As I grow older, one thing that I've learned is that power won't stop.
One day they ask people to stop disrespect the leader, everyone obeys, then maybe the next day they'll start force people to praise the leader or be executed.
The world is a Tug Of War, your interest against other's. If either side gave up, then the otherside may just come in crushing.
the former Ugoslaviain police were infamous for dragging youth of "to beat the Zappa out of them", but on.the fall of communism uncle Frank was greeted in Ugodlavia by thousands at the airport was given special honours and a very strong offer to be part of there government, they very much wanted to keep him
perhaps something similar is taking shape in.NK
Some foreigner came into their country and tried to 'illuminate' the 'unwashed' masses via tearing down propaganda and was promptly thrown into some hellhole of a jail.
Seems to me like a normal thing to have happened. By the standards of the Global North, that is.
Doesn't seem meaningfully different from today's USA.
The most plausible explanation that those people who escaped NK were sentenced for something else and use excuse of watching foreign films to look good to Western researchers.
I believe that media landscape is restricted in NK, but getting a death sentence for a watching movie? No way it is possible.
Why do you think that is the 'most plausible explanation'? NK meets the simple test for evil dictatorships: do they need to use fences to stop citizens from leaving? Yes, NK does exactly that.
Look at the Soviet Union at the height of Stalinist oppression in the 1930s. Having the wrong book (not even necessarily a Western book but even a Soviet book that is no longer in good graces) could be a trip to the Gulag which for many was a death sentence.
A lot of it was driven by quotas that the police had to meet.
How many times have Western intelligence services claimed that the Kims had killed one of their relatives or some high rank politician only for the person to reappear a few months later?
There is just a lot of bs being spread about NK. Westerners, for example, genuindely believed all koreans had to get a haircut that is approved by the government.
I'm not even saying this country is not paranoid, but its nearly not as bad as everyone is imaging, and frankly, considering what Americans have inflicted unto the korean people, its fairly understandable.
There was a big black market for foreign films, I learned from videos smuggled out. Imported from China or recorded with satellite dishes.
I'm sure the current leader saw that also.
Wow. Imagine killing people, publicly, for what they watch. I hope this fat PoS gets taken out. Quickly.
Right? It's like killing people for what they believe in. North Korea is cra-... wait a second...
As I grow older, one thing that I've learned is that power won't stop.
One day they ask people to stop disrespect the leader, everyone obeys, then maybe the next day they'll start force people to praise the leader or be executed.
The world is a Tug Of War, your interest against other's. If either side gave up, then the otherside may just come in crushing.
Low tier comment but I genuinely believe we might be less than a decade away from this situation in the US.
Kim Jong-Un, too, while they're at it.
the former Ugoslaviain police were infamous for dragging youth of "to beat the Zappa out of them", but on.the fall of communism uncle Frank was greeted in Ugodlavia by thousands at the airport was given special honours and a very strong offer to be part of there government, they very much wanted to keep him perhaps something similar is taking shape in.NK
I find some of the claims made about North Korea rather fanciful and unbelievable.
I am sure the parents of Otto Warmbier [0] could disinfect your disbelief in the harsh light of their reality.
0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Warmbier
Ok, so let me get this straight.
Some foreigner came into their country and tried to 'illuminate' the 'unwashed' masses via tearing down propaganda and was promptly thrown into some hellhole of a jail.
Seems to me like a normal thing to have happened. By the standards of the Global North, that is.
Doesn't seem meaningfully different from today's USA.
5 replies →
The most plausible explanation that those people who escaped NK were sentenced for something else and use excuse of watching foreign films to look good to Western researchers. I believe that media landscape is restricted in NK, but getting a death sentence for a watching movie? No way it is possible.
Why do you think that is the 'most plausible explanation'? NK meets the simple test for evil dictatorships: do they need to use fences to stop citizens from leaving? Yes, NK does exactly that.
1 reply →
Look at the Soviet Union at the height of Stalinist oppression in the 1930s. Having the wrong book (not even necessarily a Western book but even a Soviet book that is no longer in good graces) could be a trip to the Gulag which for many was a death sentence.
A lot of it was driven by quotas that the police had to meet.
Me too. I don't think they need a reason to execute a person...
It certainly serves a purpose to have a reason, to make people fearful.
2 replies →
You find them to be, do you have any insight that would help us understand your point ?
How many times have Western intelligence services claimed that the Kims had killed one of their relatives or some high rank politician only for the person to reappear a few months later?
12 replies →
There is just a lot of bs being spread about NK. Westerners, for example, genuindely believed all koreans had to get a haircut that is approved by the government.
I'm not even saying this country is not paranoid, but its nearly not as bad as everyone is imaging, and frankly, considering what Americans have inflicted unto the korean people, its fairly understandable.
5 replies →