THe Government of Panem and North Korea By Livie Lewis

The Hunger Games Essay

By Livie Lewis

There are many ways the government in the Hunger Games are like governments in our modern world. There are countries who cannot move to places of their choice, there are people who’s jobs have been assigned to them, there are people that have to live under the strict guidelines you find in a science fiction book. For example, in North Korea, their ways of government relate to Panem.


First, in The Hunger Games, it says that the government was overthrown by the people, and the result was that everyone was separated from each other, and they had no say in government. So Panem would send two children from each district to the Hunger Games, where kids fought to death. The do this so the people wouldn’t get any more ideas to try and overthrow the Capitol- keep them cooperating with them with the fear of having their children thrown in an arena where they would most likely be beaten to death. In North Korea, the ruler has harsh punishments if they try to do anything that even reminds someone of rebellion. If you went around saying the government was bad, they would throw you in the middle of the wilderness so that you couldn’t continue. (Collins, 18.)

North Korea: Human Rights Watch

Resisting Rebellion

Next, Panem and North Korea have a similar way of treating their people who rebel. In Panem, they separate people, and ban all contact between districts. (Collins, 203.) They do this so the districts wouldn’t ban together and overthrow the capitol. In North Korea, people who rebel are thrown into the middle of the wilderness someone, alone, so that they couldn’t stir anything up with other people. (Commission on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.)

The People's Challenges - Liberty in North Korea


Finally, North Korea and Panem have similar rankings. If you are from the Capitol, or of high songbun, you will have everything you could ever want at your fingertips, and no one could tell you what to do. But if you were from the districts or of low songbun, you would have to actually to work for the things you want. (Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.)

District 12 - Anderson Adventures

In conclusion, it’s scary how similar their governments are. Many people don’t realize that Panem is actually a place. They don’t realize that people are actually being treated like the people of Panem. North Korea does, in fact, have the same sort of punishment Panem does. They rule people unfairly, as does Panem. So keep in mind, next time you think of The Hunger Games as some far-off universe that seems unrealistic, remember that it isn’t as far-off as it seems. There are people who are actually have to live the Hunger Games, and people need to realize that.

Works Cited

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. NY, NY: Scholastic, 2008. Print.

"Democratic People's Republic of Korea (MAAKP002)." Human Rights Documents Online(n.d.): n. pag. Web.

Digital image. Human Rights Watch. N.p., n.d. Web.

North Korean People. Web.

District 12. Digital image. Anderson's Adventures. N.p., n.d. Web.

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Liv Lewis

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