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[vas_a_morir]

North Korea's Communist dictator reportedly purged his own step-mother, Kim Ok, from her post as a senior official in the Workers' Party Finance and Accounting Department as he sought to tighten his grip on power within the country.

Holy shit, what are the fuckin' odds, really?

 

[siddx]

The situation in North Korea is absolutely unsustainable, especially with Un as their leader, but the amount of factors that result in the Kim regime to fall is terribly thorny. Not to mention a people's uprising is most likely out of the question due to the intense cult of personality that's indoctrinated.

I wonder if the intense meth addiction that's plagued the country will be some sort of X factor?

Reading books like Nothing To Envy, it sounds like that cult has suffered some severe blows in the last 20 years or so. More and more North Koreans smell the bullshit in the air. There just isn't anything to can do except defect or put up with it. But many of those novels definitely paint a picture of a North Korea going from completely brainwashed cult members to cult members scared of their leader and so are willing to still drink the kool aid and wear the toga instead of end up dead or in a prison camp.

 

[RSLAEV]

RIP in Peace, Horse-lady

Gonna bump this loud if/when that fucker Jong-Un ever gets put down.

 

[vagabondarts]

This is disgusting.
I hope his days on this earth are short and full of personal suffering

 

[Tenrius]

On the explicit orders of Kim Jong-un to leave "no trace of him behind, down to his hair," according to South Korean media, Kim Chol was forced to stand on a spot that had been zeroed in for a mortar round and "obliterated."

What in the world?

 

[Mr. B Natural]

Terrible.

And yet I laughed at "Excellent Horse-Like Lady."

 

[vas_a_morir]

This is a tragedy... but the absurdity of it all has me conflicted on how to feel.

You can guarantee one thing: she was innocent of what she was charged.

 

[Mesousa]

Then you are naive or willfully ignorant on North Korea. There are plenty of first hand accounts of how the government operates there and nothing in that news article is remotely surprising considering some of the horrifying things they have done to their own people over the decades.

You really think musicians in North Korea, knowing their lives are in such danger, would keep a symbol of western Imperialism like the bible with them?

 

[Soulscribe]

This is horrifying.

I still don't know what a "mortar" is, and I'm too scared to google it. Someone please halp.

EDIT: Nevermind looked it up. It's a weapon, thought it was actually an execution method. So it's like a modern-day cannon?

 

[Stet]

You really think musicians in North Korea, knowing their lives are in such danger, would keep a symbol of western Imperialism like the bible with them?

No. I don't think the musicians made pornography either, though. Doesn't mean they weren't executed for it.

 

[vas_a_morir]

You really think musicians in North Korea, knowing their lives are in such danger, would keep a symbol of western Imperialism like the bible with them?

Symbol of western imperialism, perhaps. However, Christianity in Korea is not the story of an oppressive conquering army forcing people to conform to their religion. In fact, I believe there are churches allowed to operate in North Korea, IIRC from the Diane Sawyer special I saw about 6 years ago.

Yeah, Christianity has been around for a long time. So much so that the Japanese govt forbid the practice of Christianity, and when the occupation/annexation was over, the Christians ran to the Japanese temples and burned them to the ground.

HOWEVER, if a bible is considered seditious material in North Korea, then maybe things of changed in recent years (regarding the open practice of it in NK)

 

[xbhaskarx]

This sounds like propaganda.

These capitalist pigs don't want you to know that North Korea is a workers paradise.

 

[Derwind]

The mortar round execution seemed like something out of a movie. Punishment not fitting the crime always makes my stomach lurch but this one os ridiculous.

Getting rid of your Ex by firing squad, must have been a terrible break up.

 

[vas_a_morir]

These capitalist pigs don't want you to know that North Korea is a workers paradise.

Wow... that sounded so... h-Horselike. a/s/l?

 

[Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!]

what?

Kim jong il once had a man executed by firing squad and then years later dug up his corpse and had him executed again

 

[Derwind]

Kim jong il once had a man executed by firing squad and then years later dug up his corpse and had him executed again

Lol you're kidding...
































Right? :|

 

[Mesousa]

No. I don't think the musicians made pornography either, though. Doesn't mean they weren't executed for it.

Fair point.

Symbol of western imperialism, perhaps. However, Christianity in Korea is not the story of an oppressive conquering army forcing people to conform to their religion. In fact, I believe there are churches allowed to operate in North Korea, IIRC from the Diane Sawyer special I saw about 6 years ago.

Yeah, Christianity has been around for a long time. So much so that the Japanese govt forbid the practice of Christianity, and when the occupation/annexation was over, the Christians ran to the Japanese temples and burned them to the ground.

HOWEVER, if a bible is considered seditious material in North Korea, then maybe things of changed in recent years (regarding the open practice of it in NK)

Oppression of the mind is more dangerous than any foreign army. When you can convince a group that you are right about something as serious as what happens after life, then you automatically create a superiority/inferiority relationship.

These capitalist pigs don't want you to know that North Korea is a workers paradise.

Of course its not, but not believing every story its enemies drag out about it does not mean I think it is paradise.

 

[Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!]

Lol you're kidding...







Right? :|

Nope. I think I read it in that article abou his sushi chef a few months ago. He's nuts.

 

[ironcreed]

I'm speechless, but it is not surprising. *shakes head*

 

[Eleuin]

That mortar round execution sounds absolutely horrific

 

[Vermillion]

This is no laughing matter, but still...

Seriously. My first response to this was muffled laughter, because the whole damn thing is absolutely ridiculous. Then you remember that people are dead. NK is ridiculous.

 

[Clydefrog]

Holy moly, execution by mortar sounds like a Monty Python sketch…. That’s horrible wtf…

 

[sirap]

Proof that absolute power corrupts, even those who might have seemed like a legit chance for change.

 

[Arcteryx]

wow @ the mortar execution

 

[inm8num2]

That's sick. A new leader and nothing has changed.

LOL who was expecting Jong-un to be different than Jong-il?

 

[SmokyDave]

I wonder if you'd look up as the mortar came down.

 

[Spieler Eins]

It's sad that this isn't even surprising anymore.

 

[ced]

It's really crazy that something like this actually goes on in the world.

 

[Dongs Macabre]

Power attracts the corrupt. He is a god, after all.

 

[Jakabok]

I dunno, this whole story has the whiff of bullshit about it. Seems too cartoon evil weird to be true.

 

[CountAntonius]

Appalling. One day shit will catch up to those fuckers.

 

[Imm0rt4l]

Why bomb Syria when there is a place that is THAT fucked up?

South Korea being hostage for one.

 

[Plywood]

Holy shit and double holy shit:

She was luckier than Kim Chol, vice minister of the army, who was executed with a mortar round in October 2012.

Kim Chol was reportedly executed for drinking and carousing during the official mourning period after Kim Jong-il's death.

On the explicit orders of Kim Jong-un to leave "no trace of him behind, down to his hair," according to South Korean media, Kim Chol was forced to stand on a spot that had been zeroed in for a mortar round and "obliterated."

 

[Fenderputty]

That's sick. A new leader and nothing has changed.

Like father like son.

 

[AuthenticM]

When is this country going to disappear ?

 

[Tenrius]

When is this country going to disappear ?

Eventually, these things never last. In this case, any change must come from the inside, because they have Seoul in their artillery range. Don't even need nukes to use as a deterrent.

 

[Kinyou]

Kim jong il once had a man executed by firing squad and then years later dug up his corpse and had him executed again

Man, and I thought only Popes would be that crazy

 

[Acorn]

Kim jong il once had a man executed by firing squad and then years later dug up his corpse and had him executed again

Seriously? Why? Was he scared he'd be haunted?

 

[Derwind]

Man, and I thought only Popes would be that crazy

This picture is horrifying, there has to be a movie made or something...

 

[ivysaur12]

Reading books like Nothing To Envy, it sounds like that cult has suffered some severe blows in the last 20 years or so. More and more North Koreans smell the bullshit in the air. There just isn't anything to can do except defect or put up with it. But many of those novels definitely paint a picture of a North Korea going from completely brainwashed cult members to cult members scared of their leader and so are willing to still drink the kool aid and wear the toga instead of end up dead or in a prison camp.

Right, yeah, that was a major point in Nothing to Envy and also The Impossible State. The cult will fracture even more because of Kim Jong-un from one of love to probably one of fear. Kim Jong-il was the de facto leader of the day-to-day operations for North Korea for almost 15 years before he took official office. It sounds as if they really didn't prepare nearly well enough for Kim Jong-il's death and prepping his successor. That could be the undoing of the cult, but we still have no idea what is happening there. If a famine can't cause people to revolt, I'm not sure what will.

Also, anyone interesting North Korea should listen to this powerful TED talk by Lee Hyeon-seo: http://www.ted.com/talks/hyeonseo_lee_my_escape_from_north_korea.html

 

[DD]

Someone needs to find oil there ASAP.

 

[ivysaur12]

Someone needs to find oil there ASAP.

Goldman Sachs estimates the raw materials in North Korea are worth roughly 140 times their GDP. They also sit on some fairly large oil reserves.

 

[Derwind]

Someone needs to find oil there ASAP.

Or fake WMDs?

Oh wait, they're real...

 

[Kinyou]

This picture is horrifying, there has to be a movie made or something...

"Your silence only incriminates you further!"

 

[Conan-san]

I fell kinda dumb for even thinking he was at least moderately sane.

 

[OldKentuckyShark]

Execution by mortar round? Jesus, North Korea. I don't understand why people would want to visit that country. Is it the same reason people enjoy things like bungee jumping and skydiving? The thrill of the possibility of death? Or is it like going to a scary/creepy zoo? Observe the crazies and the psycho way they do things?

 

[Soyongdori]

Execution by mortar round? Jesus, North Korea. I don't understand why people would want to visit that country. Is it the same reason people enjoy things like bungee jumping and skydiving? The thrill of the possibility of death? Or is it like going to a scary/creepy zoo? Observe the crazies and the psycho way they do things?

If you are that curious, go visit.

 

[SneakyStephan]

Mortar round is probably a quicker (instant), painless way to go , assuming it actually directly hits you and you don't just get some limbs blown off by shrapnel if it misses.

The machine gun death seems more horrifying to me, get mowed down possibly left to bleed out if you are still alive, even if you die fast it'll probably still take several seconds.
+ making the relatives watch :\

Shows how ugly a thing human culture is, that it can raise 3 'psychopath' generations of leaders in a row.

 

[CorvoSol]

Wasn't this the woman that people were speculating had been forced to be his lover anyway? Man. NKorea is a place.

 

[shakin_haitian]

This is child's play for North Korea.

The testimony of Soon Ok Lee

Warning, it is horrific.

"A prisoner has no right to talk, laugh, sing or look in a mirror. Prisoners must kneel down on the ground and keep their heads down deeply whenever called by a guard, they can say nothing except to answer questions asked. Women prisoners' babies are killed on delivery. Prisoners have to work as slaves for 18 hours daily. Repeated failure to meet the work quotas means a week's time in a punishment cell. A prisoner must give up her human worth. When I was released, some 6,000 prisoners, both men and women, were crying and pleading with me in their hearts to let the outside world know of their suffering. How can I ever forget their eyes, the eyes of the tailless beasts?"

...

Punishment Cells, Chambers of Death
The punishment cell is one of the most dreaded punishments for all prisoners. The cells are usually 60 cm wide and 110 cm high. Therefore, the prisoners have no room to stand up, stretch their legs or lie down. They cannot even lean against the walls because they are too jagged. There are twenty such cells for female prisoners and 58 cells for male prisoners. They are usually detained for seven to ten days as punishment for certain offenses, such as leaving an oily mark on clothes, failing to memorize the president's New Year message or repeated failure to meet work quotas.
When the prisoners are released from the cells, their legs are badly bent, with frostbite in the winter, and so they can hardly walk. Many victims are permanently crippled from the lack of adequate exercise and eventually died as a result of the work resumed immediately after the release. The prisoners call the punishment cell "Chilsong Chamber," meaning a black angel's chamber of death.
In November 1989, I was detained in the punishment cell for a week for attempting to cover up a faulty piece of shirt made by a 20 yearold girl. The young girl was sent to the torture chamber and never seen again. Among other things, the freezing cold wind from the toilet hole made the experience extremely painful. During the summer, the prisoners struggle to brush thousands of maggots back into the toilet hole.
After being released, I had problems walking for 15 days but I was able to recover because my job gave me the needed opportunity to walk to all corners of the prison with work instructions.
They say it is a day of great fortune if a prisoner finds a rat creeping up from the bottom of the toilet hole. The prisoners catch it with their bare hands and devour it raw, as rats are the only source of meat in the prison. They say the wonderful taste of a raw rat is unforgettable. If they are caught eating a rat, however, the punishment is extended. So they have to be very careful when catching and eating a rat.
Prisoners Can Use Communal Toilets Only Twice a Day
There is one collective toilet, one meter wide and two meters long, for every 300 prisoners. Five or six prisoners use the toilet together at the same time. The first group leaves work for the toilet with a wooden pass. Then, they return to work with the pass. The next group is then allowed to visit the toilet collectively with the pass. In this way, the prisoners use the toilet only twice a day in group shifts, not when they need to. The prisoners squat on a slope and evacuate onto a sloped floor. There is only one hole at the end of the toilet.
Please note the toilet duty prisoner holding a wooden pass in the above drawing. The prisoner on toilet duty must stay inside the toilet for 17 18 hours a day. They are normally old and crippled women who are not fit to work. They look horrible with faces swollen and yellow from the stench. Some prisoners prefer the job because of the guarantee of a full ration meal, but they normally die within a year.

It gets much, much worse from there.