North Korea

[JamboMikey]

The labour camps sound like something straight from the soviet union in the 1940s

They are.

[grumswall]

Could that possibly point towards cannibalism? The country barely have enough food so it wouldnt be a big stretch.

[ICTChris]

There was apparently cannibalism during the famine in the 1990s but I don't know if it was ever verified. Obviously it's difficult to verify anything there.

One thing that I thougth was interesting was the fact that Sweeney could get a mobile signal for his iPhone, suggesting that contact is possible between South and North. Apparently you can get South Korean TV in the North as well. This suggests that people might not be completely brainwashed and that they are aware of the comparison to the South.

[MONKMAN]

Could that possibly point towards cannibalism? The country barely have enough food so it wouldnt be a big stretch.

Its been mentioned on the news previously about rumours of cannibalism

[well fan for life]

There was apparently cannibalism during the famine in the 1990s but I don't know if it was ever verified. Obviously it's difficult to verify anything there.

One thing that I thougth was interesting was the fact that Sweeney could get a mobile signal for his iPhone, suggesting that contact is possible between South and North. Apparently you can get South Korean TV in the North as well. This suggests that people might not be completely brainwashed and that they are aware of the comparison to the South.

The problem is, they can get all the phone signal in the world and watch unbiased news reports but they can't do anything with it. From the looks of it, if they dared to question the propaganda they are fed it's an almost certain death in one of the Gulags for you and your family.

[Zanetti]

The labour camps sound like something straight from the soviet union in the 1940s

A series of sketches was recently released by a defector who had been in a prison camp. They are gruesome but fascinating, a truly terrifying insight in to what they're like.

Probably shouldn't click this at work (or perhaps not at all).

[Jacksgranda]

A series of sketches was recently released by a defector who had been in a prison camp. They are gruesome but fascinating, a truly terrifying insight in to what they're like.

Probably shouldn't click this at work (or perhaps not at all).

Those are very like the sketches that Allied PoWs did in Japanese camps - some things never change. Man's inhumanity to man.

[Swampy]

There was apparently cannibalism during the famine in the 1990s but I don't know if it was ever verified. Obviously it's difficult to verify anything there.

One thing that I thougth was interesting was the fact that Sweeney could get a mobile signal for his iPhone, suggesting that contact is possible between South and North. Apparently you can get South Korean TV in the North as well. This suggests that people might not be completely brainwashed and that they are aware of the comparison to the South.

The border with China is in some places hugely porous, too. You have to go pretty far into the interior to find people who are truly unexposed to the outside world. But at the same time, education, upbringing etc. take their toll. Even people with good information on the outside world will blame "foreign enemies" for pretty much anything.

[bullywee]

If there is hope, it must lie with the proles.

[Cardinal Richelieu]

If there is hope, it must lie with the proles.

Aye. And we all know how it all worked out in that book

[xbl]

Even people with good information on the outside world will blame "foreign enemies" for pretty much anything.

Actually, thats a good point, has anyone heard from Tryfield recently?

[ICTChris]

The border with China is in some places hugely porous, too. You have to go pretty far into the interior to find people who are truly unexposed to the outside world. But at the same time, education, upbringing etc. take their toll. Even people with good information on the outside world will blame "foreign enemies" for pretty much anything.

Absolutely right. A workmate of mine was in China, in a city near the border, and said that there were loads of beggars (most of them children) who were border jumpers from North Korea.

[mizfit]

Watched the panorama thing last night, I'm still trying to understand why Kim il sung is still president, is it a case of they are all terrified of upsetting their "god"?

[KeeperDee]

Watched the panorama thing last night, I'm still trying to understand why Kim il sung is still president, is it a case of they are all terrified of upsetting their "god"?

I'm sure there is no religion in North Korea, something to do with their Juchist socialist political system they have there.

It essentially states that the North Korean masses are masters of their own fate and their own country, and essentially that they don't need a god.

I genuinely think they are brainwashed into believing every word they are told though.

[well fan for life]

After a bit of googling, it appear that after his death Kim Il-Sung was given the title of "Eternal President of the Republic". So while being the president, and also dead so unable to actually contribute anything, Kim Jong-Un is the leader of the Worker's party so is the leader of the country.

What a fucking weird place.

I also came across this, which is quite an interesting read and has a lot of photos from inside North Korea. http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.co.uk/

[Enigma]

After a bit of googling, it appear that after his death Kim Il-Sung was given the title of "Eternal President of the Republic". So while being the president, and also dead so unable to actually contribute anything, Kim Jong-Un is the leader of the Worker's party so is the leader of the country.

What a fucking weird place.

I also came across this, which is quite an interesting read and has a lot of photos from inside North Korea. http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.co.uk/

I've just spend a couple of hours reading that... thanks, man.

[yoda]

Watched the panorama thing last night, I'm still trying to understand why Kim il sung is still president, is it a case of they are all terrified of upsetting their "god"?

They changed the constitution in 1998 to make him "eternal president". It does make him look like a "god" to some extent (his birth year is "year one" in their calendar but I think that was changed when the constitution came in, rather than being in place since 1945). If you build up a cult of personality then you can make the person (or family in this case) look like "gods". Some people will accept it as fact, others will question it but it's not as if they can make these feelings known or else you're punted to a gulag.

Their political system is Suryong rather than Juche (from what I've read, that's more the ideology that is in place). Under their Suryong system, it means that:

The supreme leader is greater than the state, as the latter depends on the former.

There's a website that also claims that North Koreans are required "under party convenant" to worship Kim Il Sung, however this worship links back to what I've mentioned before: he created North Korea, so show some respect.

[Homer Thompson]

I found the most disturbing part to be that they just stockpile dead bodies all winter, then bury what's left in the spring.

Thats only in the prison camps, though.

I watched the Panorama programme last night. The stories they were fed at the farm, bottling plant, hospital and factory were so clearly lies its untrue!

[Lichtieforlife]

[Jacksgranda]

I found the most disturbing part to be that they just stockpile dead bodies all winter, then bury what's left in the spring.

Thats only in the prison camps, though.

I watched the Panorama programme last night. The stories they were fed at the farm, bottling plant, hospital and factory were so clearly lies its untrue!

That's alright, then.