DPRK Decides to Release American Trespasser
Pyongyang, February 5 (KCNA) -- As already reported, the relevant organ of the DPRK conducted an investigation into Robert Park, an American national who was caught for trespassing on the northern border of the DPRK.
According to the results of the investigation, he trespassed on the border due to his wrong understanding of the DPRK.
The relevant organ of the DPRK decided to leniently forgive and release him, taking his admission and sincere repentance of his wrong doings into consideration.
And now the "interview" with Robert Park:The thing to note about North Korean propaganda is that it often is built around a grain of truth. It turns out that the Stupogants™ (Laura Ling and Euna Lee) really did willingly cross into North Korean territory, which had been thought by so many to be an utter fabrication on the part of the DPRK propagandists. Reread the KCNA reports on the Stupogants™ and see how much of it was actually true, although presented self-servingly for optimal propaganda purposes.American Trespasser Interviewed
Pyongyang, February 5 (KCNA) -- As already reported, American national Robert Park was detained for trespassing on the northern border of the DPRK in December last year.
He was interviewed by KCNA at his proposal while he was under investigation by the relevant organ of the DPRK.
At the interview, he said that he was taken in by the false rumor spread by the West and committed a criminal act in the end.
He went on to say:
I trespassed on the border due to my wrong understanding of the DPRK caused by the false propaganda made by the West to tarnish its image.
The West is massively feeding "Children of Secret State", "Seoul Train" and other documentary videos with stories about non-existent "human rights abuses" and "mass killings" in the DPRK and "unbearable sufferings" of its Christians and the like.
This false propaganda prompted me, a Christian, to entertain a biased view on the DPRK.
So I didn't know what to do at that time. I just prayed and fasted and that was my initial response, but year by year more news reports, international media reports came and there were more videos saying the same thing, in fact, saying that it was getting worse, and so that's why I started to become more and more distraught. If there are people in concentration camps, if Christians are dying like this, if there is starvation I have to die with them. If I help them I would go to Heaven but if I don't help them I would go to Hell.
At last I made up my mind to go to the DPRK.
Upon trespassing on the border, I thought I would be either shot to death by soldiers or thrown behind bars, prompted by Americans' false propaganda about the DPRK.
However, the moment I trespassed on the border, the attitude of soldiers toward the trespasser made me change my mind.
Not only service personnel but all those I met in the DPRK treated me in a kind and gentlemanly manner and protected my rights.
I have never seen such kind and generous people.
People have been incredibly kind and generous here to me, very concerned for my physical health as never before in my life. I mean, my family, of course, is concerned about my physical health but people here have been constantly concerned and I'm very thankful for their love.
Another shocking fact I experienced during my stay in the DPRK is that the religious freedom is fully ensured in the DPRK, a reality different from what is claimed by the West.
Being a devout Christian, I thought such things as praying are unimaginable in the DPRK due to the suppression of religion.
I, however, gradually became aware that I was wrong.
Everybody neither regarded praying as something unusual nor disturbed it. I was provided with conditions for praying everyday as I wished.
What astonished me more was that a bible was returned to me.
This fact alone convinced me that the religious freedom is fully ensured in the DPRK.
I came to have stronger belief as I had an opportunity to attend the service in the Pongsu Church in Pyongyang.
I worshipped and there, there was the Jondosa, there, there was a pastor, there was a choir, they knew the hymns, they knew the word of God. That's why I was completely amazed. But I began to weep and weep in the Christian service because I learned that there are churches and Christians such as Pongsu Kyohoe (Church) in different cities and regions all throughout the DPRK. They worship, pray and preach freely the word of the Bible and Christ word. I've learned that in the DPRK people can read and believe whatever they want, whenever they want, wherever they want, that there's complete religious freedom for all people everywhere throughout the DPRK.
What I have seen and heard in the DPRK convinced me that I misunderstood it. So I seriously repented of the wrong I committed, taken in by the West's false propaganda.
I would not have committed such crime if I had known that the DPRK respects the rights of all the people and guarantees their freedom and they enjoy a happy and stable life.
I have felt shock, embarrassment, shame. Here I'm in the lands where people respect human rights and, not just respecting human rights, they have actually loved me and showed me more than just human rights. They have shown me grace. I repent and ask for forgiveness to the DPRK for my misunderstanding totally DPRK's reality and my criminal illegal behavior. Had I known the reality of the DPRK, what I've learned here, what I have been shown here, what I've been taught here, what I've been informed here by all the kind people here about the DPRK, I would have never done what I did on the December 25th and I repent and I'm very sorry.
Prompted by my desire to redeem the crime I committed against the government of the DPRK, I would make every effort to let those who misunderstand the DPRK properly know what I experienced here so they may have a correct understanding of it.
He, as a Christian, expressed his will to earnestly pray so reunification may be achieved and peace settle on the Korean Peninsula as early as possible.
And that makes me wonder what part of the interview is actually true. Could the naïve Robert Park who strode so confidently into DPRK territory with a message of peace and human rights also naïvely came to believe that Pyongyang really offers religious freedom to the citizens who want it, just because they let him go to the one church in town and they gave him back his Bible?
I wonder if he is going to disown this interview and speak out against the regime, or will he remain silent now that he's free? Worse yet, maybe he plans to speak on Pyongyang's behalf, now that he's seen their version of the light.
Stupogant 2.0. (And a HT to cmm, why not?)
It might be that they tortured him so heavily that he couldn't help saying what he was told to say
ReplyDeleteMaybe, maybe not. As I've written in the comments section here, I think there's a good chance that he was duped by the b.s. paraded in front of him, including an operating church (yes, there is one!).
ReplyDeleteThis is an extraordinary piece of propaganda, if it is so. I assume that the English is translated from Korean. Do you know?
ReplyDeleteWhat impresses me is the level of detail. We can imagine his experience in North Korea. We are also allowed to see the conflict of his emotions as his experience leads him to reject the "propaganda of the 'West.'"
The narrative is so detailed and so subdued we actually question whether it is indeed propaganda--and whether this is his true feeling on the matter. I am sure everyone expected any propaganda to sound strangely off-key, expounding the virtues of the Great Leader and announcing that North Korea is a worker's paradise. And so on.
If he starts telling the press that this is his true feeling, then I can only facepalm in response. I only hope that if it so that he will not try to interfere with human rights supporters trying to do real good.
lollabrats, here's an update. Since winter 2010, he has been making clear he's still against the regime.
ReplyDelete