We all have preconceptions of North Korea, portrayed in the media as a militaristic pariah state; a global antagonist trying, and largely failing, to develop a nuclear arsenal. Often under-reported is the state of absolute poverty that most of the citizens live in. So malnourished their bodies don’t develop properly, forced to catch and eat squirrels, and living in a state of fear that the police will drag you away in the middle of the night.
One-woman play 'Sell Me: I'm from North Korea' lays bare the true brutality of the North Korean regime from the perspective of 15-year-old Jisun. Already having experienced the trauma of her dad being arrested and having a fatal 'mining accident', her mother falls ill and Jisun feels the responsibility to find the money to pay for medicine. Rotten apples failing to generate the necessary funds, Jisun sells herself to a smuggler who will then sell her as a wife/slave to Chinese men, only they don’t want her due to her underdeveloped body.
What follows is the traumatic story of Jisun trying to survive alone in China, always suspicious and fearful of help because of a lifetime of indoctrination. The chronology of the show was occasionally confusing, but even when doing time hops, you were still gripped by what was taking place – simultaneously desperate to see what would happen but horrified when you found out.
Actor and writer Sora Baek plays the role with emotion and gusto, convincingly portraying the confusion, suspicion, hurt, heartbreak and fear that a young girl would experience in this situation. That’s unsurprising, given that this play is directly informed by the stories of North Korean defectors, and Baek herself is a second-generation North Korean defector.
Baek deploys both English and Korean in the performance, the latter coming without translation but frequently still understandable due to context. There were a few moments where I wished I understood what was being said, but that confusion could in turn mirror the fish out of water experience Jisun has in China.
Performing at 12:35 in Pleasance Courtyard, 'Sell Me, I'm from North Korea' is a challenging but important watch. To say I enjoyed it feels inappropriate, but it was both enthralling and compelling. The soundscape, the limited use of projected visuals and props, and Baek’s excellent performance make this a must-watch.
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