The crisis. The enigma. The controversy.
I have bee looking for this all over the place and here they are. Before you look at these videos, make sure to read One Free Korea where extensive analysis is made regarding the food and economic situation. This, in my opinion, is a must see.
Edit: I think there is a part missing, so I will watch for that.
Part 1:
Part 2:
I think Joshua said he attended this. I wonder where he is at…
This post may be more about questions than a review. Before I posted the video North Korean Junket, I did not see the entire thing, but figured it would interesting to post because it had some footage I have never seen before (or so I assumed). A few hours later when I had some time to watch the entire thing, I noticed Curtis Melvin was in it. A little further into the video, saw one of the very first North Korean video clips I ever ran into on YouTube on what I call “Yankee go home”. That was kind of entertaining, but mainly because I did not know the entire scope of the circumstances in the video. Not until this video and reading the North Korean Junket blog did I have the foggiest idea of what happened on that 2004 trip.
I have to say I felt pretty dumb.
I took another gander at NKEconWatch’s DPRK trip of 2004 to get a better understanding of that trip, although little of the Andrew Morse incident was talked about. That does not really matter. The purpose of the video was to get a better understanding of what North Korea was like. North Korean Junket gave a glimpse of that whether North Korea and/or the Korean Friendship Association intended to or not. The Andrew Morse incident did give some insight on just how firm the iron grip of Kim Jong Il is. All information is heavily censored, and people going to visit North Korea have to follow protocol. Furthermore, if one is smart, it is best to censor yourself. What appears to be ironic is while North Korea wants others to give an honest assessment of the DPRK (as rare as it is), they seem surprised and angry when another opinion (even sugar-coated) is given. Anything other than the official line is a lie and must be stopped. That was my overall impression of the video and the actions conducted by the Korean Friendship Association and the regime.
Overall, it is pretty rare for journalists to go to North Korea especially journalists from the United States. They are under special scrutiny even if they claim otherwise as suggested in that documentary. It appears to me Andrew Morse truly went to North Korea with the intent to give another view of North Korea, but as well know that is an impossibility with minders in tow censoring every step you take. Stepping over the line means serious problems as this video showed. According to a reply by the documentary’s director:
[...] There’s not that much of the story that didn’t make it to the video other than the former communications secretary resigned and got in a scuffle with Big Al at the end of the trip.
Who was the former communication’s secretary and Big Al?
[...] At one point Andrew asked to be taken to the Swiss embassy but he told me not to film him doing so before I could hit the record button. He apologized later though.
That suggests things were not going very swimmingly. Obviously, things were not as serious as it could have possibly been because Curtis got to go on another trip and Andrew Morse seems to still be a journalist (I do not watch ABC News, so I did not know anything about the guy until seeing this video and reading a bit about the backdrop). However, according to the blog post, the KFA has stopped people bringing in cameras (although Alejandro Cao de Benos obviously loves hamming it up for the camera):
Since the International March for Korea’s Peace and Reunification in 2004, the KFA has still been organizing trips to North Korea. But they don’t let just anyone take video like they did with me anymore. To that extent I’m grateful to the KFA for letting me use my videocamera. I’m also thankful for their crudity, because crudity makes compelling video.
That is no surprise. In my opinion, it is the good old censorship action at work, and that will not change anytime soon. I have to say while it took quite a bit of guts to attempt to get another viewpoint of North Korea, the hard questions asked were delivered in softball fashion. That is understandable considering they were on DPRK soil, and again, any mis-steps could be unpredictable. On the other hand, during the Philharmonic visit, reporters also had minders in tow and openly talked about the problems inside the secret state. When I saw that, I was very, very surprised they let that go. I cannot answer as to why it flew, but I am going to guess the Philharmonic paid a handsome amount to Kim Jong Il. Everything has a price, especially favor in North Korea.
So there was the KFA spinning away and spouting the official line, and in the end, the special was not aired on TV because Alejandro Cao de Benos was an asshole. That does not matter, because as Friends of Kim, the purpose is to be soldiers for the Juche cause asshole or not.
Yes, I think I see Curtis from NKEconWatch in this video because he is as well as some others. I saw the smaller clips on YouTube with Alejandro Cao de Benos de Les y Pérez yelling “Yankee go home!” I think I posted that a while back. This looks like the full video. Here is the description of the video:
[...]
In 2004 I went to North Korea to make a video. I had little idea about how the trip would turn out, other than it was organized by a group called the Korean Friendship Association. It’s leader, Alejandro Cao de Benos, is a megaphone for the North Korean government.
The KFA wants to show Westerners its verion of reality in North Korea which is little more than a Potemkin Village. Alejandro would probably say that I have been brainwashed by CNN for describing North Korea as a Potemkin Village, or for calling North Korea North Korea, instead of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (or DPRK).
Andrew was in North Korea to do a feature for ABC’s ‘Nightline’. His story never made it to air because his hotel room was broken into and his tapes were stolen. That is, his North Korean experience was authentic. I’m just glad I was around to capture some of it on video.
[...]
I have been falling behind on the posting of videos and other articles messing around with the podcasts, but things should be running smoothly very soon. In the meantime, enjoy this video.
While I have been on the subject of Romania, news of a dissident named Monica Lovinescu who risked her life and was almost killed during Nicolae’s rule died April 21, 2008 at the age of 85 (International Herald Tribune). The entire article is a very good read, so make sure to read the whole thing.
A commentary of Monica Lovinescu on Radio Free Europe.
I never heard of her until a few days ago, but her story is very gripping and how the voices of freedom are directly threatened by a repressive regime. She was not alone. According to the video posted a few moments ago, that tells tales of North Korean defectors and human rights advocates risking life getting information to North Koreans. It is almost a certainty other dissidents from other countries had the same fears or even died from speaking out inside and outside. Monica Lovinescu, despite the attempt on her life and being in a come got back on her feet and continued to pierce the iron curtain inside Nicolae Ceausescu’s state. According to International Herald Tribune:
Romanian philosopher Gabriel Liiceanu has said he was told by a senior intelligence officer that her broadcasts angered Ceausescu so much that in 1977 he told Romania’s secret service: “Let’s shut her up! Let’s break her into pieces! Let’s break her teeth, jaw and break her hands so she can never write or speak again.”
Later that year, Lovinescu was severely beaten in front of her home in Paris, leaving her in a coma with head injuries. Ion Pacepa, who served as deputy head of foreign intelligence under Ceausescu before defecting in 1978, has said the beating was carried out by two men acting on Ceausescu’s orders. Lovinescu later recovered and returned to broadcasting for Radio Free Europe.
Ceausescu was overthrown and executed in 1989, and Lovinescu continued her work with Radio Free Europe until 1992.
Emphasis mine. What does this have to do with North Korea? Much like old communist Romania, it was those who risked life for the sake of freedom for others who changed everything. Much like CNN’s documentary, they discuss those sending information in, and those sending information out. With the war of the words, telling people inside things can get better if they work together for a common good can bring even the most hard-line of dictators down. People like Monica Lovinescu were instrumental in that fight even if it takes a really long time for results to appear. Eventually, people got the courage to stand up and make real change. This led to the only violent end to a leader during the breakup of the communist rule in Eastern Europe.
Communist Romania’s end gives me great hope that it does not necessarily need outside intervention to finally bring an end to Kim Jong Il’s crumbling state. It is my belief with enough poverty, repression, starvation and abuse people will not take it anymore. When the army finally turned the guns on the dictator, it was all over. While nobody knows when and how North Korea will end, the end is inevitable. As I said before, the cracks are showing, and it is only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down.
As said before, I think a lot can be learned from the former regimes that are now long gone, and not just Romania. If we look to other uprisings and change (no, not Barack Obama style, thank you) maybe it can inspire those inside toiling under the iron grip of a repressive ruler with the help of strong voices that truly care for them. North Korea may be the biggest challenge yet, but with enough work, determination, love and perseverance, people can look forward to a better life away from Juche.
What will it take? People disagree on the methodology employed to make change whether it is forceful change, engagement, pressure, sanctions or whatever, one thing is certain. Normal people help bring that change. Even after the North Korean state is gone, it will take a long time and a lot of work to eventually bring reunification. We may well be in the beginnings of that, and perhaps the truth will come to light.
I have been reading about Hwang Jang Yop’s defection to the ROK in 1997, and his warnings and commentary about his time in the KWP and what should be done about it seems to be largely ignored by a lot of folks. For what reasons and what end is something I am not too sure of yet, but I have been looking to other high level defections from other former communist nations. One I knew nothing about and seems pretty well-known is a man named Ion Mihai Pacepa. This defection made news and apparently was used by the United States for information regarding the Soviet bloc. This led to a multi-million dollar price tag on his head. His story is very interesting, and am reading more about this man. Also, there is a lot more information about Ion Mihai Pacepa than Yuri Bezmenov other than the 1985 interview posted earlier this week. Therefore, I have a lot of reading to do.
So I looked him up to see if he was still alive, and apparently, is alive and well. He wrote a lot of articles for conservative-leaning magazines (FrontPage Magazine, National Review and some others) and wrote some books. One I just ordered today is called Red Horizons. I read the limited preview on Google Books and was instantly riveted. It told the tale of how things worked behind closed doors of Nicolae Ceausescu’s communist Romania. This was in such detail (I am so used to little to no details when reading about the inner workings of North Korea) I could not believe my eyes. Once the limited preview was over, I was sorely disappointed and ordered the book. It was not that expensive $10 + shipping, but I will not like the wait for it to come to the door.
Now some may be asking why Romania and other former regimes when this blog is about North Korea. I am beginning to think there is some parallels and maybe some lessons to be learned. What can me gleaned from these other former regimes in respect to North Korea? I mean Romania had some similarities albeit Ceausescu’s imitation of other models of North Korea and China for instance. He had a huge cult of personality, a manufactured biography, and spending huge amounts of money on luxuries while others suffered greatly in his Utopia. In North Korea, there is a huge cult of personality, both Kims spend money for luxuries at the expense of the citizens, no tolerance for dissidents and a very closed off society. So my question is, how is Romania different or the same about North Korea? What can we learn from the mind of Nicolae in respect to Kim Il Sung and/or Kim Jong Il’s leadership? Maybe they are very different in many ways, but maybe history repeats itself. Perhaps this is something worth discussing further.
In the meantime, I will wait for this book, and if others have read this book or wants to discuss this further, by all means, let’s discuss it. Oh, and once I am done with the book, I will give my thoughts on it.
Here is something I have been looking for quite a while, and as usual, hapo finds all the good stuff. Therefore, big hat tip to him for finding it. This is very unreal, and is in three parts. I cannot say if to enjoy it or not because it is very head scratching.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
…and the trip of Kim Il Sung to Poland in 1956:
One of my favorite North Korea documentaries of all time. Enjoy!
We are at the station rebirth and traveling to glory. The last stop is paradise, but we are not permitted to go there. It’s questionable if anybody’s ever been there. Welcome to North Korea.
Here is a rare look inside the great famine of North Korea filmed in 1997. This is right in the thick of this horrific famine, and this film is very heartbreaking. A Care International worker reports the conditions inside the secretive state, and you can see how he goes to great lengths to peel back the facade that North Korea is paradise as the official mouthpiece says.
Here, you will see ordinary North Koreans showing the reality, the negotiations with officials, minders and lot more. North Korea goes to great lengths to hide the very serious problems, and now with another famine in the horizon, I cannot imagine how many times it can happen without the state going into disarray. Maybe once the elite who get the lion’s share of the rations all of a sudden feel the pinch of shortage, maybe change will happen from the top down. I cannot foretell the future, but even after this very serious famine, North Korea kept on going. So the question is, how far can it go before it simply falls apart?
One cannot be certain, but it seems to me the path to collapse is in motion, and when it will finally crack and fall into a million pieces is unknown. All I can guess it will be a surprise to everybody once it does, and with the conditions the way they are right now, it will be one of the greatest humanitarian projects the world has ever seen once the the current regime has dissolved.
Also see CARE’s withdrawal from North Korea.
Yes, it is still another very slow day in North Korea, so it is about time you imperialist jerks saw the REAL story behind the greatness of Kim Jong Il and why the Great Leader chose him to be the successor. This is in seven parts. No, it is not that long, so you have more than enough time to watch and learn. That’s right, you have been brainwashed! This is the truth!
Part1:
Part 2:
Continue reading ‘Propaganda Time: Official suceession tales and hero worship’
Sphere: Related Content(Hat tip to One Free Korea) If you care to listen to broadcasts from North Korea, go here. Lots of fun!
Sphere: Related ContentSEOUL (AFP) — Cash-strapped North Korea has cut down on its main festivities to mark founding leader Kim Il-Sung’s birthday to help save money in the impoverished Communist country, news reports said Sunday.
Choson Sinbo, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper for ethnic Koreans in Japan, reported on its online edition that North Korea had turned its annual “April Spring Friendship Art Festival” into an biennial event instead.
The festival, usually around Kim’s birthday of April 15, has served as Pyongyang’s most important fete to strengthen a personality cult around Kim’s family in North Korea.
Kim’s birthday is still the biggest holiday in North Korea despite his death in 1994. His son Kim Jong-Il has since ruled the country with a similarly iron-fisted approach.
The celebration, which began in 1982 to celebrate Kim’s 70th birthday, usually invites foreign artists — with Pyongyang footing the bill for travel expenses and accommodation.
But Seoul’s Yonhap news agency, citing an unnamed North Korean defector who formerly worked for the foreign and cultural sectors, said worsening economic hardships had led Pyongyang to curtail the usually lavish celebration and most likely mean no international performers this year.
Emphasis mine. For North Korea to cut down on these types of events, it must be in dire straits. Also, does this save money on the gifts the leaders show love for the people? I think so. It does not matter. This country is falling apart, and there is little that can be done about it.
In the meantime, the #2 man is making some deals with some countries in Africa, and maybe they can send them some extra cash.
Here is an interesting documentary about Adolf Hitler. I do not know who made the documentary, but that is not important. What this discussed was the psychological profile of Adolf Hitler. Apparently, this was never done before, but some shocking predictions were made based on his behavior and past. These were accurate from the documentary’s point of view.
One of the people discussing this profile is a man named Jerrold M. Post. Apparently, he never saw the analysis much later.
Now, what is interesting, and what I would like to know is, are there profiles of Kim Jong Il, Kim Il sung or the other cronies inside the regime? I am sure if there is such a thing, it is not for public consumption, but it would be very interesting to see something like that.
Sphere: Related Content
Just when you thought North Korea could not be any crazier than it is already, a man by the name of Shane Smith changes everything when he and his friend travels to Kim’s paradise. When I first saw the link posted to these videos, I figured this would be like any other documentary, but it is not. Shane Smith takes his tour one step further and at serious risk.
Welcome to the Vice Guide to North Korea. As we all know, getting into North Korea is not easy, and this guy describes how he got into the secret state via Shenyang. He tried other ways to get in by legitimate means, but goes the “back way” when talking to defectors. Then the madness starts from the first moment the money is slapped on the table and visas are granted. It is interesting to note he does not go into details on how he bribed the consulate to get in, but somehow he was granted. I would be kind of interested to know how he did it, but for all intents and purposes, I would understand if he did not want to tell others how he did it because as the videos get posted, he does not make many friends on his trip because he tends to break the rules. What kind of rules does he break? Quite a few, well, according to North Korea. Amazingly, he takes a lot of it with a grain of salt which pisses off his guards even more as the series progresses.
Continue reading ‘The Vice Guide to North Korea: A review (update 2)’
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