The Great Leader

David · Post by **David** » 2003-07-23 11:28pm

Well thats what they call the leader of North Korea anyway. Two representatives recently went there on a diplomatic trip. Yesterday they had a conference on what they saw and talked about. One of the things they noted was the fact that every person over the age of 9 had a on a button pin with a picture of Kim Jong-Il (sp?) Their minders told the reps that everyone over 9 had to wear the pins at all times, and members of the Party also had to wear a pin with the flag on it. When one of the reps asked what would happen if someone forgot to wear his pin the minder whipered " No one forgets to wear their pin."

Just thought it was an interesting fact. They also noted that there was almost no printed material of any kind except for boards with propaganda ( US and SK soldiers being impailed with bayonets.) Their minders managed to get them a newspaper just before they left the country, it only had 4 pages of propaganda. They said it was eerie going down a 6 lane road with no traffic whatsoever. Also as they were leaving for the airport they finally got to see some NK soldiers. Three of them pushing a truck that one of the reps said was at least 1945-1950 model.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-07-23 11:33pm

Such a backwards country. Communism has really worked its magic there. Long live the Revolution!

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2003-07-23 11:44pm

"Lenin left us a great legacy, and we, his heirs, we fucked it up!"

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2003-07-24 12:22am

Saw some footage from NK Sunday night, on CBS's 60 Minutes.

Things of note:

Their German informant said the only thing available in stores is cheap rot-gut liquor. 1984, anyone?

An operating table made of wood, caked with blood. Looked like a horror film prop. Made me kinda sick.

An IV bottle made from an old beer bottle. No shit.

Kids eating....stuff they were picking out of the dirt. Bugs, I guess.

The German said you don't find birds in NK, they've presumably all been eaten. Nothin' says lovin' like sparrow in the oven!

The shit has left me in a funk since I've seen it.....

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2003-07-24 01:46am

So, this Kim Dong Small dude has been rattling the saber with nuclear weapons while his country starves. Sickening.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-07-24 05:03am

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi wrote:So, this Kim Dong Small dude has been rattling the saber with nuclear weapons while his country starves. Sickening.

Why didn't we blow that madman to smithereens before he had the chance to acquire nuclear weapons?

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-07-24 09:26am

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi wrote:So, this Kim Dong Small dude has been rattling the saber with nuclear weapons while his country starves. Sickening.

For several years now the nation has had a major problem with cannibalism.

Simon H.Johansen wrote: Why didn't we blow that madman to smithereens before he had the chance to acquire nuclear weapons?

Because after the Korean War the US had bigger fish to fry such as the threat of the Soviet Union. By the 1990's any sort of offensive against the North was out of the question even if you ignore politics, six hundred guns aimed a Seoul and a couple hundred biochemical SCUDs make for a good deterrent. They've had that capability since the 1970's really, the geography of the South works against us in this case.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-07-24 09:30am

Durran Korr wrote:Such a backwards country. Communism has really worked its magic there. Long live the Revolution!

Well they really didn't have a revolution, they where liberated from fascist rule by there Soviet comrades.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-07-24 03:42pm

Frank Hipper wrote:Saw some footage from NK Sunday night, on CBS's 60 Minutes.

The German said you don't find birds in NK, they've presumably all been eaten. Nothin' says lovin' like sparrow in the oven!

The shit has left me in a funk since I've seen it.....

I saw that episode, its pretty amazing what a backward, fucked up place that is.

National Geographic had an issue on NK and it was interesting to note that the DMZ has inadervently become a haven for wildlife. In the North they eat all the wildlife and in the south development has displaced it.

Post by **Coyote** » 2003-07-24 04:43pm

I think after the Cold War we seriously expected places like that-- and Cuba, for example-- to crumble oon afterwards. That they have held on so long was not anticipated....

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2003-07-24 06:21pm

Coyote wrote:I think after the Cold War we seriously expected places like that-- and Cuba, for example-- to crumble oon afterwards. That they have held on so long was not anticipated....

Well, North Korea has crumbled. It's a shithole in every sense of the word. It's just a shithole with nuclear weapons.

Cuba, like China, isn't willing to grind itself into the dust with insane policies. Castro is a smart if brutal leader. The fact that they have a semi-viable economy has saved their ass. Unlike Korea they actually have working relationship with the rest of the world, the US is the exception rather than the rule when it comes to Cuba.

Tribun · Post by **Tribun** » 2003-07-24 06:28pm

Yep,
Germany got excellent relations with the US. Castro was glad to be part of a documentation about the Cuba crisis, and his comments were really intelligent and wise.
And it brings a lot of money, to re-export the Havannas to the US. (Who cann't import them because of the embargo)

David · Post by **David** » 2003-07-26 12:39am

For several years now the nation has had a major problem with cannibalism.

The Rep noted that while he was simpathetic to the plight of the NK people, he believed that any food we give that country would mostly go to either the top party officials or to feed their million man army.

otter · Post by **otter** » 2003-07-28 01:22pm

David wrote:
For several years now the nation has had a major problem with cannibalism.

The Rep noted that while he was simpathetic to the plight of the NK people, he believed that any food we give that country would mostly go to either the top party officials or to feed their million man army.

Well, at the rate they're starving and eating each other, if true. The only people that are going to be left in a few years are the party officials and million man army