My knowledge of North Korea is limited to a couple of anecdotes and the debate whether North Korea is building an atomic bomb. It doesn't seem like anyone at all has a pure idea of what it's really like: perhaps more than any other country, it is entirely shrouded in mystery. A friend sent me this article earlier, and I was admittedly skeptical because it came out of American Conservative and I am decidedly not. Though I do find this account of North Korea a little sensationalist, it is also relatively honest: North Korea has a lot of problems, but these do not make it an evil state. The problem is that it's impossible to get a clear picture of this country when it has no Internet, foreign visitors are only allowed on guided tours, and communication beyond its borders is limited.
The journalist's plan of staging an "escape" is a bit ridiculous, not to mention dangerous, and I feel his handling of the worship of the Great Leader to be a bit stereotypical and heavy-handed. I'm curious as to how the average North Korean feels about the state of affairs in the country, though such an interview would be impossible to procure. The big question is whether North Korea has a nuclear weapon, but there isn't a good answer: on the one hand, how could a country unable to build a grand hotel have a weapon, and yet on the other hand the author says he's ready to believe that there is one.
Charities and aid organizations have been pulling out of North Korea with the complaint that they had no control over how aid was being distributed. It doesn't seem to be going to greedy government officials, the article notes; it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I don't know much about international relations, but it seems like all we can do is sit back and hope North Korea sorts itself out, yet offer help if it is necessary. Interference seems to be a blow to North Korea's pride, so I can think of no other way to handle this.
I admit that I don't know much about the situation, but does anyone? If you have any enlightening information or opinions, I would appreciate any input via the comments. I'm just going to go on a small tangent and say that informing one another (rather than fighting) in comments should be what ProU is all about.
So what's your view of North Korea, and how much might it differ from the veiled truth?
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I love your open honesty and innocent questions that surround the mysterious country of North Korea. Unfortunately, I think for now all we can do is ask questions. Seeking true and honest answers proves very difficult due to the amount of secrecy that keeps this nation very much in the dark. There have been some who have escaped from North Korea to tell tales of horror, concentration camps, and unspeakable evils. I wish I still knew where I read an article about this, but I am sure that if you dug into some research about escaped people from North Korea, you would be able to find some rather useful and honest information. If you find anything out, please let me know. I do know this for sure though; North Korea is a country that needs much prayer!
"If imperfections are what make us beautiful, then I must be a total babe!"
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/missionsminded-maiden
I've seen many clips about how brain-washed everyone over there is. The citizens became prisoners because they fear their leader so much that they have no choice but to think of their leader as their God. I don't know much about that country either and I hope that one day I'll be able to see their conditions with my own eyes. CNN did a report on it once. And everywhere the reporters went, they were followed by the security guards over there. You cannot mention anything bad about the leader, you can't even question or have doubts about the man. I thought it was very rediculous. They even have their own concentration camps at this very moment! I'd suggest you search a clip on CNN about North Korean, it's quite scary.
I also realized that you cannot trust what the media says too much. They are very bias so try to look up different sources as you can and come to your own conclusion.