A picture of Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which separates South Korea from North Korea
This film was about a twenty-years-old student named Haejung who have escaped from North Korea. I felt more emphathetic to this girl, because she is a teenager just like me, who still needs care and love from her family. Haejung now attend s a school called Han gye rae High School, which helps her to adapt to cultural gaps that exist between North Korea’s and South Korea’s environment. It is always a big surprise to hear how the North is vastly different from the South. Every simple task such as browsing the internet, buying movie tickets, getting on a bus or a subway, is challenging for students that have just moved into South Korea. It is hard to believe that there are still people, especially those that are this close to developed South Korea, who can’t afford to eat meals or receive electricity. The biggest problem that creates this cultural gap is that the North still brainwashes students at school that the South Korea is surrounded by Americans who massacre and steal ruthlessly. Also, only a few of children in North Korea receive proper education while most work on agricultural fields. By watching the students in the film, I also felt that it would be very devastating to be separated from their family when they are only a mile away from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Recently, in Global Issues class, I have researched the relationship of North Korea and South Korea. In the early 1900s, both government have made an effort to let separated families to unite, but only for a brief time. I wish the two government continue to establish more of this chance.
A picture of a family who have been separated for almost 50 years by the 38th parallel line
