Paek Nam-nyong - Friend - A Novel from North Korea

The Superior Court was nestled between mountains on the outskirts of the city. A line of tall fir trees guided the road up to the gates of the courthouse. Through the gates, a vast, serene courtyard welcomed visitors. Surrounded by coniferous trees, the courtyard provided ample fresh air to visitors contemplating the long flight of broad steps to the courthouse. The large windows, regal columns, and tall doors gave the building a majestic entrance. Although the Superior Court handled unsavory civil and criminal cases, the monumental facade of the building gave an impression of both grandeur and quiet dignity.

Many people in the city neither knew the location of the Superior Court nor knew of its existence. Those who abided by the law or lived in a harmonious family had no reason to come here.

Distress weighed on Judge Jeong Jin Wu as he stared at the divorce petition on his desk. Much like a fisherman trying to untangle knots in a fishing line, Jeong Jin Wu was upset by the burden of having to deal with another family’s misery.

A woman in her thirties kept her head lowered to avoid looking at Judge Jeong Jin Wu. The fragrance of her light, elegant perfume complemented a fashionable sheath dress that revealed her slender white neck. Judge Jeong Jin Wu’s secretary had tried to put the woman off with the excuse that the judge was away on a business trip and would discuss her divorce petition when he returned in a few days, but the woman had remained in the corridor of the court for many hours as if her feet were nailed to the floor. Thus Judge Jeong Jin Wu had little choice but to summon her into his office.

The woman trembled as she wept. Jeong Jin Wu waited for her to compose herself before handing her the divorce petition.

Name: Chae Sun Hee

Age: 33

Address: Gang An District, #19

Occupation:

Upon seeing “Occupation,” Sun Hee felt her heart plunge into despair, and, not having the strength to carry on, she laid her pen down. Perceiving Sun Hee’s distress, Judge Jeong Jin Wu decided to complete the form for her. He well knew her occupation. She was a professional singer, the lead mezzo-soprano for the Provincial Performing Arts Company. Once every few months, he would go to the theater and listen to her sing.

Sun Hee possessed the power of drawing the audience into her world of music with her angelic voice. Receiving bundles of flowers and standing ovations on a nightly basis—that was the life of a celebrity like Sun Hee. However, today she had brought her marital problems to the courthouse, something the audience would never have suspected.

Why does she want a divorce? Do she and her husband not have a good sex life? Judge Jeong Jin Wu thought. Or perhaps her husband is impotent . No, it can’t be that. She has a son.

On his way home from work one evening, Jeong Jin Wu had seen Sun Hee and her son walking to Gang An District, a single-story housing complex located not far from his apartment.

Her husband must’ve had an affair with another woman.

Jeong Jin Wu hoped that it was not a serious love affair. It could have been irreconcilable differences or problems with her in-laws. He hoped it was a petty argument that brought her to the steps of the courthouse. Many young newlyweds, who had entertained fanciful dreams of marriage and family in their youth, entered through the doors of the court with the most trivial of problems, claiming these were the most intolerable tragedies.

But Judge Jeong Jin Wu was slowly beginning to realize that Sun Hee would not have come to him with a petty issue. Sun Hee’s entire person—her vacant eyes, her forlorn countenance, her downcast spirit, and her anxious disposition—revealed deep-seated concerns that had been accumulating for many years.

Sun Hee pulled out her handkerchief to wipe away the traces of her distress. With her soft hands, she cleared the hair from her face and tried to compose herself. She let out a quiet sigh and looked up apologetically.

“My occupation is…”

“That I already know. Please tell me your husband’s name.”

“It’s Lee Seok Chun.”

“His age?”

“He’s thirty-five.”

“His occupation?”

“He works at the Gang An Machine Factory. He’s a lathe operator.” Sun Hee’s voice quavered from her sobbing, but, nevertheless, it was the beautiful clear tone of a singer.

After writing the information on the form, Jeong Jin Wu asked, “You have a son, right?”

“A son? Yes, my son. Oh dear…” Sun Hee wept again. The thought of her son’s miserable fate pained her heart. Jeong Jin Wu knew all too well from his years of experience that women who filed for divorce generally had great difficulty talking about their children.

Divorcing couples often overlook, neglect, and abandon a child when they aim their distress, rage, and despair at their spouse. But when a mother stands before the judge, her maternal instinct rises. The mother fights for custody and fears for her blameless child’s fate. At the same time, there are women who do not even consider a child an innocent victim, and they prioritize their divorce with no regard for the pitiful fate of the child. Jeong Jin Wu hoped Sun Hee was not that kind of mother.

“How old is your son?” asked Jeong Jin Wu in a softer tone.

“He’s seven.”

“So, he must be in first grade.”

“Actually, he has an early birthday, so he will finish kindergarten this fall.”

Sun Hee stopped sobbing and began combing her disheveled hair with her hand. Her voice stopped shaking, and it appeared that she had calmed down.

“When did you get married?”

“Is that important?” asked Sun Hee, with a slight frown.

“Marriage is a legal contract. Therefore, I need to know the date.”

“I believe… it was,” Sun Hee stuttered, “May… 10… 1974.”

Sun Hee turned her head away and stared at the corner of the table. That date undoubtedly called up many good memories, so different from the way she felt today. But she was trying hard not to think about those bygone days.

As Jeong Jin Wu was about to write down the date, he looked up at the calendar hanging on the wall behind Sun Hee. He thought to himself, Today is April 24, and in a few weeks, this woman would have been married for ten years .

“Very well, Comrade Sun Hee. Can you explain your reason for wanting a divorce?”

Sun Hee was dumbfounded by the judge’s question, for it was rather obvious to her why someone would come to the court and file for a divorce.

“Why do you want to divorce your husband?” the judge rephrased his question. “In other words, what is the basis of your divorce?” Jeong Jin Wu pointed to the document with his pen and explained calmly. “Here on this legal document, there is a section called ‘Divorce Petition Summary.’ ”

Sun Hee proceeded to speak in a resolute tone. “You see, Seok Chun and I have not been on good terms. It’s been like this for several years.” Her voice quavered. “I’ve tried hard to be patient with him, but I can’t live like this anymore.” It seemed that she was going to cry again.

Jeong Jin Wu asked, “How are you not on good terms with your husband?”

Sun Hee did not respond.

“I cannot convince the court to schedule a divorce hearing without a legitimate reason,” the judge said, in an attempt to reason with her.

Suddenly, an uncontrollable anger erupted in Sun Hee. She raised her voice.