Angels and demons

Matthew Huish
October 4, 2010

I had the privilege of spending almost all of Sunday with the Little Angels. I was asked to help them as they travelled around London visiting tourist attractions. I spent the morning surfing wikipedia for information I could perhaps share as we toured the British Museum, Trafalgar Square or the London Eye; as it happened, I didn't need to say much since Mr. Pak (the brother of Dr. Bo Hi Pak) was able to lead things quite capably without my help. Occasionally I could be of some assistance, offering some local knowledge (for example, knowing that there's a large McDonald's near Trafalgar Square on the Strand) or running around the British Museum to find where the Egyptian exhibits were.

On the whole, I felt that my time with the Little Angels, and the media crew documenting their adventures, was more for my benefit than for theirs.

The group was unashamedly joyful ALL DAY. I saw them perform on the previous day and wondered to myself, "Are they smiling genuinely or are they forcing themselves to smile?" Judging by their behavior on Sunday, I'd admit that they really are having fun in every thing they do. I was discussing this with Hyo Joo Song, who also came with me to "help" the Little Angels, and Valgas Moore, who was doing photography, and we concluded that this is the culture that has been created by many years of development.

The younger children experience the culture from the elder ones, who in turn inherited this culture from the children before them, and they've succeeded in creating a refreshingly sincere group of people who are free with each other. I'm not just talking about the children -- I include Mr. Pak and all the media crew. Maybe this is something about the Korean culture, it's very sincere and familial. I felt like part of the family after just a few hours with the group. The children wanted to have their photos taken with me, even though they had no idea who I was. Speaking with some of the photographers and especially with Mr. Pak, I was treated with dignity and respect.

I wish the youth of the UK, aged 9-15, could be as care-free and joyful as this group. I wish my children can grow up to become (or perhaps remain) as free as they are.

My son David actually attended the matinee performance with me and enjoyed the performance a lot. During the video, however, he asked me some awkward questions relating to the Korean War: "Are the North Koreans the baddies? Are the South Koreans the goodies? Did the goodies win?" I struggled to answer appropriately, not wishing to confuse his innocent naivety. At the end of the performance, he finally asked, "So can we now visit North Korea?" I was reminded of the video presentation where the voice-over proclaimed, "The Little Angels united the world together in peace," and felt sad pain that despite the joyful performance on the stage, North Korea still remains in a dire situation.

Upon the recommendation of Andy Johnson -- and after noticing that many other people were reading this book -- I've started to read Nothing to Envy, by Barbara Demick. Patrick Hanna generously leant me a copy. (Thanks, Pat!) My wife, Natasha, actually read the whole book while David and I attended Saturday's performance. I haven't finished yet -- I'm a slow reader -- but what I've read so far is a powerfully emotive glimpse into the lives of ordinary Koreans.

It's disturbing to discover the real demons people face as their God-given lives are crushed by the society their false ideology has created. While reading a few pages on a train last week, I realized how powerless any North Korean is to make a change to their society: Any effort to suggest something amiss could result in imprisonment, relocation or execution. Having said that, it is remarkable to identify the parallels between our Unificationist community and the North Korean system: I suppose Korea truly is the chosen nation since both God and Satan have found their best candidates to represent them within that tiny peninsula.

This week it was announced that Kim Jong-Un could eventually inherit power of North Korea. I really can't imagine what he's like or what might happen when power is transferred. Honestly, I'm terrified for the North Koreans. I only hope that the foundation in the South can be strong enough to embrace and dissolve the bitterness of the North if -- no, when -- reunification happens. If there's enough Little Angels, and enough of the culture they exhibit, in the South then I'm sure the demons of the North can be liberated.