NOTE: Interested in North Korea?

I have been, once again, delving into Asian history. I am currently reading (and, frankly, weeping) through THE RAPE OF NANKING by Iris Chang. It is the long hidden story, backed by pages and pages of meticulous research, of the Japanese occupation of the ancient Chinese city of Nanking. The atrocities committed outnumber anything the Nazis did during the same period; in fact, a high-ranking member of the Nazi party, John Rabe, witnessed these events, obtained film footage from a local missionary, and sent it to Hitler hoping that Hitler might intervene (he did not). The rapes, murders, and excecutions are well-documented and photgraphed by missionaries, medical workers, and survivors. It is in direct result of this incident that the Japanese began kidnapping "comfort women" from Korea, China, and the Phillipines, to prevent these wanton rapes and murders.

If you are interested in this incident, an excellent website is:

http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/ChinaHistory/rape.html

Be warned, the photos (some taken by Japanese soldiers as "trophies") are not for the faint-hearted.

I have searched the internet for the film footage by Epsicopalian priest John McGee, but it is locked up in a museum in Los Angeles, though it "tours" from time to time. If you read the book, be warned, it is gruesome, and, as stated above, the photos are beyond disturbing. If you have a genuine interest in a forgotten piece of World War II history, then this is an excellent start. Although the first half of the book is dedicated to the gory details, the second half deals with the heroes. Ms. Chang paints an even-handed picture, and one can even sense some sympathy for some of the Japanese soldiers.

Iris Chang, for those of you who may not know, was a Chinese American from San Jose. Her writing style is sympathetic yet hard-hitting. Unfortunately, two years ago she shot herself in the head after a post-partum breakdown complicated by the nature of her research. Her books deal with the tramatic, and often times, enigmatically brutal, incidents of Asian history.

I mention this because the longer I live here, the less I understand this place. Many things I will never understand, nor should I expect to. South Korea is quite mum on the North; although opinions flow freely, no one seems to offer hard evidence in the local media. I think the issue of North Korea still gets heavily censored here. With good cause, given that the enemy is at the gates!

While in America, I was fortunate to view a documentary, filmed by some Dutch journalists, of North Korea. It is a recent film, and the journalists don't quite know what to make of the Hermit Kingdom. The thing that strikes the journalists and the viewers is how silent Pyungyang is. There are almost no people on the street, and interaction with locals is strictly limited. We are left more bemused than enlightened by this film, as we are intended to be.

I was just online researching trips to North Korea; there is one leaving in November from Seoul that I might be able to get on. Of course, we will be heavily guarded, and our movements will be restricted. If I go, I will of course document it. That said, I found video footage that is a little more enlightening on North Korea.

A very brave young man filmed his adventures (and nearly got imprisoned) in the North. You can find his footage at:

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=alilameda

He was able to speak with actual residents, and, although the camera quality is poor, you can see more of the country. I hope this young man will get the footage edited and organized into his own documentary so that it may reach a wider audience.