American boy plans NKorea trip to pitch peace idea

[Prannon]

Why in the hell would the Norks bother with ineffectual dickwaving like kidnapping some random kid just because he's an American? Why wouldn't they see this as just some way to spin this into some sort of propaganda photo-op, like they actually have with some recent documentaries made by National Geographic channel on North Korea?

Yeah, that documentary team had its camera crew followed around and whatnot, but they were never seriously threatened let alone thrown into jail. The NK government didn't even stop them from videotaping cute little NK kids singing nursery rhymes about killing America, so why would they suddenly be possessed by the need to kidnap a kid just because they can when they let a documentary team go around and make a not-exactly-flattering program about their country? Why would they, somehow, not see the inherent propaganda value in this and exploit it?

But, hey, let's assume the NK government runs on cartoon supervillain logic instead of the self-serving "posturing when necessary, play to the cameras as needed" fucked up dictatorship it is.

Guys, pay attention to what Ilya is saying. He's very much right. Even though tensions are really high on the peninsula right now, the Norks will most likely see this as a propaganda opportunity and nothing more. I mean, they already gave them the visas, for Christ's sake.

There's actually a precedent for this sort of photo op from naive people visiting, too. Back in the late 80s or the early 90s, a South Korean student visited North Korea out of good will and was very much taken advantage of by the North. They said that this was evidence that Southern students were on their side, and they certainly gave her a glowing tour of the country. I figure that the same thing will happen with this child. They'll give them the glowing tour, talk about how awesome they are, give lip service to his idea, and then send them on their way. Then it'll be back to eating their lobsters and playing with their sex corps.

[Ilya Muromets]

Was that the NatGeo team whose photographer lay down to get a good up-angle shot at a statue of Kim Il Sung and got mobbed by shrieking Nork honor-guard troops for 'disrespecting the Great Leader...?'

No, that incident was from "Inside: North Korea." I was referring to another documentary. But for the life of me, I can't remember the title.

[Kanastrous]

Deep Inside North Korea...?

[Steve]

But, hey, let's assume the NK government runs on cartoon supervillain logic instead of the self-serving "posturing when necessary, play to the cameras as needed" fucked up dictatorship it is.

So King Jong-il = Cobra Commander?

Will the Dear Leader invest his powers in nature to build a Juche-powered Weather Dominator next?

I mean, that does seem to be how a lot of people view the North Koreans. Complete, undeniable villainy.

[Zaune]

So King Jong-il = Cobra Commander? ... I mean, that does seem to be how a lot of people view the North Koreans. Complete, undeniable villainy.

Let's face it, they bring a lot of that upon themselves. But you're right that it's easy to overlook the fact that plenty of members of the regime, from the lowest level to a lot higher than you might think, are undoubtedly quite sane and sensible people trying to do right by their country. History and fiction seldom remember the minions of an Evil Overlord whose job is to make sure the Legion of Darkness gets paid on time and the Fortress of Doom doesn't fall down, unless they take a cue from Albert Speer and write bestselling tell-all books about it once said Evil Overlord is safely dead.

[tim31]

Yes, but god help them if they kidnap a white American child on a mission of peace!

Reading comprehension? The kid's a Korean-American. So... I guess it's god help them if they kidnap a yellow American child on a mission of peace.

obvious sarcasm not so obvious ANYONE SURPRISED?

[Ilya Muromets]

So King Jong-il = Cobra Commander? ... I mean, that does seem to be how a lot of people view the North Koreans. Complete, undeniable villainy.

Let's face it, they bring a lot of that upon themselves. But you're right that it's easy to overlook the fact that plenty of members of the regime, from the lowest level to a lot higher than you might think, are undoubtedly quite sane and sensible people trying to do right by their country. History and fiction seldom remember the minions of an Evil Overlord whose job is to make sure the Legion of Darkness gets paid on time and the Fortress of Doom doesn't fall down, unless they take a cue from Albert Speer and write bestselling tell-all books about it once said Evil Overlord is safely dead.

They don't even have to "do right by their country" to be sane and sensible. They can be brutal, self-serving assholes and still be sane and sensible when it comes to protecting their positions, securing their power, and twisting things to their advantage. They got said positions of power while working for the North Korean government, so any advantage to that is an advantage for them.

My point was, what political advantage would kidnapping a child coming to them for a goodwill visit have? Zip. Nada. Squat. Unless their goal is to make their country look like a small-time criminal gang. I mean, hysterics like this:

You sure we're talking about the right NK here? Acts like every bad thing to happen to them since the 1950s is totally not due to their mindless devotion to Karl Marx? Violates all human rights at a whim? Sunk a SK frigate because it allegedly tresspassed into their waters?

Is over-emotional, over-generalizing stupidity that doesn't take into account that the Norks are as much calculating propaganda hounds as plenty of other similar regimes. Violates human rights at whim? Yeah, they do. But mostly to their own citizens, which they can oppress with relative impunity because, really, how many countries are gonna care enough to stop them? But kidnap a citizen of a foreign power, one of their biggest enemies at that, on a whim? What they fuck do they have to gain other "hurr, hurr, we're so evil." Sunk an SK frigate? They can easily twist that into military posturing and claims of SK not respecting their territorial rights. As stupid as it is, they can still glean some useful political points out of it.

All those actions still make some kind of political sense to the NK government, whereas squandering a perfect PR opportunity just to dickishly imprison one naive little American kid doesn't.