

Views Show How North Korea Policy Spread Misery - derekc
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/10/world/asia/10koreans.html?pagewanted=all

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ringm
"Those North Koreans who have never crossed the border have no way to make
sense of their tribulations"

Just today someone on some Russian blog wrote about typical North Korean
perceptions of life abroad... It was along the lines of "Yes, we know they are
bullshitting it. It's all propaganda. We're told Americans are all hungry and
unemployed, but we know anyway! Life is good there, you can get plenty of rice
for your ration stamps! No millet, no barley, everyone can get rice if they
want. Not only in the capital, anywhere in the country. And the rations are
big!"

~~~
FlorinAndrei
Maybe each country is different, but I would hesitate before making broad
assumptions.

I grew up under a communist regime in Eastern Europe. I was 20 when the
revolution took place. So I think I know pretty well what the situation was
during the dictatorship.

There was a pretty big difference between the official propaganda and the way
people were really thinking. But it would have been very difficult for someone
"from outside" to get a glimpse of what was going on behind the layers upon
layers of doublethink. The risks were simply too great for anyone to open up
and give a piece of their mind to a total stranger. The true dimensions of
this orwellian spirit are hard to fathom without having the unmediated
experience of it.

I would say that people had a pretty good idea about "life in the West". Not a
perfect image, many details were certainly lacking, but overall correct.
However, they would not openly discuss about those things except with close
relatives or very close friends. Beyond a certain point on the social graph,
the official doctrine would automatically kick in and start getting mixed into
the discourse.

So take everything you hear about NK with a grain of salt.

Again, maybe I should not extrapolate like this. Maybe NK is a special case. I
guess we'll find out one day, after the insanity is over and that land becomes
free again.

~~~
rbanffy
Sadly, I fear lots of people will have a fair chance to experience Orwell
first-hand.

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jpcx01
This article infuriated me. No amount of aid, negotiations, or activism is
going to help the people of North Korea. Literally their only hope is a large
invading army.

The world had its chance to end this epic tragedy for 50 years and it did
nothing. Now the madman has some nukes and all options are out of the
question.

Good job world peace. Way ta go.

~~~
alextp
And how exactly would the many inevitable civillian deaths and the gruelling
guerrilla that are certainly going to happen if the US invades north korea
help anything?

It's partly because of war-mongering articles like this from the NYT that
americans are so intent on war as a universal tool to "help" other countries.

If it makes you any happier, as soon as some very precious natural resource is
found in North Korea you can be sure there will be US troops.

~~~
viggity
When the entire population is living in such complete misery, I don't really
think that a guerrilla war would happen. The North Koreans aren't religious
fanatics with some "higher cause" that would motivate them into a protracted
insurgency.

A war-mongering NYT article? That is a contradiction in terms.

The only reason we haven't invaded is because China is protecting North Korea,
and they're only really doing that because they don't want a massive flood of
refugees into their country.

~~~
weavejester
_"The North Koreans aren't religious fanatics with some "higher cause" that
would motivate them into a protracted insurgency."_

No, but the North Korea regime is based upon fanatic nationalism, which isn't
really that different.

~~~
jpcx01
Korean nationalism. South Korea's army would be the "occupying country" so I
really doubt this would cause an insurgency as severe as the ones in
Afghanistan or Iraq.

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kirvyteo
It is not all gloom and doom. I remember reading about Pyongyang University of
Science and Technology and how it was initiated by this man - Kim Chin Kyung
in fortune mag. His background is very interesting.
[http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/04/1057179156781.h...](http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/04/1057179156781.html)
He tried to affect change in a different way. Not by anger which we all feel
after reading the article. You have to admire his determination. Immediate
changes or changes caused by outside interference may not be a lasting or
stable thing. I believe at some point in time, the idiots ruling the place
will want to follow their only friend, China, transformation. The question is
when. Any form of aggression is only going to cost extra lives and delay this
timetable. As for them making the first move in a war....hmm...US can vaporize
the whole north peninsula and still have left over nukes.

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emef
Stories like these make me feel spoiled. I wish I knew how to help.

~~~
hnote
<http://linkglobal.org/> \- Liberty in North Korea

also their talk at Google is very, very impressive...
<http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2531661047425836509>

~~~
chrisb
The video is well worth watching.

It gives a very clear picture of what's happening in North Korea, and about
the situation for North Koreans inside and outside of North Korea (I was going
to write '...their country', but that doesn't really seem correct).

It is from 2007, but (as far as I know) the situation hasn't changed much.
Althoug the South Korean "Sunshine Policy" has now been stopped. Due to a
change of government a bit over a year ago, not in response to the more recent
naval conflict.

Two things the speaker said that stood out to me: 1\. This humanitarian
disaster is totally man-made. 2\. This is a place in which the word "evil"
really does apply.

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dpatru
This article illustrates why freedom (as in free speech and freedom to
contract) is so important and why a state's attempts to restrict freedom
should be vigorously opposed. Without the ability to control speech and
restrict free contracts, especially the ability to enforce the use of state-
controlled fiat currency, the North Korean government could not stay in power.

What is happening in North Korea is an illustration of what policies of
control lead to. What's interesting is that most of the people of North Korea,
because they don't know any better, don't realize the cause of their poverty.

We are in a similar situation with regards to fiat currency here in the west.
Although we are not dirt poor like the North Koreans, we are still a lot
poorer than we should be because of the huge portion of our economies consumed
by government and especially because of fiat currency. Like the North Koreans,
most people can't even conceive of a commodity-based, non-government-
controlled, free-market currency. As a result, they are blind to the true
cause of business cycles and their stagnant purchasing power.

The best way to increase wealth is to spread truth.

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kiba
I wonder how many individuals would volunteer to go to war against North Korea
if there is no other options available.

~~~
yread
War is always the worst option. Especially a war against somebody with tens of
thousands artillery pieces on the border, with medium range missiles and with
nuclear weapons that can reach something like 200 million people.

~~~
dagw
Not to mention the fourth or fifth largest standing army in the world.

~~~
tomjen3
Yeah, that is going to be a problem wrt pow camps when we have to house all
those who surrender so they can get food, clean water and a bed to sleep in.

