad. In the article America Becomes the World's Policeman: 1950, Richard Schwartz provides an explanation of events that led to Korean reinstatement as an independent nation from Japanese rule, division, and rise to conflict. Divided at the 38th parallel, Korea split into communist North Korea and capitalist South Korea. North Korean leader Kim Il Sung pledged to dissolve the 38th parallel uniting North and South

The Tonghak in the city of Kongju established a revolution to unite Koreans together to revolt against Japanese imperialism because some Koreans were sided with the Japanese. The Tonghak claimed, “We had to raise the Righteous Army to exterminate the Japanese. […] the entire nation is in serious danger” (Tonghak, et. al, 267). The Tonghak believed that Japan was the enemy that is hurting Korea and as a result, they decided to take arms and revolt. They name their army the Righteous Army because they believed they had the right to take action against the Japanese. Although the Tonghak are fighting for Korea independence from Japan, some Koreans are fighting alongside with the Japanese. Therefore, Tonghak preached, “it is not our intention that we Koreans should fight among ourselves. […] we are one in anti-Japanese and Chinese sentiment” (Tonghak et. al, 267) The Tonghak claimed that their revolution is not to kill Koreans but the Japanese. They

In 1945, the Korean peninsular was divided into two Koreas: South and North Korea. The geographical division turned into the ideological collision: democracy versus communism. Because of the tension along the border between South and North Korea, national security has become “a significant issue”, and “mandatory military service continues to take precedence over individual human rights” (Choi 133). Specifically, not only the Korean Ministry of Defense, but also the public in South Korea have opposed to implement the alternatives for conscientious objectors because of the concerns: “the need for equal treatment in military service” and “the fear that providing an exception will result in the decline of military strength and national security” (Choi 135-36). In this sense, “the conscientious objectors were criticized as being no more than unpatriotic deviants who ignore the serious military tension and refuse to fight against the communist North” (Cho 194). Evidently, the national sentiment has

In Korean culture, a hero is the best contender in leading the team, Korea, to victory, such that the citizens are willing to resign some of their liberties to provide a better chance at winning for the common welfare. This is demonstrated in Yi Munyol’s Our Twisted Hero through Han’s description of Om Sokdae and his blind trust from the teacher in the eyes of the class after Han’s failed attempt at driving a wedge between Sokdae and the teacher: “With Sokdae overseeing our planting project, we recorded the best results in the school.” (Munyol 28). This information highlights an important characteristic about the class and Korean culture on a higher level. Om Sokdae’s success as a class monitor combined with his charismatic personality gives

First is the postcolonial perspective itself. As the author claims, it is useful to examine the ways in which Christian missionaries and fieldworkers tend to exhibit the colonizer’s attitudes and mentality in carrying out their programs for North Korean refugees. Yet this critical point brings us to think about the geopolitical particularity, which is the Cold War, perpetuating not only as a structural problem but also as a sentiment that acts upon the prejudices against North Korea and its people. In the same vein, Korean evangelical nationalism as a historical product can be equally reexamined in critical ways.

Over the last sixty years, less than 2,500 Americans have traveled to North Korea. Neville and his travel companion, Dan were given the opportunity to travel into North Korea and experience what life is like for many North Korean individuals. During their stay, they experienced propaganda blasting over loudspeakers, signs on every street corner which read “DEFENDING THE LEADER AT THE COST OUR OUR LIFE IS OUR BEST LIFE”. This was very discomforting to read because the individuals of North Korea being told things without seeing another side of the story. During Neville and Dan’s time in North Korea, they came into a new place, having a completely different perspective of the world, and were ultimately forced to adhere to the customs and rules of the North Korean

The juche ideology, a personality cult, is oddly similar to Christian theology. The people are required to devote themselves to the Ten Principles of Life, which demands absolute submission to the Great Leader’s ideology in both action and thought. It is widely held that the purpose of life of each person to give glory, loyalty, and joy in action and thought to the Great Leaders. Kim Jong-Il’s birth entails angelic appearances. Many North Korean song lyrics are sung to Christian Hymns, and the shocking similarities can be found between the national creed and the Apostles’ Creed. Sadly, punishment of imprisonment at labor camps or death can be given to anyone found not practicing the ideas of juche. In “1984” fashion the nation is covered with a well-organized surveillance system that monitors every individual in the country The nation’s stance of intolerance towards other ideas of thought have closed it off from allowing outside cultures, religions, and philosophy to being allowed for even knowledge purposes, all done in the name of

To begin, social blindness is a way humans become blind-folded to the worldly, economic problems in the world. This problem of social blindness is not only displayed in the book, by Ayn Rand, Anthem, but also in the modern-day country of North Korea. In the documentary by National Geographic about North Korea, it is stated that no one has control over their own lives, everything is dictated by their supreme leader, Kim Jong-un. He controls over the whole country. His policy is communism. Similar to the book Anthem, he makes everyone believe how he rules is how it is supposed to be. That is wrong. He rules as almost a God-like dictator. This has been going on for so many years, it is normal for the people of North Korea, thus making them socially blind to the all the wrong attributes set forth by Kim Jong-un. This verifies the idea of citizens being indoctrinated because of authorial figures and the inhuman ways they rule. They rule as a person who is way higher or above the citizens of

“You pray for us? We pray for you! That's the problem with you American Christians and South Korean Christians!” one defector told Dr. Foley. “You have so much, you put your faith in your money and in your freedom. In North Korea we have neither money nor freedom, but we have

Many scholars who have studied of North Korea agree that the character of North Korean society seems to be similar to that of religions. It is because their attitudes towards their ruler are like that of religious believers towards gods. According to Harold Turner, Religious interaction basically

According to the Trompennaar’s culture theory, North Korea is very consistent with universalism, communitarianism, neutral, diffuse, and achieve kind of human relationships. With such culture of North Korea, it is one of the factors that makes the Koreans stick together and favor on Jack’s side, instead of Ellen’s regardless of her qualification on the job. Unlike U.S. society, which values individuals qualifications of desired skills and personality that is suitable to the job, the Korean society focus