Korean protester spreads democracy's message by balloon and flashdrive
As funny as the idea of a video game starring Kim Jong Un might be, how North Korea treats its people isn't exactly a laughing matter. As a child of officials who were part of the North Korea's Workers Party, Park Sang Hak didn't have much to worry about. His family was part of the country's elite and wondering where their next meal would come from wasn't part of daily routine. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, however, when Hak saw the government starving its people he was overcome with guilt, and he defected to South Korea. As a direct result, two of Hak's uncles were arrested as political criminals by North Korea's State Security Department and executed as political enemies. He responded by putting a technological spin on South's previous form of protest: sending propaganda pamphlets north by balloon. His version entailed floating DVDs and USB flash drives containing, among other things, videos about Samsung and Hyundai -- evidence of the south's economic prosperity under democracy.
Despite repeated death threats, he continues on -- even sending DVDs with a rap video showing the deceased former leader Kim Il Sung as a transvestite in heels and a bustier, and as a portly Elvis wannabe.
While Park's efforts to fight the power are valiant, he's still at the mercy of Mother Nature. One launch of his balloons wound up in Seoul due to strong southern winds, and critics say that the airborne messages don't often make it beyond the demilitarized zone because of wind patterns. Park remains steadfast in his mission, though, saying that hundreds of the some 27,000 defectors in South Korea have told him they've seen his materials. While that might not seem like many in the grand scheme of things, it's enough to keep him pressing on. Be sure to check out his full story in the source links.
[Image credit: Associated Press]
