North Korea

i don't think that's *completely* true. a number of journalists have managed to get in and get some information out despite having to be herded around by government "translators."

i sort of imagine there not being any public dissent, at all. as for private dissent, well... i get the sense that the people of north korea have been fed a very strict regimen of limited info for over 50 years and thus don't really have much sense of the outside world, or other ideologies they could counterpose to that of their nation's. so if there is private dissent i'm guessing it takes a weird intra-ideological form that we wouldn't recognize or be very happy with.

He left to Japan. His wife was kidnapped from Japan in the 1970s along with about a dozen others. She came from a town next to the Japan Sea, and she was abducted by North Korean agents and whisked back to North Korea. It's another completely bizarre episode.

The American was in the army serving in South Korea in the 1960s. He claims that he was afraid of being sent to Vietnam, so defected to the North. The U.S. army convicted him of dissertion a few months ago, and he served a very lenient sentence that was like community service.

He did an interview with Japanese TV and described his life in North Korea in general terms. His most memorable quote was saying, "I lived like a dog." He also blasted the North Korean government for all the obvious reasons.

(ok, I'll stop now)

I assume this is the Harper's piece mentioned upthread. It's a pretty hard read.

http://www.jonhs.net/freemovies/welcome_to_north_korea.htm

This is good - it's from 2001 so some may have already seen it.

also good:

http://www.yhchang.com/CUNNILINGUS_IN_NORTH_KOREA.html

N. Korea Says It Is Holding Reporters

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea confirmed Saturday that it had detained two American journalists on charges of “illegally intruding” into the North through its border with China.

The journalists, Laura Ling, a Chinese-American, and Euna Lee, a Korean-American, both working for Current TV, were on a reporting trip along the border when they were detained by North Korean border guards, according to human rights activists and a South Korean news report. Their colleague, Mitch Koss, and their Chinese guide were reported to have been detained by Chinese border guards.

“A competent organ is now investigating the case,” the North’s official news agency, KCNA, said.

http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/2667/jong.jpg

http://www.smh.com.au/world/north-koreas-kim-jongil-a-skilled-and-ruthless-ruler-20090405-9t1l.html

Getting less hilarious.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8066615.stm

This used to have many good photos, but they've all gone. Can anyone dig it up?

um this http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=82755

Good North Korea pictures here:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/04/peering_into_north_korea.html

Uh oh.

They're going to blow the shit of Seoul, aren't they?

Isnt it Japan and the US they're shaking their fists at more, though? Bit disconcerting either way I gotta say.

http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/nkorea_04_24/n25_18563365.jpg

North Korea's military says it considers South Korea's participation in a U.S.-led program to intercept ships suspected of spreading weapons of mass destruction tantamount to a declaration of war against the North.

The communist North's military said in a statement Wednesday that it will respond with "immediate, strong military measures" if the South actually stops and searches any North Korean ships under the Proliferation Security Initiative.

The statement, carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency, said North Korea no longer considers itself bound by the armistice that ended the Korean War, as a protest over the South's participation.

South Korea announced its participation in the anti-proliferation program Tuesday, one day after the North conducted a nuclear test.

ugh.

Did anyone see that lolVice TV travelogue thing through N. Korea? It's pretty interesting: http://www.vbs.tv/video.php?id=1438428757

A colleague of mine went to North Korea last year. He described it as an unpleasant experience.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A war of nerves over North Korea should not be allowed to grow into a military confrontation, a Russian official said on Wednesday in a clear reference to Pyongyang's decision to drop out of an armistice agreement.

"We assume that a dangerous brinkmanship, a war of nerves, is under way, but it will not grow into a hot war," Itar-Tass news agency quoted an unnamed foreign ministry source as saying.

"Restraint is needed," the source added.

The foreign ministry often uses statements sourced to unnamed officials leaked through official news agencies to lay down its position on sensitive issues.

Despite being lambasted by the capitalists for years as a dangerous but undeveloped rogue country, the DPRK's outstanding achievements this year have shown that she certainly does have the technical capability to do whatever she wishes.

http://www.korea-dpr.com/cgi-bin/simpleforum.cgi/simpleforum.cgi?fid=01&topic_id=1243238064

Those pictures are outstanding, thanks for that.

http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/nkorea_04_24/n25_18563365.jpg

N. Korea is steampunk!

http://mnftiu.cc/blog/images/war.108.gif

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2008/sep/12/kim-north-korea?picture=337564436

this picture does not look real in any way

NK Ministry of Propaganda needs better shop fu.

kinda amazed the Chinese are so blase about North Korea... if any war breaks out, China's gonna have a flood of refugees to deal with.

No, still hilarious.

"...shifting an entire brewery it bought in Great Britain to North Korea"

I'd like to think Kim Jong Il towed it through the air on cables attached to his presidential jet.

http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2009/08/04/ba-nkorea_journa_0500447422.jpg

yep

Last known photograph.

one looks healthy and happy, one is somber and sullen

Lol Josh giving Kim exactly the reaction he wants

lol that guy going aggro was as choreographed as a Jackie Chan movie. But I do love the idea of Kim thinking anyone would really find that intimidating. Like, oh shit, this guy broke a concrete bar with a flying headbutt! Better not mess with North Korea.

would have been better if it was Kim doing the head butting though.

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/BareBaggyLiger-max-1mb.gif

imo, the NK military putting on that show in front of Kim was not meant to intimidate SK or the USA nearly so much as to show their dear leader how unflinchingly loyal they are to him. they are saying, "see how we will gladly butt through walls with our foreheads and have rods broken across our backs for you." which explains why Kim was kind of bored by it, since that kind of fealty is demonstrated to him constantly.

Yet also demanded by him constantly. Be careful what you wish for, I guess!

But I think the display is part of a larger PR campaign about NK's military might.. like all these boss new gadgets:

https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/north-korea-shows-off-new-weapons-at-mil-idUSRTXIGLY4

Just wait until North Korea reveals it's got the atomic elbow.

The way they loop the applause in all these videos is a lot like laying down in glass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxXZF60EPdM
lil palate cleanser

this is just bollocks isn't it https://t.co/yDEYlL0LGo

— jamie k (@jkbloodtreasure) November 25, 2021

This looks like an FBI photo of a Serbian gangster outside his stone mason shop in Wicker Park, 1978 @ericzieg https://t.co/Jdwa0D0j8n

— Justin Sherin (@wychstreet) March 10, 2022

Surprisingly high production value for NK:

BREAKING: North Korea's state-run television shows edited footage of Kim Jong Un guiding the test-launch of what the country referred to as the Hwasong-17 ICBM.

Latest story: https://t.co/belL7EdPUl
(Video: KCTV) pic.twitter.com/APifRhtJVr

— NK NEWS (@nknewsorg) March 25, 2022

All I can think of is "Elvis impersonator, with missles"

The bit with the watches can't be real!

Well having been extensively exposed to NK video productions when visiting back in 2015 (?), it looks completely legit to me, just with fancier cinematography and better picture quality.

Well having been extensively exposed to NK video productions when visiting back in 2015 (?), it looks completely legit to me, just with fancier cinematography and better picture quality.

I seriously can't stop watching it.

If they are calling it an ICBM, the implication is that it can reach other continents. I suppose they could be cheating slightly, if it can only reach Australia.

NK is quite a bit closer to North America than to Australia, though. "Only" the remoter bits of Alaska, granted.

Ok

I CANT BREATHE 😭😭😭😭😭😭

she had to come up with something real quick pic.twitter.com/6uVnDX1QDY

— Dame Fagatha Christie, PhD (@FagathaGagatha) May 10, 2023

We had to buy replacement badminton shoes or a racquet or something, and the salesman told us they weren't available anymore. We asked what happened, and he said the company got busted working with North Korea or something!

A person who said they witnessed the event and was part of the same tour group told CBS News they had just visited one of the buildings at the site when "this man gives out a loud 'ha ha ha,' and just runs in between some buildings."

I guess someone still thinks the place is hilarious.

Defecting soldiers used to have some propaganda value during the Cold War, and a few settled down in the North. But I imagine now this is more of a headache than anything else for the North.. the guy probably doesn't have a lot of intelligence value, but maybe some diplomatic value if they want something from us. But I don't think he's going to be pampered like they were in the past

It was either this or go back to Texas.

Lol

I wish they would let Google street view cars in there