

Australian Documents Life 'Inside the Strangest Nation on Earth' - dreamweapon
http://mashable.com/2014/07/22/life-inside-strangest-nation-on-earth/

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MrZongle2
_To smuggle in the devices he needed, he made them look like normal consumer
items. He disguised his USB radio and TV receivers as regular USB drives,
putting them into sealed plastic bags so they would look like he just bought
them at the airport 's duty free shop. He turned his old Fuji photo-camera
into a radio and brought a MP3 player that could also record and receive AM
and FM radio signals._

Am I alone in thinking that this guy was an _idiot_ for pulling such a stunt,
simply to _document_ life in North Korea -- a country that imprisons and
executes individuals for the most minor of politically incorrect
transgressions?

If smuggling in a device masquerading as another device doesn't scream "I'm a
spy, arrest and interrogate me", to such folks, I don't know what does.

~~~
dreamweapon
It's called "altruism," per the usual definition.

Clearly he thought the benefits of (better) exposing the realities of the DPRK
regime (better, that is, than Western media outlets appear to have ever
attempted) was worth the risk to his own person.

Whether this is "idiotic" or not depends on your personal values. But he
definitely had a lot more balls, and by any objective measure, he's doing
something a lot more interesting and useful with his life than the vast
majority of those posting to this site.

~~~
MrZongle2
_It 's called "altruism," per the usual definition._

Nope. It's called "naiveté" at the very least.

Whose life did he improve by doing this? Was anybody's impression of North
Korea changed to the point where it will affect international relations?

Nope. He entered the DPRK as a tourist, was kept on the short tourist leash by
his minders, and recorded little more than North Korean government-mandated
social media. By doing so, he merely confirmed the reports others have already
provided.

"Altruism" would be capturing images and stories from prison camps, off-leash
and with a clear humanitarian mission.

This guy was just a fool.

~~~
dreamweapon
_This guy was just a fool._

If you say so, than I guess he is, MrZongle2.

But if you think someone could have done better then feel free to infiltrate
the Hermit Kingdom yourself, and report back to us. Just sniping away from the
safety of HN isn't helping anyone.

