Unsolicited book plug: if you have not yet read The Orphan Master's Son, you really should. That's all there is to it. It's as close as you could find to a detailed look inside the cruel absurdity that underpins and overlays and permeates every atom of the Hermit Kingdom. (Another, lesser-known but just as informative work, academic in nature, is The Cleanest Race.)
So it is that Dennis Rodman's most notorious BFF, needing to prove himself against his inner circle, continues his purge by having his previous closest aide (and uncle) executed. No doubt Kim Jong Un found out the hard way that, by letting his higher-ups conduct negotiations with other, more developed and civilized nations (which, uh, is most of them), by definition they were getting a first-hand look at life outside the walls of the compound.
And that (despite the inexplicable lunacy of this jagoff; what free westerner in their right mind supports this wretched regime?) is really all the hilariously named "Democratic" "People's" "Republic" of Korea is -- a giant cult in a giant compound, ruthlessly herded and abused by a small cadre of people who know the truth, but profit from and insist on the lie.
And you can really twerk to it.
One of the more serious geopolitical questions for that part of the world revolves around whether North Korea is more of a hazard as is -- horrifically mistreating its people, comically belligerent to the rest of the world, but more or less contained -- or if the whole charade comes tumbling down, as inevitably it must. South Korea, China, and Japan (and probably Russia) are shitting their collective pants at the prospect of nearly 25 million North Koreans bum-rushing the borders and breaking out of the gulag.
Perhaps you're old enough to recall the growing pains of the unified German state, as culturally and socially repressed East Germans had trouble integrating into a society where there wasn't someone watching and waiting to tell them what to do, where to live, what to eat, who to marry, etc. But at least many of them had actual skills, were highly literate and trainable, and could integrate successfully after some initial hiccups.
How trainable do you think someone who has literally lived their entire life in a prison camp, tortured and worked nearly to death and certainly not educated nor literate, would be? It's understandable, the reluctance of the neighbors to take on millions of brainwashed and abused people all at once.
It will happen at some point, one hopes and supposes, the centripetal force of political implosion through inept, heavy-handed leadership and information wanting to be free. One of the Yalu River border crossings into China, Dandong, has 2.4 million people. Even a couple hundred smart phones, in the right hands in North Korea, could potentially effect massive change. Or the rest of the generals, seeing what happened to Chang, could decide that hanging together is preferable to hanging separately.
There are obviously no easy solutions here, no "we should do" or "we can't do" prescriptions. But the situation is awful on a historic scale, and the palace intrigue adds yet another dimension to an already fascinating narrative.
So it is that Dennis Rodman's most notorious BFF, needing to prove himself against his inner circle, continues his purge by having his previous closest aide (and uncle) executed. No doubt Kim Jong Un found out the hard way that, by letting his higher-ups conduct negotiations with other, more developed and civilized nations (which, uh, is most of them), by definition they were getting a first-hand look at life outside the walls of the compound.
And that (despite the inexplicable lunacy of this jagoff; what free westerner in their right mind supports this wretched regime?) is really all the hilariously named "Democratic" "People's" "Republic" of Korea is -- a giant cult in a giant compound, ruthlessly herded and abused by a small cadre of people who know the truth, but profit from and insist on the lie.
Lots of Famous Songs Created in DPRK in 2013
Pyongyang, December 10 (KCNA) -- Lots of songs in praise of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and the socialist motherland have been created in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at a time when confidence in the WPK is growing deeper than ever before among the local people.
Among them is the song "Always under Party Flag", a paean for the WPK and one of the masterpieces in the era of supreme leader Kim Jong Un.
For its high ideological and artistic value, the song evokes strong emotions for the party flag among the people, leading them to harden their will to remain loyal to the WPK.
A song titled "The Leader and the General Are Always Together" was created on the occasion of the birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung, the Day of the Sun (April 15). For its ideological, emotional and philosophical profundity, the song well represents the honor of the Korean people advancing toward a rosy future under the blessing of Generalissimos Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, eternal leaders of the DPRK.
"Ode to the Motherland" is also one of the masterpieces created in the era of Songun. The song arouses feelings of ardent love for the socialist motherland, making one recall with deep emotion the great feats Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il performed on behalf of the country and the people. With fresh and passionate rhythms, it reflects the strong will of the Korean army and people to glorify their homeland.
All people in the DPRK say that the song is as valuable as National Anthem.
And you can really twerk to it.
One of the more serious geopolitical questions for that part of the world revolves around whether North Korea is more of a hazard as is -- horrifically mistreating its people, comically belligerent to the rest of the world, but more or less contained -- or if the whole charade comes tumbling down, as inevitably it must. South Korea, China, and Japan (and probably Russia) are shitting their collective pants at the prospect of nearly 25 million North Koreans bum-rushing the borders and breaking out of the gulag.
Perhaps you're old enough to recall the growing pains of the unified German state, as culturally and socially repressed East Germans had trouble integrating into a society where there wasn't someone watching and waiting to tell them what to do, where to live, what to eat, who to marry, etc. But at least many of them had actual skills, were highly literate and trainable, and could integrate successfully after some initial hiccups.
How trainable do you think someone who has literally lived their entire life in a prison camp, tortured and worked nearly to death and certainly not educated nor literate, would be? It's understandable, the reluctance of the neighbors to take on millions of brainwashed and abused people all at once.
It will happen at some point, one hopes and supposes, the centripetal force of political implosion through inept, heavy-handed leadership and information wanting to be free. One of the Yalu River border crossings into China, Dandong, has 2.4 million people. Even a couple hundred smart phones, in the right hands in North Korea, could potentially effect massive change. Or the rest of the generals, seeing what happened to Chang, could decide that hanging together is preferable to hanging separately.
There are obviously no easy solutions here, no "we should do" or "we can't do" prescriptions. But the situation is awful on a historic scale, and the palace intrigue adds yet another dimension to an already fascinating narrative.
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