What is noticeable in the reading is that the author describes North Korea through interviews and her own negative point of view. I also noticed that the North Koreans were more conservative with their lifestyle. I feel that the North Koreans were sheltered within their culture and their relationships. In the text, the teenage interviewee Mi-Ran mentions how she did not know how babies were conceived.
I also notice the main differences between North and South Korea. Back in the 90s North Korea was sitting in total darkness while their “Pro-American Cousins”(Demick) in South Korea were living with electricity. This may have created a bitterness between the North Koreans and Americans. The benefit of not having electricity was that they could share their secret love affairs . For example, just like our Hawaiian caste systems it is similar to those of the North Korean culture.
Throughout the story I feel that the leaders of North Korea, Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il wants to put an end to carbon dioxide and pollution. To preserve his people after the war they went through, I believe he wants to make the best of what they have through natural resources.
sweetleilani 