A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea

As the initial shock of life in North Korea wears off, The Cost of Totalitarianism sets in as Masaji gradually descends into a state of emotional numbness and occasional anger. The hardships North Korean citizens face are relentless, their fate uprooted on a whim, dictated by arbitrary decisions of the party. The resulting sense of powerlessness extends to even the most intimate aspects of life, such as Masaji’s fleeting first love and dreams of marriage, which are crushed by his mixed heritage. The regime’s ability to control every facet of an individual’s life fosters a sense of despair and extinguishes any hope for self-determination. From Masaji’s family’s displacement to Young Seok-pong’s and Lee Song-rak’s ruin, the capricious nature of the regime and the constant threat of violence hang over every citizen. These events also create a constant atmosphere of tension and unease, as citizens are never able to gain a firm footing in North Korea. The struggle for basic survival consumes all their energy, leaving them emotionally exhausted and unable to fully process their hardships. People’s muted responses reveal a chilling adaptation to a life devoid of hope. This is evident in Masaji’s own reaction to key events in his life—his marriage, his wife’s departure, and his son’s birth—as he appears a witness to these events rather than a participant.

Bittersweet events momentarily disrupt emotional numbness but do not offer true respite. The family’s reaction upon returning to their old home is laced with an awareness of the depths of their plight: “We all began to laugh together—until tears sprang to our eyes” (65). Their laughter is a stark reminder of the emotional toll their circumstances have taken—a moment of bittersweet release, not a return to normalcy. Similarly, Masaji and his fellow workers’ elation over receiving new clothes, boots, and guaranteed food speaks to the depths of deprivation they have endured. These reactions jolt the characters into recognize the desperation so many have been conditioned to accept as baseline living.

The suffocating atmosphere that pervades North Korean society breeds a profound sense of dehumanization, where The Cost of Totalitarianism lies in tying people’s survival with the whim of the state. This chilling concept is most potently highlighted by Masaji’s description of a returnee’s wife as a “nonperson” based on her outward numbness. Ten years in a labor camp stripped her of any semblance of an active personality, rendering her a ghost of her former self, unable to participate meaningfully in life. This concept of a “nonperson” is deeply relevant to Masaji’s view of dehumanization. Throughout the chapter, he witnesses various ways the regime strips individuals of their humanity, and the returnee’s wife represents one facet of the extreme consequences of this process. Her experience in a labor camp has not just suppressed her spirit but effectively erased her personhood in the eyes of the state, and perhaps even to herself. Even returnees Young Seok-pong and Lee Song-rak, who initially offer a much-needed glimmer of hope with their kindness and support, come to bear the fatal consequences of ostracization—a reminder of the precariousness of life under a regime that values conformity above all else.

Miyoko’s death marks a devastating low point for Masaji, shattering the last vestiges of hope he clung to. She served as a pillar of strength, a silent testament to resilience in the face of relentless hardship, and a symbol of escape and an outside world. Her final wish to return to Japan, to normalcy and freedom, lays bare a profound yearning for a better life that remained unfulfilled throughout her years in North Korea. Her sudden demise underscores the brutal reality of their existence, as survival comes with no guarantees. Masaji laments the life his mother was forced to endure, defined by hardship, deprivation, and a constant undercurrent of fear. His bleak confession—that without his son, he would have “nothing to live for” (81) after his mother’s death—highlights the despair he feels and foreshadows his own self-inflicted violence.