This was initially so severe that the country was forced to rely on foreign aid, though much of this aid did not reach its intended recipients. This situation has not been helped by famine that occurred in the 1990s.

Inequality is acute, and the majority of the population lives in poverty.

The only people living in luxury in North Korea are members of the Kim dynasty who reside in country manors complete with shooting ranges, basketball courts, and movie theatres. However, the author points out that even the core class lived a relatively modest lifestyle that pales in comparison to a South Korean city such as Seoul. Such individuals were only allowed to work in factories and mines. Harden elaborates that Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s then-leader, instigated a caste system in 1957 which divided North Korea’s populace into three social strata: the “core” class lived in the capital city of Pyongyang and often served in government and military positions, the wavering or neutral class worked as teachers or technicians, and the lowest class was made up of people suspected of opposing the government, as well as their relatives. Neither he nor Shin had done anything to warrant being in the camp, yet, in North Korea, the concept of bloodline is paramount. Shin’s father, for instance, was arrested because of his brother’s actions. It should be noted that prisoners did not have commit a crime to find themselves in the camp, as individuals could be imprisoned as a result of guilt by association. As Shin was born in the labor camp, he grew up knowing nothing of the outside world and accepted the camp’s regime of brutality and deceit unquestioningly.

Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden