Un A officially responds to the deletion of her Youtube channel "Echo of Truth"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YobD2OqpcT0(this is the real channel btw, the one which reuploaded all the videos is an unofficial duplicate)
>If the virus does not ease, North Korea’s self-imposed lockdown will be extended, which could destabilise food and exchange markets and trigger public panic
>In January, North Korea was forced to seal off its international borders, including one with China – its biggest trading partner and aid benefactor – after Covid-19 emerged there.
>As a result of the border closure, North Korea’s trade volume with China in the first 10 months of this year fell by 75 per cent. That led to a shortage of raw materials that plunged the North’s factory operation rate to its lowest level since Kim took power in late 2011, and a fourfold price increase of imported foods like sugar and seasonings, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers recently.
>As long as the pandemic continues, the North will have to settle for modest economic goals while focusing on its antivirus efforts, the Seoul-based Institute for Far Eastern Studies said in a report.
>North Korea has steadfastly claimed to be coronavirus-free, though it said it has intensified what it called “maximum” anti-epidemic steps. Outside experts are highly sceptical of the North’s zero-virus case claim but agree the country has not experienced a widespread outbreak.
>“Why did they raise their anti-epidemic steps if they really haven’t had any patients? It doesn’t make any sense,” said Kim Sin-gon, a professor at Korea University College of Medicine in Seoul. “But they’ve imposed a higher level of antivirus steps than any other country, so it’s likely that there aren’t many patients there.”https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3115541/kim-calls-meeting-north-korea-faces-worst-economic-crisis-1990sTake the article with a grain of salt, it almost exclusively uses South Korean sources.
>>59
It depends on where in the country you live.
Pyongyang's living conditions are on par with most 1st world major cities, despite western CIA propaganda and media saying the good conditions there are "staged" and all the citizens are just acting like everything is great. However, there are parts of the country that are relatively impoverished, such as the people living in the mountains in the northwest corner of the country.
South Korea, on the other hand, appears to do well in terms of GDP and economic growth, but the standard work week is at least 56 hours, it has the largest suicide rate by far of any developed country, and the entire country's economy depends on 6-8 conglomerates. It it doing better economically than North Korea though, hence why most defectors who flee to the South are people who are tricked by South Korean brokers to going to the South temporarily for better wages, then are stuck in the South since anyone who attemps to defect to the North gets shot on site.
Also, you can't really measure North Korea by GDP standards, since DPRK provides far more to their citizens than any other country. (Free housing, free utilities, free health care, etc…)
Workers' Party of Korea set forth 5-Year Plan for Housing Construction
https://youtu.be/S7D4V0fH-QAHousing Construction to Be Conducted Extensively
The Eighth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea set forth the five-year strategy for national economic development between 2021 and 2025.
During the period, housing construction will be conducted extensively to provide the people with a more civilized life.
It is a popular policy of our Party and state to build houses at the state expense.
In the 2010s, a lot of houses were built amid the concern of the respected Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the WPK.
Changjon Street was inaugurated in Juche 101(2012), Unha Scientists Street in Juche 102(2013), Wisong Scientists Residential District in Juche 103(2014), Mirae Scientists Street in Juche 104(2015) and Ryomyong Street in Juche 106(2017). After all, one street was built almost every year.
And new houses were built in different parts of the country including the farm city in the Jangchon area of Pyongyang City, Samjiyon City, a modern mountain city, in Ryanggang Province, the village at the Jungphyong Vegetable Greenhouse Farm in North Hamgyong Province, the rural village in the area of the Yangdok Hot Spring Resort in South Phyongan Province and the Tanphung fishing village on the shore of the East Sea of Korea.
Last year when everything was difficult, all people turned out as one to the struggle for recovery from natural disasters and built new houses for over 20,000 families in different parts of the country.
In the period of the five-year strategy for national economic development between 2021 and 2025, efforts will be concentrated on the construction of 50,000 houses in Pyongyang City, 10,000 houses every year, starting from this year.
In the Komdok area of South Hamgyong Province 25,000 houses will be built during five years. Five years later, the Komdok area will be changed into the world's only mining town and the gorge town unprecedented in history.
>>77That the USSR occupied Korea is false. When the Red Army arrived, they didn't lay a finger on the people's committees that have organically formed. The People's Republic of Korea was founded:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_KoreaIt was the US that occupied the southern half, because there were communists in the provisional government. They then appointed Syngman Rhee as the president of "South Korea" which de facto caused the division of Korea. The founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the north was a reaction to that. The video makes it look like the 38 parallel fell from the sky, and then baselessly claims that the USSR occupied the North while the Koreans wanted them out. This has no basis in reality and I'm not surprised that Americans seem to learn a propagandistic version of Korea conflict in school.
>North Korea is the country with the worst possible human rights situation in the worldIt's beyond me how one could claim that when countries like Saudi-Arabia exist where women only recently were allowed to drive or Israel that creates apartheid structures while occupying millions of people and bombing hospitals.
ddrDDR >>80The idea that "generational punishment" exists in the DPRK is an unsubstantiated myth.
https://rhizzone.net/articles/songbullshit/"Songbun" refers to a speech Kim il-Sung gave in the 50s about how they need to keep an eye on families who supported the Japanese and the Americans. That's all. Then some think tanks cooked this up as some sort of generational punishment systems, but I don't know if the average North Korean even knows the term.
ddrDDR "When the government is personal, the ruler is a king."
And this is why people might be defensive about the term "Cult of Personality", because that term is hinting towards Monarchy.
A monarch is a personal ruler, like a shepherd is a personal ruler. A shepherd has his whole flock of sheep follow his person. A people want a person to embody the whole body-politic.
Man's image is made in God's image, and a monarch resembles the best craft of divinity as made by the best artist–the personified leader has an interpersonal relationship with the People, maybe in a Leviathan-like sense, or with gods as deities are personified themselves (the especial relationship being deities and kings are personal rulers in the same way).
The phrase "Khuum for every body" in the Egyptian loyalist text appeals to this emotional bond towards a leader–Khuum is an Egyptian god of the Nile river. It is akin to the word "Lord" as described in Etymology as "Bread-giver". Lord coming from Loaf–the ancient understanding and term was "Lord of all Goods"–all property and public wealth, all sources and goods, flow back to the Leader as the ultimate provider.
Why provider? A shepherd must feed his flock, no doubt, and a father must provide for his children–there has to be a relationship of people who depend on their father/shepherd, and the person in return becomes their Lord.
From the personal image in monarchy is divinity and the foundation of monarchical government. It isn't about any crowns or royal regalia, but the person in question (not the crown).
>>116
>Is Grace poster trying to claim the DPRK is a monarchy again? This is some major cope dude.
I think DPRK is kinda sus.
Like Aristotle says, "For the association of a father with his sons bears the form of monarchy, since the father cares for his children… it is the ideal of monarchy to be paternal rule."
And this kind of rhetoric is said to be weak in the West–if it is true that Confucianism w/ its emphasis on filial piety is like the fatherly rhetoric on steroids.
The power of life and death is a chief absolutist focus, and the ultimate mark of sovereignty. "Potestatem vita & necis" (power of life and death). This was ascribed to fathers under the Twelve Tables. It is the monarchist mentality to take that principle and apply it to someone as the public father of the whole people.
I'm not cherrypicking these examples & videos. These are videos from DPRK itself. They also seem to have adopted this view of the Leader as a public father.
Does DPRK endow the Leader with all the marks of sovereignty an absolutist would ascribe to sovereign monarchy? I suppose not–since the laws & decision-making are invested in the parliament and cabinet. However, seeing as how the body of people who make up those institutions are members of the WPK, and Kim Jong Un is the Leader of the WPK–I wouldn't discount Kim Jong Un from this equation.
There's that quote ascribed to Mao, that political power grows out the barrel of a gun–that is akin to the absolutist conviction on the power of life and death. If Kim Jong Un is also in charge of the military, that could also be the case for that mark of sovereignty–the power of life and death.
Much older is that view than the Twelve Tables–it was also a theme for Osiris who presides as judge in the weighing of the heart ceremony.
>>115
I don't view monarchist tendencies as remnants of feudalism / pre-industrial society. I might agree with the latter half, that it is in tandem with massively enforced isolation & hardship that leadership behind one person is necessary. It is the same mentality that in militarized states. Monarchy is attractive because authority of command is endangered when it is divided–best to have one commander… Lastly, if DPRK is in love w/ the popular image of Kim II Sung as the Great Founder & preserve that image through Kim Jong Un, then I doubt that could easily be shed off.
There are benefits in having a monarchist approach–if you want single-minded unity & the whole people to walk as one man with one mind, you should have one person leading them. A multitude of people cannot be of one mind–they could unanimously react, but they should have someone to guide them.
This almost seems like the opening song for some anime.
https://leftypol.org/leftypol/src/1609600179486.mp4Was this officially posted by the DPRK media?
Actually, is there animation that's produced by the DPRK? Probably long time ago there was something of that sort posted to the thread.
>>172simple bro, the ones in the video were just state sponsored femboys.
Now apparently a refugee has "disappeared"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsWTdCXIccQbrocialismBrocialism DPRK sports?
DPRK sports.
Kim Jin-a, gold medalist judoka.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL_d2-GJypYLet's talk about this document, the supposed proof that the DPRK really is democratic and has fair elections:
https://web.archive.org/web/20131016023953/http://www.asgp.info/Resources/Data/Documents/CJOZSZTEPVVOCWJVUPPZVWPAPUOFGF.pdfA very large portion of this is a North Korean government official giving a speech, followed by a Q&A with him. Did I miss something, or is there really a lack of independent investigation here? That, on top of the fact that the document kind of looks in bad condition, on top of being no longer available and having to be accessed through the Wayback Machine, I think indicates that this isn't that good of evidence to support the claim that DPRK elections are that legit. Are there any other sources that demonstrate that the country is a democracy or is it really not?
North Korea blasts K-pop industry as 'slave-like exploitation' amid crackdown on foreign mediahttps://www.cnn.com/2021/03/17/asia/north-korea-kpop-criticism-intl-hnk/index.htmlK-pop is one of South Korea's most popular cultural exports with a growing reach around the world – but it seems that not everyone is fan.
Over the weekend, an article published by a North Korean propaganda website accused K-pop record labels of engaging in "slave-like exploitation" of hugely successful bands like BTS and Blackpink.
The piece on North Korea's Arirang Meari site claimed K-pop artists were "bound to unbelievably unfair contracts from an early age, detained at their training and treated as slaves after being robbed of their body, mind and soul by the heads of vicious and corrupt art-related conglomerates."
After years of poor economic performance, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to be doubling down on central planning as a way to spur growth, which he outlined as his top long-term priority for the regime at an important political meeting earlier this year. Some experts believe the renewed emphasis on government control extends to propaganda efforts and consumption of foreign content.
Though Kim's regime has long cracked down on people watching or reading foreign material, North Korea's rubber-stamp legislature passed a new law in December requiring citizens and organizations to prevent the "spread of the anti-socialist ideology" – in practice, that usually means any content that has not been approved by government censors. Kim in February also suggested that greater controls on societal content could be coming. He called for a more "intensified struggle against the anti-socialist and non-socialist practices than ever before."
>>204They feed the people far better than most third world capitalist states despite being sanctioned by the entire world and despite being a cold and mountainous country which is not suited for agriculture.
>>206>A homeless person in AmericaMeanwhile there are no homeless in DPRK, even defectors admit this.
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/03/04/North-Korean-defector-says-no-homelessness-in-Pyongyang/8801457150974/ >>211>in PyongyangAnd yet you are saying "in DPRK" as a whole, quite disingenuous.
Meanwhile…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KotjebiporkyPorky Racial Discrimination Acts of the West Should Be Rooted Outhttp://www.mfa.gov.kp/en/racial-discrimination-acts-of-the-west-should-be-rooted-out/The privileged class of the West becomes ever more frenzied in spreading white supremacy while asserting that all social instabilities are attributable to other races. This is aimed at easing the wrath of the people caused by daily widening gaps between the rich and the poor and absence of social rights and diverting an arrow of complaints against them.
In the Western society, the imprisonment and unemployment rates of other races are nearly six times and more than two times higher than those of the white respectively and even in school grounds where true morals of the humankind should be taught, more than 90% of the students of other races are subject to all kinds of insult, contempt and physical violence.
What is more serious is the fact that the West is not only shielding but also acquiescing in and manipulating the brutal racism against humanity legally and institutionally, posing itself as the guard of “freedom” under the cloak of “human rights protection”.
A certain country of the West has adopted it as a law to drive out other races from the residential area of the white and enforced its implementation. This clearly proves a revival of the past racial segregation system and a violation of “International Convention on the Suppression and the Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid”.
Now in Western countries, the policemen responsible for ensuring public security, are denounced as criminals notorious for committing racial discrimination acts. This fact itself is an example representative of how rigorously the racism has been institutionalized. It has become a usual practice that other races should put up with serious humiliation of being forced body-check upon arrest and inspection by the police and that many are killed by traffic accidents while running away to escape. Even if a riot police beat a black man to death, he is judged not guilty. This shows that the breeding place of racial discrimination is none other than the West.
Most Extreme Case of Hypocrisyhttp://www.mfa.gov.kp/en/most-extreme-case-of-turning-black-into-white/Misanthropy is rife, hatred towards each other is widespread, and the number of homeless beggars has doubled, crowding the streets, while the privileged strata, who live off the blood of the people, and their mouthpiece are making a great publicity about the West, calling it as “paradise of freedom” and “beacon of democracy.”
When we take only a few Western countries for example, nearly 60 percent of working women are subjected to sexual harassment in their workplaces, and a great number of women, girls and female immigrants are victimized by all forms of violence such as trafficking in persons, sexual exploitation and forced labor.
Not being content with having transformed their own countries into the human rights wilderness, the Western countries are now openly setting up “exhibition halls of human rights violations” in other countries of the world, taking advantage of military aggression and overseas dispatch, all of which are perpetrated under the pretext of “protection of human rights”, “counter-terrorism” etc. Having corralled into such “halls” where misanthropy and chauvinism are rampant, the West is forcing other nations into tremendous disgraces and miseries, to include slaughter of the civilians, torture of the captured, maltreatment and sexual violence.
Also, the Western countries, which stirred up a hornet’s nest in every corner of the world by agitating for “freedom” and “democracy”, are driving the refugees – who are knocking at their doors after having escaped from the turbulences caused by the West – into the immoral and inhumane gate into the forced displacement and detention at the concentration camp.
No matter how a handful of forces view the human rights situation of our country, and no matter what reckless remarks they make, we will build with high pride the socialist paradise where all people live a happy life to be envied by the world.
>>234>>235LOL you can literally see the grains on that image because it's so old. Here's a non-cherry-picked selection.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/05/25/north-koreas-real-life-hunger-games-joseph-kim/
>>229>source on the groundOkay:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/17/opinion/weapons-north-korea-hunger.html"As these stories show — and as I have seen during my 16 visits to North Korea in the past decade — hunger remains a way of life there. Forty-one percent of North Koreans, about 10.5 million people, are undernourished, and 28 percent of children under 5 years old have stunted growth. When my 4-year-old daughter visited Pyongyang in 2013, she, all of three feet, towered over children twice her age."
Granted part of this is due to sanctions, it still disproves the point that North Koreans aren't hungry.
porkyPorky Holy fuck I found this interview from Quartz with a literal capitalist who worked in North Korea and he BTFO'd some myths about the country.
https://archive.is/GZtDiI did take exception to him trying to force the concept of advertising into North Korean life but I suppose that's only his class interest speaking.
A few choice quotes:
"“Of course they had to make reports to the authorities and security officials when they got home,” Abt tells me, “but they also showed their photos with friends and family. People communicate a lot; you read all these horrible stories and think the people are all afraid to talk to each other because somebody’s always watching, but I did not have this impression, really. Of course they are cautious, but not overly so.”"
"For this reason, Abt takes exception to reports claiming that the North Korean regime will collapse once information begins “trickling in.”
“If that were true, the system should have collapsed a long time ago,” Abt says. “People know quite well what is going on. From the South Korean soap operas they watch at home to foreign books they read at the university, there is always some information. It’s not a hermetically-sealed country, and it never has been.”"
dprkDPRKI found two galleries of photos from North Korea.
https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=66443287%40N08&view_all=1&text=north%20koreahttps://twitter.com/coldnoodlefan/mediaThe second one seems to be state-affiliated and more to do with Pyongyang. The first one has some more remote stuff, like I found a photo from a remote fishing village.
dprkDPRKhttps://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/17/j/a-closer-look-at-north-koreas-internet.html"Data from Trend Micro’s Smart Protection Network (SPN) shows that spam campaigns originating from the North Korean IP range are part of unsolicited email campaigns sent by larger spam botnets. This shows that computers connected to the internet in North Korea are susceptible to malware and botnet infections, just like in any other country. There are computers in the country that communicate with Command and Control (C&C) servers of actors that most likely operate from overseas. This also means that massive port scans or
hack attempts originating from North Korean IP space could be the work of actors located elsewhere."
dprkDPRK >>262
At least they finally made a report that wasn't completely made up of bullshit and actually seemed to have gotten a scooped and successfully fucked with the DPRK. I think one of the main takeaways is that the KFA and Alejandro Cao de Benós isn't just a grifter that embellishes his importance - several people have claimed that he is not really taken seriously by the DPRK, Jason Unruhe has said that in the past. Turns up the guy can literally get you a meeting with a North Korean state industry manager to secure weapons deals, so he's actually forreal.
I mean, about selling and wanting to attract investment with weapons and pharmaceutical products, what can they do? They obviously have weapons production as one of their main priorities and they're being hit with the most cruel sanctions imaginable, it's not like they prefer to make "shady" deals, it's just that there is no other way. There is one thing about the report where I think they are lying, I'm sceptical about the whole "dodgy secret deal in the basement in the outskirts of Pyongyang" thing. First off, this doesn't look like a basement but more like a restaurant or something. Secondly, there are women who take photos with their smartphone of the entire group, even an "official" photo with a handshake was made. Have you ever been to a super secret meeting where the female interns take photos with their own smartphones? Me neither. The DPRK accepts all kinds of delegations, because they can't be choosers. If you check Rodong Simun, there are always a bunch of more whacky delegations coming to the country being received. So my suspicion is that this was more of a presentation they gave to a KFA-sponsored foreign delegation under the pretense of "there is a businessman interested i North Korea", instead of a meeting in a basement where an actual arms trade is sealed.
Another thing, with so many media outlets, institutions, intelligence services, etc. trying to fuck with them like this, isn't the restrictions and the hesitancy to embrace everyone as a friend completely justified? I don't know about y'all but I would go fucking nuts knowing that everyone I meet potentially tries to fuck with me in the worst possible way and only wants to harm me in a manipulative way. Cuba is much more open than the DPRK because the only real hostile power to them is the US, but they can accept for example foreign exchange students and all that from Europe without having to expect ratfuckery.
>>262Does anyone know how to get this film?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mole:_Undercover_in_North_KoreaI tried several torrents and they are all broken. From all websites I tried, they have the filename "movie_75095_1080p_MPEG2.torrent" but the downloaded files are corrupt. It is possible to watch the whole film on BBC iplayer, but only for the UK. Has anyone an idea?
https://www.tiktok.com/@love21004?
This TikTok posts content from in the DPRK. I suspect they're related to a diplomat or something.
dprkDPRK >>281Are Chinese citizens allowed in the DPRK freely like that?
Well, I believe their smartphone model is a North Korean brand.
This one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VglqBRQ0SCAWhich is why I suspect they are North Korean
dprkDPRK THE GREAT FOUNDER ARCHTYPE
As explained by Aristotle in Politics
Further, the state is by nature clearly prior to the family and to the individual since the whole is of necessity prior to the part… The proof that the state is a creation of nature and prior to the individual is that the individual, when isolated, is not self-sufficing; and therefore he is like a part in relation to the Whole. But He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because He is sufficient for himself, must either be a Beast or a God! A social instinct is implanted in all men by nature.
& yet he who first FOUNDED the state was the GREATEST of benefactors!
But when a whole family or some individual, happens to be so pre-eminent in virtue as to surpass all others, then it is just that they should the royal family and supreme over all, or that this one citizen should be king of the whole nation. For, as I said before, to give them authority is not only agreeable to that ground of right which the FOUNDER of all states… are accustomed to put forward … but accords with the principle already laid down. For surely it would not be right to kill, or ostracize, or exile such a person, or… require that he should take his turn in being governed. The Whole is naturally superior to the part, and he who has this pre-eminence is in the relation of the Whole to a part. But if so, the only alternative is that he should have the supreme power, and that mankind should obey him, not in turn, but always!
What are your thoughts about this documentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inebLA3HqPoSome major claims:
>Most North Koreans live in slums that are just beyond the clean new buildings visible to visitors on trains>Most people don't have access to plumbing and swim in/use contaminated rivers>Musical performances to visitors are faked; they actually come out of American-made speakers>North Koreans are taught stuff like the leaders are able to predict the weather>>313Let me guess.
They also claim that every man is mandated to cut his hair just like the glorious
fuhrer leader.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/17/north-korean-fashion-police-crack-banned-haircuts/chinaChina >>313>Most North Koreans live in slumsInteresting how there are so many satellite pictures of "North Korean prisons" but no satellite pictures of alleged "North Korean slums".
Even when you do an image search for "North Korea slum", all the results are from Seoul.
>Most people use contaminated riversStatistics from WHO and UNICEF show otherwise, and even the fucking CIA admits that the vast majority have access to improved water sources.
>musical performances actually come out of speakersDoes this guy understand how microphones work?
>North Koreans are taught stuff like the leaders are able to predict the weatherMore propaganda about propaganda, like the story about them "believing that Kim invented the hamburger", or "believing that Kim scored a perfect hole in one game of golf on his first try".
This sort of bullshit is why they don't trust most tourists.
Chinese tourists make much better documentaries.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLegd4KP36a0Y775Xl_HI_tvDKB6qoxPrx >>315Non-"Westerners" in general make much better documentaries on these types of places.
You won't know WTF is going on here without knowing Spanish, but the guy somewhat clowns on Cuba in this video but it isn't in a reactionary way, if that makes sense
https://youtu.be/64LSyMJ3W08The comments on this one are straight up anticommunism, but honestly this vid makes Cuba look really nice and comfy. Certainly much nicer than what my relatives back in Mexico experience.
https://youtu.be/bQVD4IQRzpo >>328they're currently going through quite some economic troubles and it may be even worse outside pyongyang where a russian diplomat could see shortages of foreign goods:
https://www.reuters.com/world/russian-ambassador-says-no-famine-nkorea-trade-may-resume-soon-2021-04-15/kim jong-un also compared this to the arduous march which made me worry there was a bigass famine or some shit going on unironically, but this diplomat figures not
anarcho-communismAnarcho-Communism https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-north-korea-poised-resume-freight-rail-links-trade-revives-2021-04-23/>China is set to resume cargo train service with North Korea, people familiar with the matter said, following a 15-month border closure due to COVID-19>The bridge linking the city of Dandong with Sinuiju, across the Yalu River in North Korea, will partially reopen to allow cargo train service "sometime before or after May 1">North Korea closed its border in January 2020, soon after the virus broke out in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.>It relies on China for oil, fertiliser and mechanical parts to stay afloat amid U.N. sanctions over its nuclear and missile programmes. China accounts for over 90% of its trade.>Earlier this month, leader Kim Jong Un called on North Koreans to prepare for another "arduous march", referring to the devastating 1990s famine, underlying the severity of the economic crisis.>"Kim's speech … indicates how precarious its economy is now. Coupled with the fact that it needs fertiliser for the spring ploughing, it's no surprise that North Korea would agree to reopen its borders now," said Zhao Tong, a North Korea expert at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center in Beijing.>China's March exports to North Korea rose to a six-month high of $13 million, nearly 400 times combined January-February shipments, according to Chinese data. The People, the Masters of Chollima
>The bronze statues of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il, who smile a sunny smile as if to wish our country eternal prosperity, stand on the Mansu Hill. It also has the statue of Chollima (the legendary winged horse of Korea) at the edge of the hill close by the bronze statues. It is a significant monument of the Korean people which symbolizes and glorifies a brilliant era of Korean history or the era of Chollima for all ages and adds to the pride of our great country.>Chollima seems to dynamically soar high into the sky through clouds carrying on its back a male worker with the red letter of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea high in his hand and a female farmer with a sheaf of rice in her hand. They remind us that Kim Il Sung said that this was the era of the people and gave instructions to portray them and clearly show that the builders of this city, the masters of Chollima, were not individual heroes and heroines but the people.>Our people were very good in those days. They lived in half-underground houses and ate boiled corn with soybean paste as a side dish, but dedicated all their energy, wisdom and ardor to the country for the bright future of socialism and communism. They broke the rated capacity of their machines and produced more steel for the country to meet its needs. They made tractors and motortrucks without designs for themselves when the country needed them.>Today, too, the Korean people advance in the spirit of Chollima the way their predecessors did. They perform shining miracles in their work at their factories and cooperative farms in out-of-the-way mountain villages, in the sea and in all other parts of the country overcoming all manner of difficulties. It was nobody but Kim Il Sung who brought them up to be the dependable masters of Chollima with all devotion as always.>Indeed, the people became the new masters of the country and the honorable creators of the times under the care of Kim Il Sung. They will, no doubt, achieve the new victories of the revolution under the leadership of Comrade Kim Jong Un who creditably carries forward the cause of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.>Looking up to the statue of Chollima all the people confirm their confidence and determination to live just like their predecessors who trusted and followed Kim Il Sung alone and marched forward toward victory and glory in the era of Chollima and loyally go along the road of the revolution all their lives under the leadership of the C.C., WPK.http://www.rodong.rep.kp/en/index.php?strPageID=SF01_02_01&newsID=2021-04-24-0001https://archive.fo/TcadW >>344https://leftypedia.org/wiki/North Korea
Leftypedia is good in general.
Is there any coercion in DPRK elections? There are a lot of sources (such as
https://1radio.co.uk/what-its-like-to-vote-in-north-korea/) that say voting is just putting a ballot, with one name on it written beforehand, and the result is always unanimous.
>>348There are 687 "electoral zones", and each one of them elects one single congressperson.
After this first election, all of the elected people are summoned to assembly. They now discuss problems and elect each other to some positions. Some positions are not voted for, but actually selected by the presidium of the Supreme Popular Assembly (president and so on).
According to leninist tradition, elected candidates often don't leave their jobs, as the pay for a full-time politician is not higher than that of a teacher, for example
Kim Jong-Un also has to take part in this process. So when we read 'Kim elected with 100% of votes', it is only in a single electoral zone (far more likely to happen, since he is very popular anyways). Afterwards, he gets selected to be president by the presidium.
Info comes from here:
https://cepsongunbr.com/2019/03/09/entenda-como-funcionam-as-eleicoes-na-coreia-do-norte/Some brazilians that translate documents and write about the DPRK. The government even invited them for a tour, so they have the 'DPRK approval seal'
>>347That's really interesting. Was this just from the other day? I've noticed in some videos coming out regularly now that the language of socialism is being emphasized a lot.
>>356I think it's probably pretty similar to the Soviet Union under Stalin.
>>344Look up Bruce Cumings' history of the Korean War and his work. This article about him is kind of hilarious because of how much seethe there is:
>Cumings believes that North Korea is a misunderstood land. Its leaders are not dangerous megalomaniacs. Rather, DPRK leaders have always been pragmatic and nationalistic. During the Cold War, they avoided dependence on the Soviet Union, created a productive economy, and improved living standards. The society they created is impressive. North Korea's streets are clean, its people humble, and crime is almost non-existent. Kim Il Sung, the father of North Korean communism, was "a classic Robin Hood figure" who cared deeply for his people. North Korea's current leader, Kim Jong Il, is "not the playboy, womanizer, drunk, and mentally deranged fanatic ‘Dr. Evil' of our press." Instead he is a "homebody who doesn't socialize much, doesn't drink much, and works at home in his pajamas." The Dear Leader also loves to tinker with music boxes, watch James Bond movies, and play Super Mario video games. The cover of Cumings's book neatly summarizes his views. On it is a photograph of a group of uniformed women performing some type of dramatic production for North Korean soldiers. With smoke in the background, one woman stands tall and points a gun to the horizon. Coming out of the gun is a red flag. Everyone looks on in awe. The image implies that under communism, North Korea's future - though not without struggle - is bright.https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/2742 "Wherefore we conclude the majesty of a prince to be in nothing altered or diminished by the calling together or presence of the states: but to the contrary his majesty thereby to be much the greater, and the more honorable, seeing all his people to acknowledge him for their sovereign." -Jean Bodin, The Six Books of a Commonwealth
"Our Party remains powerful and unflinching not because there exist its General Secretary or the Political Bureau and Secretariat of its Central Committee, but because there are its cells, combat units, in direct charge of carrying out its lines and policies and grass-roots organizations, and its cell secretaries who have assumed responsibility for it."
"Just as mothers always concern themselves with the life and growth of their children and guide them along the right path, Party cell secretaries should patiently educate lead Party members with warm affection and devotion."
"By doing so, they can train them into fighters boundlessly faithful to the Party and the revolution and into genuine revolutionary comrades-in-arms who share the same idea and feelings."
"Only then can they turn Party cells under their charge into collectives closely knitted in bonds of human feelings and into vanguard organizations which share sweets and bitters and creditably carry out their revolutionary tasks, overcoming obstacles."
"So, always feeling grateful to them, I have decided that I would request them, the hardcore of hardcore of our Party, to make greater efforts and struggle harder one more for our revolution and our Party."
"This is a valuable title bestowed only on the Workers' Party of Korea in the world and the greatest honour and glory that can neither be bought for billions of tons of gold be bartered for anything."
"Our people are invariably following our Party calling it a motherly party in times of both happiness and difficulty."
"When the hundreds of thousands of cell secretaries and officials across the Party unite its members firmly under the leadership of the Party Central Committee and give full play to their loyalty, patriotism and creative wisdom, our revolution will always emerge victorious in high spirits and the ideal of communism will surely come."
After speech announcement:
[The participants were full of high enthusiasm to definitely turn Party cells into ranks of vanguard fighters in devotedly implementing the Party's policies and thus make contribution to steadily enhancing the unity and fighting efficiency of the entire Party true to the revolutionary idea and leadership of the respected Comrade General Secretary]
[The conference guided by the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, marked a significant occasion in further reinforcing the foundations of the Party, consolidating the revolutionary ranks into invincible ones thus modeling the whole Party and society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism and in making an epochal advance in carrying out the decisions of Party congress and the socialist construction]
Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Youth League renamed as Socialist Patriotic Youth Leaguehttp://rodong.rep.kp/en/index.php?strPageID=SF01_02_01&newsID=2021-04-30-0005https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_Patriotic_Youth_LeagueKim Jong Un saw to it that the youth league is renamed the Socialist Patriotic Youth League (SPYL), deeply considerate of the fresh requirements of the Korean revolution and development of the youth movement, and the unanimous will and desire of the youth league officials and the youths, it noted.
It said that the name SPYL clearly reflects the essence and patriotic nature of the youth league, and means that it is the reserve force for the socialist construction.
>>12782>>12787It's really interesting that they're emphasizing the language of socialism and communism again. Wasn't it "military first" for years? Maybe they might feel more secure now with the nuclear deterrent.
Here's a fun video. I was watching some recent clips from DPRK and there was this remarkable dance during celebrations of Kim Il Sung's birthday.
>>12805Most of that "anti-tankie" pathology seems to have switched over to China, DPRK hate was particular popular in 2017/2018 where Trump met with Kim.
People say defending the DPRK is bad optics, I actually disagree. Defending the DPRK is super easy because those psychotic sanctions and the amount of bullying they receive is so astronomical that you don't even need to talk about their political system. What they're doing to this small country is so psychopathic that it will just let the mask drop of anybody who tries to defend those sanctions.
Stakhanovite movement in full swing in the DPRK
https://kcnawatch.org/newstream/1620206599-474657948/rodong-sinmun-calls-for-working-like-heroes-in-1950s/Rodong Sinmun Calls for Working like Heroes in 1950sPyongyang, May 5 (KCNA) – Rodong Sinmun on Wednesday in an editorial says that it is the appeal of the Party and call of the times to live and struggle like the heroes of the post-war rehabilitation period and the Chollima age in the 1950s.
https://kcnawatch.org/newstream/1620120301-922397726/youth-shock-brigades-in-coal-industry-fulfill-economic-plans-for-year-or-first-half-of-year/Youth Shock Brigades in Coal Industry Fulfill Economic Plans for Year or First Half of YearPyongyang, May 4 (KCNA) – Dozens of youth shock brigades in the coal industry have completed their yearly or first half of the year national economic plans ahead of schedule.
https://kcnawatch.org/newstream/1620025038-995503404/railway-transport-sector-over-fulfills-monthly-plan/Railway Transport Sector Over-fulfills Monthly PlanPyongyang, May 3 (KCNA) – The working class in the field of railway transport stimulates the economic construction through increased transport.
The Ministry of Railways carried out its April freight transport plan 105 percent.
Workers of the Pyongyang Railway Bureau carried out the freight transport plan 106 percent.
https://kcnawatch.org/newstream/1620025038-933234058/working-class-in-coal-industry-over-fulfills-monthly-plan/Working Class in Coal Industry Over-fulfills Monthly PlanPyongyang, May 3 (KCNA) – Working class in the coal industry over-fulfilled their monthly production plan in April, too.
Officials and coal miners of the Pukchang Area Youth Coal Mining Complex have made achievements in coal production from the first year for implementing the new five-year plan.
The complex organized a high-speed tunneling competition and made a substantial summing-up, thus raising the drilling result 1.2 times higher than before.
>>12822Then why do you care whether the DPRK is truly 'democratic' or not when they're not even focused on trying to make the US more democratic? The only reason why people have an opinion of the DPRK is because most people are told to have one. No one goes around asking if Laos is truly a workers paradise because nobody has been told to have an opinion on it (yet, give it a few years time when everyone suddenly becomes 'Laos Experts' when a crisis happens there like in Venezuela).
Just accept that you do not know anything about the DPRK and that everything you've been told is a lie. If you research the documents from the DPRK, you can make your own conclusions that what they are doing is not any different from what China does and they're only in this position out of force, they're investment laws are literally the same in China yet no one wants to invest in them.
>>12830You could, its just that companies have no interest to invest because of the sanctions. If you're a big company and decide to invest anyway, Washington will likely call you into a hearing and basically bully you into you refund the investment or face prison.
The best way to support North Korea is to buy their cryptocurrency since thats the only way they can get funding in a big way. You can also trick your libertarian/cryptocurrency friends into funding the DPRK for even more comedic effect
>>12833I don't get it. It's just so BRAZEN, and everyone just instantly takes it as gospel.
Anybody got info on this chick?
>>12834>One of the most prominent defectors is Yeon-mi Park. She has, for example, asserted that when she was growing up in North Korea (she was born in 1993), there were no art galleries or natural history museums,[69] which is blatantly false. She makes other such lies about the DPRK in exchange for lucrative payments, with the irony being that the ultimate goal of these false stories is the attempted justification of sanctions which will hurt the very people she says need help. There are times when her narratives are exposed, either by referencing the information to the stories of other defectors or to other existing information, to which she will resort to saying that her English isn't very good (which given her demonstrated ability, isn't very believable), or that she has a poor memory. However, the "poor memory" argument also points to her account being unreliable, if it is assumed to be true. On other occasions, Park has claimed that there is only one television channel in North Korea and that she has seen someone get executed for watching a western film, though North Korea is known to broadcast dubbed western films on national TV. In a 2018 interview, she also gives the impression that she was never taught about the existence of things like Africa or Australia,[70] despite the DPRK having no reason to hide the existence of those continents, and it does in fact have world maps and geography textbooks in school.[71]https://leftypedia.org/wiki/North_Korea#Defectors >>12809>Most of that "anti-tankie" pathology seems to have switched over to ChinaStrangely true.
Why did it take the glowies so long to realize China was a bigger country
transhumanismTranshumanism >>12835> In a 2018 interview, she also gives the impression that she was never taught about the existence of things like Africa or Australia,[70] despite the DPRK having no reason to hide the existence of those continents, and it does in fact have world maps and geography textbooks in school.wut
are occidentals retarded enough to believe this truly
>>12834I'm not 100 % sure on this but I've heard pic related is her mother.
>>12835Yeon-mi Park's claim about keeping the existence of Australia a secret is my fav.
>>12858>A Democratic People’s Republic … must be built by forming a democratic united front … which embraces … even the national capitalistsKim Il Sung: ‘On the Building of New Korea and the National United"
>The entrepreneurs and traders of our country are fellow- travellers… not only in carrying out the democratic revolution but also in socialist constructionKim Il Sung: ‘On the Immediate Tasks of the People’s Power in Socialist Construction’
>From the beginning our policy in regard to the national bourgeoisie was not only to carry out the anti-imperialist, anti-feudal democratic revolution together with them, but also to take them along with us to a socialist, communist societyKim Il Sung: ‘Let Us further Strengthen the Socialist System of Our Country’
And also entire Socialist Transformation of Private Trade and Industry in Korea, published in 1997
>>12859What are the dates of these quotes? 40s and 50s when they were carrying out anti-imperialist, anti-feudal democratic revolution?
>>12860The United Front party coalition of China and its constituent parties continued to exist after the national democratic stage and even to this day.
>>12833>>12834Can you imagine being this person? Like, your country is basically strangled by brutal sanctions for existing and you do not only betray it, but become a celebrity pet for imperialists by making up ridiculous lies about your own country daily.
It's so disgusting, I couldn't sleep at night if I was her. Like, even if you this ruthless, at some point you must have a realization that what you do is deeply fucked up?
>>12864I'd say it highly depends on the country you are from, if you are from China, Vietnam, Pakistan, etc. it shouldn't be a problem. But they are probably very careful with Westerners, the last Westerner that I know of who studied there was some Italian dude, I am not aware of any Western studying there ever since.
Actually, just googled it, there is some Australian guy:
https://abcnews.go.com/International/inside-north-korea-life-rare-foreign-student-pyongyang/story?id=62090283But read the story, he was already in the country before on multiple trips, so they could be sure that they could trust him.
And if you are American, forget it.
Also, the stuff you can experience is pretty amazing.
http://www.ryongnamsan.edu.kp/univ/en/life/international-students-life
>They can also entertain themselves on Masikryong Ski resort, Munsu water park, Rungra People's Pleasure Park, Rungra Dolphinarium, Kaeson youth park, Mirim horse-riding club, Songdowon beach resort.
>"Our dormitory is located in the newly-built Ryomyong Street. The staff at the dormitory all looks after us just like their sons and daughters. The food is really nice too. I feel just like at home here. The facilities are state-of-the-art and fairly convenient. We are living happily with all conditions provided."You will live in pic-related.
>>12871Those statements are talking in the context of the 40s and 50s period. That is not how the economy functioned after the 60s, as detailed in this work.
>DPRK firmly rejects DotP as unsuitable for Korea<Our people’s government is an organ of the dictatorship of the proletariat representing and defending the interests of the workers, peasants, soldiers and working intellectuals. Strengthening the people’s government means further sharpening the weapons of class struggle and, even more, enhancing the functions of the dictatorship of the proletariat…>If we are to build a communist society we must continue the class struggle and strengthen the dictatorship of the proletariat.- Kim Il Sung, LET US MEET A REVOLUTIONARY UPHEAVAL VICTORIOUSLY… February 17, 1975
<Our Party strengthened the people’s government and continued to improve its function and role in accordance with the requirements of the developing revolution. Thus, the people’s government which emerged as a people’s democratic dictatorship carried out the anti-imperialist, anti-feudal democratic revolution, and was strengthened and developed into a proletarian dictatorship in the period of transition to socialism.- Kim Il Sung THE HISTORICAL EXPERIENCE OF BUILDING THE WORKERS’ PARTY OF KOREA May 31, 1986
>>12872Thank you, although I still have my doubts because
First one most likely refers only to pre-socialist revolution era. But second?
>The democracy we aspire to is fundamentally different from that of Western capitalist countries, nor is it a slavish copy of that in a socialist country … Ours is a new type of democracy most suited to the reality of Korea.Kim Il Sung: “On Progressive Democracy’
>The establishment of the power of the proletarian dictatorship by force was followed as a last resort in some countries,… In the northern half (of Korea — Ed.)… this was not necessary.Baik Bong: ‘Kim Il Sung: Biography’
But back to that "union with capitalist thing". I am misunderstanding article 37 of their 1992 constitution or something?
>The State shall encourage institutions, enterprises and organisations in our country to joint ventures and cooperation of enterprise with foreign corporations and individualsDid they change that?
Also, I've been reading more on juche idea, why according to Kim Jong Il the man is above biology
>Unlike biological beings, man is the master and transformer of, master of the world. He shapes his destiny on his own by transforming the objective world to meet his needsKim Jong Il: ‘Socialism is a Science’
>Unlike all other living matter, which is subordinate to the objective world, man dominates and transforms the world in accordance with his will and desireKim Jong Il: ‘On Some Questions in Understanding the Juche Philosophy'
Isnt it like hard turn into idealism, even Engels said that idealists believe that spirit of a man us superior (and is able to shape) nature in his work about Feurerbach. Not to mention they reject class based outlook after socialist revolution. (Something MLMs notoriously criticise ZSRR for)
>The basic criterion for deciding whether one is a member of the masses of the people or not is not one’s social and class origin, but one’s ideas. Anyone who loves the country, the people and the nation is qualified to be a member of the masses of the peopleKim Jong Il: ‘Socialism is a Science'
>>12873>Kim Il Sung: “On Progressive Democracy’Again from 1945 and he is referring to the institution of new democracy which comes before the socialist stage. Mao said similar things in relation to China. Please list the date when you are posting these quotes.
>article 37 of 1992 constitutionThat is referring to limited cooperation and joint ventures with foreign capitalists (also involving a few limited SEZs) which is a concession they made for survival after the fall of the Eastern bloc.
But yes, a turn toward idealism is one of the main criticisms of Juche from other strands of ML and they do officially consider the class struggle within the territory they control to have ended ever since the 1972 constitution.
>>12879This pdf has a rather basic explanation they made of their current economy
And the pdf in
>>12872 has a more detailed explanation of the development of their economy up to the 1970s
>>12884Critique started out strong then fell flat on its face when talking about HK one country two systems and peaceful reunification
Decent effort B-
stalinStalin >>12874I couldnt find anything on if they had their own version of Crypto but they do have a keen interest and perhaps they will likely release one in the future since they hold a lot of cryptocurrency conferences
https://rusi.org/commentary/crypto-hermit-kingdom-understanding-objectives-pyongyang-blockchain-and-cryptocurrencyNorth Korea mines and hacks a lot of crytocurrencies from other banks so technically if the value of crypto's goes up, then thats more money for the DPRK.
>>12730>>12811>>12838The move away from using the "Supreme Leader" title has now also taken effect on the Pyongyang Times website.
Previously they had a section for "Supreme Leader's Activities"
https://archive.fo/lsD3tNow it is renamed to "WPK General Secretary Kim Jong Un’s Revolutionary Activities"
http://www.pyongyangtimes.com.kp/ >>12894Yes. See
>>12505For a MEGA folder with their videos
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