[INTERVIEW] 'North Korean women have no one to turn to in domestic violence'

By Jung Da-min

Lim Soon-hee

In a photo North Korea's party mouthpiece Rodong Sinmun published on Monday, the 72nd anniversary of the country's gender equality act, men are buying flowers for their wives, mothers and women teachers.

In July, Choson Sinbo, a pro-North Korea outlet in Tokyo, reported on the North's non-smoking movement, saying many want to quit smoking "for their wives."

It indicates North Korean men treat their women well, but that does not reflect the reality of North Korean women, many experts and defectors say.

"The term, 'domestic violence,' does not exist in North Korea," said Lim Soon-hee, a researcher at the Institute of Peace-Sharing, a Catholic think tank that focuses on the reconciliation of the two Koreas. "For them, it is so natural that women 'serve' men."

According to Lim, who also worked as a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of National Unification, even young North Korean women think it natural that they could be "beaten" to serve their husbands better.

"For example, from what I heard from defector women I've met, wives often get beaten for not serving their drunk husbands well, soothing and putting them to sleep," she said. "Even young North Korean women think the same way."

This collective ignorance of women's rights stems from the country's patriarchal culture.

The leader of North Korea is "father," the central Rodong Party is "mother" and North Korean residents are all "brothers." This basic concept of brotherhood is deep-rooted among North Korean households.

The concept of predominance of men over women is also prevalent in North Korea, Lim said.

"Unless there is a change in that concept, it is unlikely that things will change," she said.

Unfortunately, changes hardly occur in North Korea. North Korean residents don't have an alternative to compare with.

Chances for change, however, still exist, as more North Korean women are now leading the country's economy.

"Paradoxically, the male-dominated society has put women in the front of economic activities, since feeding the family has been considered as a woman's role," Lim said. "After the country went through economic hardships in 1990s, the so-called Arduous March, many North Korean women started to make some products and sell them at a market called Jangmadang. Some went to China and saw the outside world."

Some women, though they were in the minority, started to rebel against their husbands, Lim said.

"Their rebels were not very successful, but one thing is true, that many women have got economic power and this has made them think they can also speak up."