The inminban, literally the “people’s group[s],” are cooperatives of about twenty 20 families whose job it is to “keep tabs on one another” and make sure their neighborhoods run smoothly. Each inminban, which functions like a citizen’s watch group, has an elected leader who reports suspicious talk or activity to higher-ranking authorities in the police force or the military.
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Inminban Term Timeline in Nothing to Envy
The timeline below shows where the term Inminban appears in Nothing to Envy. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...with four sisters and one younger brother. Her father bribed the head of the local inminban, or people’s committee, for access to an adjacent apartment in their harmonica housing unit. Mi-ran,...
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Chapter 2
Tae-woo would spend the rest of his life watched carefully by his local inminban, or people’s watch, and reminded constantly that he was beulsun—a person of “tainted blood.” His...
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Chapter 3
...were so many to go around. A neighbor reported Chang-bo to the head of the inminban, who passed the information on to the Ministry for the Protection of State Security. Changbo...
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Chapter 4
Mrs. Song was the head of her neighborhood’s inminban. She reported to a woman named Comrade Kang from the Ministry for Protection of State...
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Chapter 6
As the mourning period went on, local inminban began keeping track of how frequently people were paying their respects at their local statues...
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Chapter 13
Jun-sang was home for summer vacation when, one day, the head of the inminban went around knocking on doors, summoning people to bear witness to a public execution. Jun-sang...
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