Chapter 6 Chapter 3

This weekend we transferred to the Keunsung Military Academy and started the real training. Even though I had trained in the army before, I didn't expect what kind of experience I would have here. Jingshan is a restricted area in the Abu Valley, far away from modern civilized society, with only a few small villages scattered in the mountains.The training base occupies a large area of ​​land, and thousands of students are trained.The valley where the agents were trained was in a secret valley far from the school headquarters. We live in a small house with a kitchen, laundry and library.The work and rest time is very strict, and no violation of the regulations is allowed:

Get up from 6:00 am to 7:00 am, clean the room, do laundry 7:00 am to 7:30 am Breakfast Morning reading from 7:30 am to 8:30 am, learning about Kim Il Sung's philosophy and deeds 8:30 am to 1:00 pm Morning classes Lunch and break from 1:00pm to 4:00pm 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Afternoon classes Exercise from 5:30pm to 7:00pm Dinner from 7:00pm to 8:00pm 8:00pm to 9:00pm Military Training (Martial Arts) 9:00pm to 10:00pm night march 10:00pm to 11:00pm self-study go to bed at 11pm We are often so exhausted that it is almost unbearable physically and mentally.We learn to use a variety of firearms and practice shooting skills.We live in the fields and sleep in foxholes.On Kim Il Sung's birthday, we marched for three consecutive days and covered more than a hundred miles. This is called a loyal march.We learned to drive at high speeds and develop film in a makeshift black room.At the same time, we also studied more than ten works of Kim Il Sung.

We were trained in martial arts, where women learn to tackle and beat two or three men at the same time, and I gained a level of confidence that I never had before.We also learned to fight with weapons, using twenty-five-centimeter (about ten-inch) plastic knives. The training to master weapon firing is not limited to shooting. We must learn to disassemble and install various firearms, and repair them if they are damaged.When shooting, the target was placed a hundred yards away, and I hit nine out of ten. There are two spy films per week.Most of the content is propaganda, talking about how corrupt the Western society is and the heroic deeds of famous spies many years ago.

Sunday is a day off, but we often spend the whole day in bed because we are so tired. My Japanese teacher's name is Enhui, and we have a good relationship.What a tragedy I heard from the chef about her experience.A native of Tokyo, she got married right out of high school and divorced shortly after giving birth to two children, a boy and a girl.One day she was playing with her child on the beach when she was kidnapped by North Korean agents to this training camp.While in custody, she became seriously ill and almost died.After recovering, she would not eat or talk because she missed her child, but the North Korean side kept waiting for her to give in, suggesting that if she followed the instructions, she might be released in the near future.In the end she had no choice but to submit and adapt herself to her new life.

Although I also sympathize with what happened to her, I think it is right for a Japanese woman to sacrifice for the unification of Korea, especially when I think of the 40 years that Japan occupied and trampled Korea.Looking back now, I really regret my thoughts.This is also a typical example of the brutality and inhumanity of the North Korean government and its agents. Because Eun Hye's fate is so tragic, she is often drunk and sometimes very unpleasant.Even so, she was an excellent teacher.I found myself liking her more and more.She often talks about her children and Tokyo, and always hopes to return to Tokyo one day.I don't know if she is still alive now.

We became close friends, and she always wanted to be with us, and her mission was to turn me into a Japanese woman so that if I was sent out on a mission, it wouldn't look like I was North Korean. There was a village a mile or two away from where we lived, and we were not allowed to go as required.But one Sunday night, Eun-hye insisted on going because she had never seen ordinary people in North Korea.We found the houses there were old and dilapidated, and children were running around dirty, some naked, in the streets.I was very embarrassed when I saw it, and tried to pull Eun Hye back.But she stared at the child, tears welling up in her eyes, and the child brought back her motherly nature.

Oh, this is your brave new world, Yuhua.She said with a strong mocking tone: I really feel sorry for you. Another girlfriend of mine at the base is that chef. She is Wu Ji. She is in her forties and has a bitter history.She fell in love with a lathe worker as a teenager, but was forced by her mother to marry a miner.Life in Sanwan Village was very poor, and Wu Ji lived in sorrow for several years, while her husband had many affairs with other women. One day, her husband was killed by a mine cart.At her husband's funeral, she met the turner she had loved before, but he already had a family.Although Turner still loves her, there is nothing he can do.

Then she got a job at a school, teaching cooking classes, and was called up to a training base.She likes the remoteness and loneliness of Jingshan.Because, she joked, no one would bother her.She also has a role as our housekeeper.We had to report to her when we went for a walk or left the neighborhood.But she is a warm-hearted person who often allows us to do whatever we want. Over the next few years, I occasionally went back to visit family, but each time it was heartbreaking.When my parents saw that I was leaving, they were always reluctant to part.As for me, at that time, seeing them being so reluctant to part with me, I felt a little ashamed for them. This is how a person who has received a comprehensive education in North Korea should feel.A patriot should not attach too much importance to family affection and be reluctant to bear relatives.At that time, my main concern was the identity of the trainee agent.During this time, my youngest brother Bum Soo got skin cancer and the doctor told my family that this disease is fatal.

My mom has publicly expressed her sadness at my leaving, but I know my dad cares and misses me just as much.In my childhood, he devoted all his paternal love to me and often called me his little princess.In many ways, my father was an unpredictable man.I knew he was proud of me, and as a party official he was one of the most privileged figures in North Korea, but I also felt he was jealous that the government had taken me away. Unfortunately: love is not on Kim Il-sung's national agenda.