Post by BungalowDweller on May 6, 2005 10:06:35 GMT -5
Did anyone see the documentary about North Korea last night on WYCC 20-Chicago at 9 pm? It began with one young woman's journey to the North to visit relatives that she has never seen.
Then the program cut to a brief historical explanation of the origins of the split of Korea, common perceptions/misperceptions each side has about the other,and a discussion on Kim Il Sung's Marxist philosophy, Juche (self-determination). North Korean style socialism, they called it. It seems that KIS fancied that Juche was a unique way of building socialism. (The East Europeans talked of a "third way" for years. Khaddafi also had his "little green book" at the same time.)
The cult of personality surrounding KIS is amazing. People bowing to his statue. His burial place the largest mausoleum in the world, with people having to be "cleansed" before going in to view the body, etc. etc. Fascinating. This goes way beyond Lenin worship but is eerily similar to the cult surrounding Stalin.
Then back to the "human interest" story. The gal gets to NK but cannot see her family right away. She is taken on what can best be called an "education and pr" field trip to various monuments, meeting smiling peasants in the countryside, speaking with the "vanguard" students and intellectuals, etc. When she finally gets to see her family, she is allowed ONE DAY with them before returning. ONE day, not even a day or night. The documentary never addressed why the woman could only see the family members for a day and ended with Russian music played on Korean instruments.
Highly interesting. I think that YSS would see many parallels with the suffering of the people in his time. North Koreans harvesting by hand because of fuel shortages. People risking prison as they illegally crossed the border into China looking for food. Making fertilizer with human waste and being forced to eat foods made with straw and grass during the famine of 1995-2000. And blaming the greedy capitalists for the famine. How tragic.
Then the program cut to a brief historical explanation of the origins of the split of Korea, common perceptions/misperceptions each side has about the other,and a discussion on Kim Il Sung's Marxist philosophy, Juche (self-determination). North Korean style socialism, they called it. It seems that KIS fancied that Juche was a unique way of building socialism. (The East Europeans talked of a "third way" for years. Khaddafi also had his "little green book" at the same time.)
The cult of personality surrounding KIS is amazing. People bowing to his statue. His burial place the largest mausoleum in the world, with people having to be "cleansed" before going in to view the body, etc. etc. Fascinating. This goes way beyond Lenin worship but is eerily similar to the cult surrounding Stalin.
Then back to the "human interest" story. The gal gets to NK but cannot see her family right away. She is taken on what can best be called an "education and pr" field trip to various monuments, meeting smiling peasants in the countryside, speaking with the "vanguard" students and intellectuals, etc. When she finally gets to see her family, she is allowed ONE DAY with them before returning. ONE day, not even a day or night. The documentary never addressed why the woman could only see the family members for a day and ended with Russian music played on Korean instruments.
Highly interesting. I think that YSS would see many parallels with the suffering of the people in his time. North Koreans harvesting by hand because of fuel shortages. People risking prison as they illegally crossed the border into China looking for food. Making fertilizer with human waste and being forced to eat foods made with straw and grass during the famine of 1995-2000. And blaming the greedy capitalists for the famine. How tragic.