Repaired North Korean bag washes ashore, highlighting poverty and propaganda clash

A mended plastic bag, discovered on a South Korean beach, offers a poignant glimpse into the realities of life in North Korea, starkly contrasting with the nation's official propaganda.

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It tells a lot about life in North Korea and the survival instinct born out of hardship.

The bag, found on Yeonpyeong Island by Professor Kang Dong-wan, was repaired with stitches, suggesting its owner could not afford to discard it. It bore the slogan "We have nothing to envy the outside world," a common phrase used in North Korea to foster loyalty.

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We have nothing to envy the outside world.

Professor Kang, who has been collecting North Korean debris washed ashore in South Korea for six years, described the bag as a powerful symbol. He believes it demonstrates the poverty faced by North Koreans, directly contradicting the state's portrayal of a socialist paradise. He pointed to the regime's allocation of vast sums to nuclear and missile development while failing to address fundamental needs.

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The plastic bag testifies to the poverty that is a reality in North Korea, in sharp contrast to the propaganda slogan, which boasts of a socialist paradise.

Kang's research methods have adapted over time. Previously, he photographed North Korea from China, but after being deported in 2019, he shifted to observing and collecting items from South Korean islands. His findings, including candy wrappers, cigarette packs, and product packaging, are documented in a book. The repaired bag, however, stands out as a particularly telling artifact of the North Korean experience.

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The plastic bag is proof of the regime's hypocrisy: it pours astronomical sums into the development of nuclear weapons and missiles, but at the same time fails to address the most fundamental needs of its people.