North Korea?

So I have only been on ATS for about 2 months now and have not seen any threads on North Korea (maybe I missed them). Anyways, I have been very interested in NK or DPR for the past few years and have watched them closely on the news and the web. I am fascinated at how they got to where they are today with a "God" like leader Kim Jong un. With everything that has happened lately (Mass hunger, political executions, nuke threats, etc) it is clear that NK is headed on a self destructive path but what is not clear is how it will end. Will there "Juche" attitude be there undoing? Will the people revolt?( not likely as they seem devoted to the cause) will high ranking generals over throw Kim jong un? will kim Jong un start a war? How much longer will the Regime last? I wanna get your guys opinion on this topic that has interested me for a while now.

Thanks

reply to post by Shepard64


Click the icon on the top far right ( next to the envelope) and type in North Korea.
You will find tons of posts.

reply to post by nugget1


Oh wow I did not know about that awesome feature, thanks. But I would still like peoples opinions on this.

When people live in area without connections to outside world like in North Korea process to get rid of dictature is limited and policy of fear continues. When the knowledge is out including modern information technology, process is unstoppable.
We have seen and witnessed that open internet brings transparency on issues, fast news globally and of course some misinformation you need to solve yourself instead of issues being solved for you, when this is available in NK for big masses.. there will be change.

reply to post by Shepard64


I think they stole that missing plane. Most people disregard my theory but who else could steal an airplane and hide the plane?

If I'm crazy then so be it but it makes you think.

I think a lot of people think the people in NK live in fear and want to leave the country.
My opinion is, that the people living there are so brainwashed from their birth, that they don't know the reality and actually believe that the Korean regime is good and only wants their best.
Only a few NKoreans may know the truth.
Even if you could liberate them, they would not know how to live in this world. People don't realize this.
The North Koreans simply would not know how to behave with freedom.
You can see this for example with prisoners that have been in prison for decades.

minusinfinity
reply to post by Shepard64

 

I think they stole that missing plane. Most people disregard my theory but who else could steal an airplane and hide the plane?

If I'm crazy then so be it but it makes you think.

That theory doesn't make you crazy, it's actually much more plausible than many others, I myself just think that # got real on the plane or it just malfunctioned and crashed, like it has happened many times, funny that there's always that small possibility your plane might crash when going to Malaysia for some lovely vacation. Anyways, good ol' NK, it's been practically the same and I think it will stay that way, I can't really see that fat ass leader of theirs suddenly allowing everyone to have access to the internet, in a few months everyone would know that their leaders were not divine, superhuman beings, and that their country is one of the most isolated, poorest and #tiest countries in the world, I would be mad, really mad.. but please, before that country gets to know any taste of freedom they need to overcome so many problems I think it wouldn't even be worth maintaining North Korea as sovereign nation, they could just merge with SK.

reply to post by aLLeKs


I totally agree with you, what if they were shown how the world is? Do you think they would want to be apart of it?

reply to post by WhiteWine
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So you think if they were shown how the world really is and not just what they have been force fed over the years that they will embrace it. They may be so brainwashed that they would still believe in there "great" leader.

Shepard64
reply to post by WhiteWine
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So you think if they were shown how the world really is and not just what they have been force fed over the years that they will embrace it. They may be so brainwashed that they would still believe in there "great" leader.

That is a valid point, but many of the documentaries I saw about NK, the people there always looked extremely sad, I think they know they live in piss poor country but really can't say or show any sign of being against it, I see photos of the 'great' leader with his people and what I see in the peoples faces is just a masked smile hiding the constant fear and terror of that so 'great' leader, my country used to be Fascist, people were brainwashed for 40 years, after those long 40 years of constant propaganda, political surveilance, no freedom of speech and the same party governing but no signs of positive development, people just got sick of it and embraced a revolution, though that revolution would not have started without the army.. even though this is a sketchy comparison, I just wanted to emphasize no matter how brainwashed people are, there are always a few that can make a turn of events and I think if NK's population saw the army heading to the place where Kim Jong-Un is stationed, they would follow them and kill that little prick, or if they got to know the barely free western world, they would embrace it.

I just see North Korea at least 50yr behind civilisation for the forceable future...


As you said, the undoubtably brainwashed North Koreans view lil Kim as a god so it is very unlikely they will bash his doors in and drag him out for all the misery his family has reaped on them because of the phyco gene amongst his bloodline

Unfortunately I think they will eventually become a long lost tribe caged by the rest of humanity

Pretty much like these guys

Just last night I watched a new special on PBS Frontline, I think it was "Inside North Korea", something along those lines. Great documentary, they have done others before as well. In this latest one they showed a guy smuggling thumb drives, laptops and other things into NK. It's becoming more common for North Koreans to have access to media from the outside world, including T.V. broadcasts from SK and China. Although illegal in NK, it's getting common quicker and quicker. Soon, there will be no way the regime will be able to stop it.

The documentary points out that with more and more North Koreans gaining knowledge of a world that exists outside the only one they know, eventually it will cause the regime to have serious reforms or collapse all together. People are already starting to speak their minds and do trade with one another more than ever before. It's only a matter of time before things really change over there. We can only hope the people become the ones in charge, the people who make the changes and not some massacre by the regime there, or a war with the U.S./SK. Either way it goes down, I really feel change is coming soon. 60+ years of suffering is long enough!

There are lots of thoughts of how it will end, since it had a beginning it most certainly does have an end. This is one area that has had to live with the generational tension that a cease fire and not a peace treaty brings. From the outside it looks like a hard case with a tough bred. There is most certainly a lot of fears and worries for all concerned. As for how I hope it ends...

The international players can keep there nose out of Korea long enough for the reunification effort to get a real chance and some monument. Sure there is still a lot of international assistance that can be provided, but when it comes to those at the discussion table just dealing with the Korean national interest is hard enough without being used as a pawn for some foreigner ego trip.

Eventually the date is set for the wall to come down and a national election to take place. Internationally this is a very good party day, like in Germany. The next few years are tough as economically the South does have to lift up the North, longer term Korea does become a very strong power house in the region.

Internationally, the example that is set by Korea demonstrating how it was able to over come such a difficult challenge does raise the standard of foreign relations. By being able to hold their integrity out in the light it does give this small stature the might to be right.

reply to post by WhiteWine


I think your right, the completely devoted are outnumbered.

North Korea is a puzzle.

Big huge puzzle because of lack of information.

Some members claim they know how North Koreans think or what they want: I think it's not possible to know.

There were some journalists infiltrating the country providing some information but it is all insufficient.

We can assume they live in some kind of Orwelian fake utopia but what how they think - that we don't know.

Anyway, Korea was so successfully divided, it's almost scary what few world powers can do.

Just google the number of north koreans that want to go back! The ones i saw felt lonely and isolated in south korea and couldnt wait to go back.
Says a lot about western values. www.businessinsider.com...

This is a person who is clearly not a leader and handed the reigns of a country that has been submissive for so long. Change is wanted but people are scared. They control almost all aspects of their culture and literally control what they see and do. It is very hard to break out of that mold (easy to say if you are outside looking in).

In another fashion, you can say , "let's go get this guy and take him out". That isnt so easy either unless you assassinate him or capture him - either way , potentially causing a war on the penninsula. Then would those same people calling for that be shouting for a war to end with both sides taking losses? No one wants war if it can be avoided so calling for it should be a last resort. The only thing war helps is the people who gain montarily from it. Everyone else suffers.

We need to ensure that we can provide the means internally to their people to make them oust him as a leader so they commit to it. Only then will you be able to assist and rebuild.
One thing I will say - everyone , even China and Russia should not deny and be very sympathetic to the concentration camps they are running there in NK. That is no joke and every country has felt that pinch during the wars. There should be no divided lines along that and we should stand together.

All in all - if anything needs to happen to make this change it needs to happen very soon; either by removing the issue by force (before they get nuclear) or by him actually taking advantage of his chance to make real history and take the action his father would not; open the borders, accept the help, and look to unify. I honestly see how that could not be best for the country but when you are the one wielding all the power and not suffering, I guess it is something you are not willing to give up.

Just a last heads up to you, NK leader - Sadaam thought he was invincible too. Regardless of the reason we went to war (not going to debate it) he found out the hard way. When it comes to war - there are no real winners but their are casulties and fate. His will be tribunal and/or death.
Just my two cents.