And although he never really played with me and siblings, he taught me to be strong. The duty towards our nation strengthened our resolve and emotions. It taught us to persevere to protect a country, our home, that values freedom. Freedom is a foreign concept to many, especially to North Koreans. Speech and press is constrained. Children are taught at an early age to hate people they have never met. Poverty is running rampant and the government is spending the money, not on its people, but on advancing their weapons to cause harm to others. For many, it is not home, a place where they feel safe. It is with this thought that I value duty to my country.
I fulfilled my responsibility to serve in the military. My name is Hyoseong Lee. At that time, I was around 26 years old. For 8 years, I tried to avoid the mandatory service to my country. Unlike today, the later half of the 20th century was a time of turmoil, tension, and fright. The North was secretly conducting missile tests. The first missile was fired in the East Sea of Korea in 1993. Newspapers went rampant and headlines spread throughout the world. No one wanted to do their military service. However, the act or voicing against this tradition was considered treason in society's eyes. Once I reached of age, 18, to the age of 26, I was constantly asked by my family members, friends, and strangers. Although the age constraint is from 18 to 35 years old, the more time that passes by and a person has not completed his duty, they will receive shame and judgement. So by the time I was 8 years overdue, I lived a life full of indignity and was secluded from society. For years, I had no basic contact with people I loved and cared for. This showed the importance to uphold this tradition of duty was to me. My thoughts of the ongoing tension and the idea of war frightened me; however, being isolated from my family and home overtook my fear. .
Home was a safe haven of thought during the time of my training.