Korean Job Discussion Forums

[RACETRAITOR]

What did I write that was so funny?

[happygirl]

after having time to process, i am beginning to understand why this documentary upset me so.

the contrast between what is shown to the world and what is hidden. i realize some of the circumstances of these children are due to natural disaster. however, the majority of the horrific things i saw are direct results of one man's egomaniac behavior.

these families don't have to live like this. there is an abundance of wonderfully rich land which could be used to feed these people. this is not environmentally induced poverty. it is criminal abuse. the detention camps, the batings, the "hostels" where the homeless children are locked up to die.... it's all so pointless.

i hope some of you have taken the time to watch this powerful, abeit horribly disturbing, documentary. if you do, please share your thoughts and/or feelings.

so much of the time we post meaningless nonsense. just this once can we keep it in some of the tone in which i originally intended?

[jajdude]

Thanks for posting that link happygirl.

I haven't watched it all yet, just the first 10 minutes or so, as it kept breaking up, and I got tired of the broken reception. I'll try it again later. It was interesting.

I get the idea though I think. It's strange about how the North wants to present a facade to foreigners. Do they think foreigners are so naive? Surely they know we have access to media and information beyond anything imagined in that country? I guess as a foreigner there you must play along with the charade.

Don't they know the world has no respect for the leadership there?

"The Aquariums of Pyongyang" was the only book I read on NK, and that was enough. We all know the place is a mess.

[re:cursive]

I watched it last night and yeah it is most certainly disturbing however I wouldn't go as far as to say it was the most disturbing thing I've ever seen. Unfortunately it seemed there was a lack of good footage (maybe due to the guy in North Korea not getting out of the country in time to add his material?). While there was a lot of suggested wrongness, the shown footage was not as bad as I thought it would be. Unfortunately I think things need to be a bit more graphic in the current media environment to stir any kind of real response from the masses.

This sort of stuff is generally only palatable in small doses and is covered by the world media on a relatively small scale. Unfortunately there is a hell of a lot of disturbing and more publicized footage in this world for this particular cause to compete with.

Hopefully more footage gets out.

[Hanson]

Thanks for posting that video, happygirl. My wife and I just watched it, and it reminded us of the Cambodian Pol Pot regime, especially the torture, killings and pure absurdity of inhumane behaviour fecks like Pol Pot and KJI can create.

It's hard to believe places like that still exist in this day and age. I feel drained.

[SpedEd]

OP:

Not to steal your thunder, but since video on the 'net has been mainstream, the most disturbing video I ever watched was Nick Berg getting his head sawed off by terrorists in Iraq.

[happygirl]

[Demophobe]

[The Hierophant]

... if I knew I had the willpower to uphold it, I'd swear an oath to never complain about my soft, cushy life ever again after watching that documentary.

[jajdude]

What is meant by "one of the most secretive states in the world"?

Is there another one that comes close?



(Can we show this in class to kids when they cry, "teacher, game?")

http://bokertov.typepad.com/btb/images/north_korean_children_shoot_bush.jpg

[just because]

If this documentary got to you and you want to read what i would say is the best book out there on North Korea that tells it what it is like inside the country than I would recommend this book...it is amazing.

It comes in at 800 pages and is a long long read but once you start it is one of those books that you just keep reading...one of my all time favorites