Regarding North Korea....

[Lentonius]

Watching Die Another Day recently, I am even more intrigued as to what is going on in North Korea..

I mean, the USA keeps some thousands of men at the north/south border, and everyone makes them out to look like foul commie nuclear nutters...

I mean, almost any westerner going into the country is garunteed 'talk time' with the local authorities, and they trade only with the rising power of China...


Then, i only realised to contradict this, that the white stripes had a concert in Pyongyang last summer...


I really am stumbled about this obscure and hidden place...

[Ice]

Only one way to find out what it's truly like, first hand; take a visit.

[Vladimir]

I wouldn't worry about our troops being there for much longer. I long for the day when we reduce our overseas garrisons if only to see how Europe reacts. They say "Yankee go home" and I say "See ya."~:wave:

[Redleg]

Watching Die Another Day recently, I am even more intrigued as to what is going on in North Korea..

Then I suggest you read some different things on North Korea. Since I am at work - I can not provide you with several of the links I use to keep updated on what is going on on the Korean Pennesulia. When I get home in about 9 hours - I will happily provide several of them if you desire.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

North Korea: Economically weak nation with a power-crazed and idiotic dictator armed with approximatly 10 nuclear armed ICBMs (Dao-Dongs, I beleive. Big missiles with horrible accuracy), and enough insanity to nuke it's neighbors if it had to. Approximate GDP is $40,000,000,000.

[Meneldil]

The most hilarious thing I saw about NK is the empty capital. It has huge buildings, streets and avenues (apparently, the main avenue is based on the Champs Elysées), but you can hardly find a car or a people walking in the street.
Also heard they had to eat human flesh in times of real need.
It seems to be the highest level of communism dictatorship crazyness

[Ice]

Not trying to be funny, but I heard they actually sell and eat babies in the markets there.

Can anyone confirm this?

[Papewaio]

Doesn't sound likely... you would only lose energy by that process... unless for some weird economy baby meat was worth at least 10 times the weight of other proteins... after all for every kg you put on in weight you need to consume approx 10 kg and then maintain that weight by consuming more food.

So it makes no sense from an energy point of view that you could have a society survive on eating its young :skull: ... not to mention the moral, social and other implications...

[Devastatin Dave]

Here's a great documentary on it...
http://times.discovery.com/convergence/insidenorthkorea/video/video.html
Here's the actual show....
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6951629397402742053&q=north+korea
I spent one year in South Korea during my time in the Air Force. Its a shame that such wonderful people are subjected to this type of governmental tyrany.

[Vladimir]

So it makes no sense from an energy point of view that you could have a society survive on eating its young :skull: ... not to mention the moral, social and other implications...

Are you serious? Yes it has happened before; yes it undoubtedly happens today (in mercifully rare situations). You're applying logic to the survival instinct. During the siege of Moscow people would boil wall paper and the dirt from under the floorboards because they had nothing else. You do what you have to my friend. Although long-term this isn't likely as people would stop having children if starved too much. Most likely if it happened it was a rare and exceptional case.

[Redleg]

Here are a couple of sites I visit to get information on North Korea, and South Korea for that matter.

South Korea Government

http://www.kois.go.kr/

North Korean News Agency

http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.htm

This one is from the North Korean government. Its rather amusing to read at times.

http://www.korea-dpr.com/

Google searches also bring up some good information if your looking for specific information.

[Al Khalifah]

Only one way to find out what it's truly like, first hand; take a visit.
Personally, I can't. I am banned from North Korea.
Also, as far as I can remember, tourists are not allowed to travel into North Korea with US passports and they may even refuse you entry for having a US stamp on your passport.

[Ice]

Personally, I can't. I am banned from North Korea.
Also, as far as I can remember, tourists are not allowed to travel into North Korea with US passports and they may even refuse you entry for having a US stamp on your passport.

Why are you personally banned?

You are probably right, It would make sense that they wouldn't let any "capitalist pigs" inside their country. Finally, I would advise you not go there anyway; not a great vacation spot.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

North Korea makes Cuba seem like a slice of heaven by comparison.

Communication of all forms is restricted. The government modifies computers/ISP's so that they can only access the government approved version of the internet.

Calories available per person is notoriously low, often on the edge of starvation.

All the usual "cult of the leader as Uber-dude" trappings are present.

Freedom of the Press -- Hah!

Freedom of Speech -- Hee-hee!

Right to bear arms -- universal, at age 17 when you're drafted, terminates when you are no longer a government soldier.


I get annoyed at my own government, but its a legion or 10 better than NK.

[Al Khalifah]

Cuba is not so bad as a tourist destination - its cheap, good food, good weather, good cigars. Like most of Latin America it's not so nice for the less fortunate (i.e the majority) of the local populace though.

Why am I banned? Not all "capitalist pigs" are from America you see and while I don't know the precise reason, I could guess at several things. When I applied to go there - I got a big flat no.

[Byzantine Prince]

It seems to me that North Korea is in self-destruct mode. I can't imagine them being able to borrow more and more money with no production of anything really, and with no food for regular citizens. Let's not forget the huge army that will eventually starve.

I think that in at most 10 years the country known as North Korea will collapse completely and it will have one of two residuals: It will either be invaded by the south with ease to "free" its people from utter devastation, or it will self-destruct by sending out a nuclear attack against the south and china. It isn't looking so good. The situation they have created is one that has no real solution and is far more grave than Iran, or Syria or Palestine. It can mean some serious fighting and some serious casualties.

[The_Doctor]

They don't like men with long hair:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4157121.stm

[Ice]

They don't like men with long hair:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4157121.stm


The series is entitled Let us trim our hair in accordance with Socialist lifestyle.

That is one of the funniest things I've ever heard.


Tidy attire "is important in repelling the enemies' manoeuvres to infiltrate corrupt capitalist ideas and lifestyle and establishing the socialist lifestyle of the military-first era,

Ah, Communism at it's best. :2thumbsup:

[Lentonius]

Yep. they are very much in 'cold war USSR mode' except at that point the USSR had more than one ally and wasnt economically collapsing....

*edit, until mr. yeltsin thought of selling all the oil refineries for around 10 rubels:laugh4:

[BDC]

A second, and unprecedented, TV series this winter showed hidden-camera style video of "long-haired" men in various locations throughout Pyongyang.

Communist Big-Brother. How worrying.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

Not like Dao-Dongs are much effecitve anyway, for an ICBM they're horrendeously innaccurate. They probably couldn't hit Seoul if they tried to. Probably land in a ricefield.

[Sartaq]

They are called Dao-Dongs after all.

[Papewaio]

Are you serious? Yes it has happened before; yes it undoubtedly happens today (in mercifully rare situations). You're applying logic to the survival instinct. During the siege of Moscow people would boil wall paper and the dirt from under the floorboards because they had nothing else. You do what you have to my friend. Although long-term this isn't likely as people would stop having children if starved too much. Most likely if it happened it was a rare and exceptional case.

I am serious about it not being likely as an item in the market place (as that was the question), and that it is an unsustainable situation in the long term... much like using humans as batteries.