To Kim Jong –Un
I hereby introduce myself as Mrs. Song, a woman born on the last day of the Second War II. I grew up in Chongjin near the railroad station, where my father worked station. However, the railroad was a major target for the American –led U.N forces as tried to break the communication lines for the communists. The events that transpired during this period were terrifying for everyone. I remember it as it was yesterday when the USS Missouri and other battleships roared overhead scaring both adults and children. Some of the aircraft flew so low that I could see the pilots. I remember my mother could drag me and my other five siblings to the mountains to keep us from danger. We could return to the neighborhood and sleep in hole our neighbor had dug. Our hearts were broken when my mother returned from checking up on our father and informed me that he had been killed. Therefore, just like any other North Korean, I have experienced the war that happened in our country.
I would like you to remember how devoted I was to Kim 11-Sung government. Despite having four children, I worked six days a week at Chosun Clothing factory. Since North Korea was short of men, women were expected to keep the factory going. After work, I was required to spend more hours in ideological training, where I go training to fight against U.S imperialism. I sacrificed the time I would spend with my time with children just to work under the Kin II sung regime. I must confirm that I was one of the people who were molded into Kim’s improved human beings. I worked hard to support Kim’s regime which to build better people as well as reshape human nature. I loved everything about Kim II Sung. For instance, while other women disliked wearing Kim II –sung pins since they made holes and rust on their clothes, but I did not worry about a thing. I could even swab a cloth on his portraits every morning. This is enough evidence that I lived according to Kim II-sung teachings.
My predicaments as a mother and a North Korean started in the 1990s. During this period, the North Koreans faced numerous challenges, especially due to the reduction of the Berlin War. Water and electricity became an issue in the country. For instance, the running water, which was pride for every woman, stopped. I spent time pumping water from the public pump making life more difficult. At the factory, we also experienced numerous problems that made life in North Korea more difficult. For example, in 1988 fabric shipment began to delay making the activities at the factory come to a standstill. When asked what happened were informed that the issue was in Hamhung. We struggled to ensure that we had something to bring home to the children. In some instances, I spent some days collecting some scrap metals from the sewage that came gushing out of pipes under the shadow of steelworks. However, I must confess that I did not like getting my feet wet. At the end of the day, the superintendent would weigh the metal to make that every unit attained its quota. Although we got to a point where we got no money, we could not dare quite a job.
The situation at the factory was not getting any better, until one day the manager came in and asked me to find something that could bring food to my children. Although the manager was not referring to prostitution, she could be suggesting that I work in a black market. Initially, I thought getting in a black market was a sleazy idea. I could not imagine myself squatting with the older women shouting out the prices of the commodities we were selling. I mingled with women who smoked pipes despite the North Korean taboo against smoking. However, I had no choice but to join the black market, which changed my life including my appearance. I needed some income to enable me to feed my children. This was a time a decided to go to the black market and bought ten cartons of cigarettes.
My intention was not to flee to South Korea; rather I was going to seek my daughter Oak-hee whom I believed that she was working in China only to find out my daughter tricked me to defect from North Korea. Sometimes later, I found that the daughter I left in North Korea was serving a jail term since I had defected from the country. The news was traumatizing, as I could not imagine that my daughter was paying for a crime she did not do. Since then, I have never known people knowing that she is innocent. I know you already know my story and how much I have been patriotic to North Koreas, especially to your grandfather King II sung. I have never thought of doing any harm to the country or the North Korean government. It is my plea that you consider any act of kindness I have done to the country and release my daughter from prison. If my daughter is released, I would be forever grateful for you and to your government.