|
Post by TheBo on Jan 2, 2013 13:52:25 GMT -5
Well, well, well. It is often said that in order for a woman to be elected, she must be conservative. Especially (ironically) in a more "modern' society. I hope she does well.
|
|
|
Post by TheBo on Jan 24, 2013 12:15:19 GMT -5
Ginny's not the only one who finds stuff!!! Korea magazineI think this is a Korean tourism site sponsored by the ROK. Bob's trying to figure out if we can download back issues. FYI. Books too!Bo
|
|
|
Post by jojo on Jan 25, 2013 14:52:33 GMT -5
OOOOOO!!! This is nice!
|
|
|
Post by ginnycat5 on Jan 26, 2013 19:10:14 GMT -5
Thanks, Bo!! This is great! I'm downloading the kimchi issue of the magazine right now. KOREA [2012 VOL.8 No.11] It's taking a while to get the 13mb. Later: Not finishing the load. I turned it off.
|
|
|
Post by ginnycat5 on Jan 29, 2013 15:04:42 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by TheBo on Jan 30, 2013 14:25:59 GMT -5
Okay, not real clear here, Ginny, are you saying you know what North Korea is supposed to look like? I could not honestly say that.
|
|
|
Post by jojo on Feb 19, 2013 12:14:02 GMT -5
Kim Jong Un is on the cover of the latest issue of The Economist. The article, "Rumblings from below," was very interesting. Good discussuion on recent changes in North Korean society.
|
|
|
Post by ginnycat5 on Feb 20, 2013 13:27:06 GMT -5
Okay, not real clear here, Ginny, are you saying you know what North Korea is supposed to look like? I could not honestly say that. Oh, no, just that I remember the stories of starving people who were eating everything green, like grass and tree bark. Maybe those days are over? I don't remember why it was so bad then. Was it drought or other bad weather, or was food confiscated from the country and given to the army? The descriptions were horrifying. Photos lately don't show deprivation, but then visitors are controlled.
|
|
|
Post by jojo on Feb 20, 2013 14:58:13 GMT -5
I think the famine was in the late 1990's, but that doesn't mean that hunger and malnutrition are gone.
The Economist article also mentions The Google mapping of NK : “This year, for the first time, Google and some dedicated North Korea-watchers have mapped the interior of the country, locating everything from underground railway stations to labour camps.”
Also mentioned is the upgrading of buildings in Pyongyang, called by some the Pyongyang illusion. One theory is that the regime wants to improve Pyongyang to keep urbanites happy, ie: not rebelling. But this still comes at the expense of the rest of the country. Chronic malnutrition in children under 5 is still sited by UN agencies.
The urbanites have more private income. Black markets are growing at remarkable rates while officials look the other way, are bribed or are participants. Material goods and information are in high demand. On the other hand, crackdowns on defection have increased.
Interesting snapshot of how much NK society has changed in recent years, and how the change has come from the lower rungs of society.
|
|
|
Post by TheBo on Feb 21, 2013 13:51:44 GMT -5
Okay, more weirdness. Supposed DPRK propoganda movieI was alerted to this because some people are claiming the music comes from the game "Skyrim"--it actually comes from an earlier Elder Scrolls game, "Oblivion"--but there is no translation to the movie. Looks like film of fire overlaid with American cities and President Obama, and with some sort of missle in a room....very strange indeed. UPDATE: Here's an article on Kotaku, which contains some translation.
|
|
|
Post by jojo on Feb 24, 2013 15:25:31 GMT -5
Bizarre. I guess the intended audience was only those who read hanguel. I wonder why no English subtitles.
|
|
|
Post by sageuk on Feb 24, 2013 18:18:24 GMT -5
Why would there be English subtitles? The audience are the North Korean people
|
|
|
Post by ginnycat5 on Feb 26, 2013 22:37:28 GMT -5
Okay, more weirdness. Supposed DPRK propoganda movieI was alerted to this because some people are claiming the music comes from the game "Skyrim"--it actually comes from an earlier Elder Scrolls game, "Oblivion"--but there is no translation to the movie. Looks like film of fire overlaid with American cities and President Obama, and with some sort of missle in a room....very strange indeed. UPDATE: Here's an article on Kotaku, which contains some translation. Young Dear Leader wants the means to nuke us, and he's working on the rockets and bombs now. Maybe the film is meant to encourage rocket makers as well as ordinary people?
|
|
|
Post by jojo on Feb 27, 2013 12:00:56 GMT -5
Re: English subs - I assumed the North Koreans are not supposed to have access to You Tube. I wonder if the North Korean govt posted this to You Tube. Anyhow, why not get more 'bang for your buck' by adding English subs?
|
|
|
Post by ginnycat5 on Mar 12, 2013 12:31:33 GMT -5
The young leader Kim is sounding nutso with his threats to bomb us. I just read this article that explains how it's a strategy. Considering a Departure in North Korea's Strategy March 12, 2013 | 0900 GMT By George Friedman
Founder and Chairman On Jan. 29, I wrote a piece that described North Korea's strategy as a combination of ferocious, weak and crazy. In the weeks since then, three events have exemplified each facet of that strategy. Pyongyang showed its ferocity Feb. 12, when it detonated a nuclear device underground. The country's only significant ally, China, voted against Pyongyang in the U.N. Security Council on March 7, demonstrating North Korea's weakness. Finally, Pyongyang announced it would suspend the armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953, implying that that war would resume and that U.S. cities would be turned into "seas of fire." To me, that fulfills the crazy element. My argument was that the three tenets -- ferocity, weakness and insanity -- form a coherent strategy. North Korea's primary goal is regime preservation. Demonstrating ferocity -- appearing to be close to being nuclear capable -- makes other countries cautious. Weakness, such as being completely isolated from the world generally and from China particularly, prevents other countries from taking drastic action if they believe North Korea will soon fall. The pretense of insanity -- threatening to attack the United States, for example -- makes North Korea appear completely unpredictable, forcing everyone to be cautious. The three work together to limit the actions of other nations. Untested Assumptions So far, North Korea is acting well within the parameters of this strategy. It has detonated nuclear devices before. It has appeared to disgust China before, and it has threatened to suspend the cease-fire. Even more severe past actions, such as sinking a South Korean ship in 2010, were not altogether inconsistent with its strategy. As provocative as that incident was, it did not change the strategic balance in any meaningful way. Normally North Korea has a reason for instigating such a crisis. One reason for the current provocation is that it has a new leader, Kim Jong Un. The son of former leader Kim Jong Il and the grandson of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Un is only 30 years old, and many outside North Korea doubt his ability to lead (many inside North Korea may doubt his ability, too). One way to announce his presence with authority is to orchestrate an international crisis that draws the United States, Japan, China, Russia and South Korea into negotiations with North Korea -- especially negotiations that Pyongyang can walk away from. The North Korean regime understands the limits of its strategy and has been very sure-footed in exercising it. Moreover, despite the fact that a 30-year-old formally rules the country, the regime is a complex collection of institutions and individuals -- the ruling party and the military -- that presumably has the ability to shape and control the leader's behavior. It follows that little will change. U.S. analysts of North Korea will emphasize the potential ferocity and the need for extreme vigilance. The Chinese will understand that the North Koreans are weak and will signal, as their foreign minister did March 9, that in spite of their vote at the United Nations, they remain committed to North Korea's survival. And most people will disregard Pyongyang's threat to resume the Korean War. [more at the link] Reprinting or republication of this report on websites is authorized by prominently displaying the following sentence, including the hyperlink to Stratfor, at the beginning or end of the report.Considering a Departure in North Korea's Strategy is republished with permission of Stratfor. Note: Fixed link.
|
|