with a Korean accent
I was born on April 20 1986 in a village not far from Onsong, a city of 300,000 inhabitants in the north-east of the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea, close to the Chinese border and Siberia. The city is divided into ku (districts) and ban (classifications) of 20 families. My parents lived in ban number three, in a semi-rural zone. The house was like dozens of others built on the same model and lined up in rows. There was a door, a single window, and a roof of curved orange tiles. The walls were white, but they had been painted blue to a height that I must have passed about the age of eight or nine. Each time the district officials came to check the hygiene of the houses, as they regularly did, they ordered us to change the colour of this lower part: to green, now blue, now light brown, but all the houses in our ban had to be the same colour; perhaps because dwellings, like everything else in North Korea, are the property of the people. That means that nothing belongs to anyone. [...]In our house, as in all the others, there was a loudspeaker that delivered broadcasts from the capital, Pyongyang. They told you the news, always devoted to the Dear Leader Kim Jong-il, alternated with songs composed in his honour or to the glory of his father. We also had a radio that received these broadcasts, which was fixed by the authorities to that single station. [...]
In each classroom there hung a photograph of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, side by side. These pictures were very large, and placed just above the blackboard so that we could always see them, which gave us the impression that the rulers’ eyes were on us at all times. [...]
School was from Monday to Saturday afternoon. After class, every day, we had to do agricultural work for two or three hours. On Sunday we laboured all day, with a picnic at lunchtime. There were hardly any adults around when we were working, and at times I got the impression that we children did most of the work in the fields.
As we hoed, sowed or harvested, we were subjected to a continuous flood of revolutionary songs, always very cheerful, broadcast by a propaganda lorry equipped with enormous loudspeakers. Although there are very few vehicles in Onsong, there were at least three propaganda lorries, which travelled the city and the surrounding villages. On top of that, in every district pylons fitted with loudspeakers broadcast party orders and martial music that woke us every morning. On holidays, the loudspeakers in the village broadcast uninterruptedly throughout the day.
Comment by Joe on 5/31 @ 10:11 am #
Club Kim. If only we could have an exchange program with them, I know a lot of youth who might change their ways after a few months in the workers’ paradise.
Comment by Lamontyoubigdummy on 5/31 @ 10:12 am #
Darleen, for that post you will report to Obama’s re-education camp immediately.
Which is in Kenya.
It’s worse than Gitmo but not that bad really. Basically you have to live in a hut with Bammy’s brother, Obyoingo.
He talks non-stop and will go to farting if you let him into the UN shipment of dried apricots. Other than that he’s harmless. And incredibly poor.
You should bring bug spray, a fly-swatter, and Sally Struthers.
Also, mention you know “Starvin’ Marvin.” He’s like Elvis over there.
Comment by jon on 5/31 @ 10:14 am #
The problem of North Korea is a problem with Russia and China. As long as those two countries won’t stop their asshole friend state from all it does, it will continue until Orwell’s horror story will read like a victorious piece of glorious literature to the North Koreans who are allowed to read. But we can’t make Russia do anything, since Europe would freeze in the dark. And we can’t make China do anything, since our economy would collapse even further. And we can’t do anything substantial on our own without causing a nuclear attack on either us or our allies South Korea and Japan.
Only a return to war would restore anything resembling sanity to North Korea. And that’s looking less and less likely, not more.
Comment by ducktrapper on 5/31 @ 10:19 am #
North Korea is a gulag with a military.
Comment by Joe on 5/31 @ 10:24 am #
But those little fuckers can march. I forgot who turned us on to this last week, but it is a great little collection of videos on NoKo Land. Thanks.
Comment by Lamontyoubigdummy on 5/31 @ 10:29 am #
Like the good Dr. Krauthammer says, nuclear arm Japan. China shits its collective self, re-aligns on the spot, and has a helluva good reason to quit giggling at the lunatic thorn in our side and cut off the Norks.
2010 is the Chinese year of the tiger. We can remind them what one looks like.
Since they’ve obviously forgotten these: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=flying+tigers&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=3q8iSuakBsKHtgezi622Bg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title
Comment by sdferr on 5/31 @ 10:49 am #
The Kims and their Stalinist Totalitarianism are something like the tamping-iron that was exploded into the brain of Phineas Gage, creating in a violent accident an unintended experimental circumstance which revealed a great deal about the unnoticed underlying conditions of human personality in the destruction of his brain. So it is with the unfortunate Korean society and individuals the Kims have ruined.
Comment by Joe on 5/31 @ 10:50 am #
How about arm Taiwan with some nukes. That will cause a collective shit fest in China.
I have to believe the Taiwanese have already secretely done so.
Comment by ThomasD on 5/31 @ 10:51 am #
Throw in some artisanal goat cheese during the ‘picnic’ and Rod Dreher would call in idyll.
Comment by ThomasD on 5/31 @ 10:53 am #
er, call it an idyll.
PIMF
Comment by Lamontyoubigdummy on 5/31 @ 11:11 am #
“Rod Dreher”
Isn’t he married to Kathleen Parker.
“We can make you softer. Gentler. Squishy. Get you into the good DC cocktail parties.
We have the technology.”
Welcome to Meghan McCain’s new GOP.
Pass me the sick bucket.
Comment by Joe on 5/31 @ 11:25 am #
You know you want her.
Okay, I suggests lots of liquor first.
Comment by Joe on 5/31 @ 11:36 am #
I need some escapism! This seems like a good choice.
Comment by Lamontyoubigdummy on 5/31 @ 11:41 am #
“You know you want her.”
Fat girls try harder and all that, but (unless she comes equipped with a mute button) there ain’t enough whiskey in all Christendom gets me drunk enough to take her home at last call.
Even a [horn]dog has standards.
Comment by Joe on 5/31 @ 11:49 am #
LYBD: You are probably right, either way you are puking.
Comment by Lamontyoubigdummy on 5/31 @ 11:54 am #
“You are probably right, either way you are puking.”
My dog has rolled around in/with worse. I showed him that Hot Air video of Little Miss GOP Princess.
He licked himself (pr’olly just to make sure he still had feeling), and went and hacked up on my bed.
Me and the beagle will view no more links from you sir.
Comment by 11B40 on 5/31 @ 12:00 pm #
Greetings:
Why are you giving President Obama more ideas?
Comment by Mikey NTH on 5/31 @ 12:02 pm #
That’s some good Stalinism!
Comment by Mikey NTH on 5/31 @ 12:03 pm #
I wonder how much of this could be written about Cuba? Just change the names of people and places, and then compare it.
Comment by Lamontyoubigdummy on 5/31 @ 12:07 pm #
“I wonder how much of this could be written about Cuba? Just change the names of people and places, and then compare it.”
Jay Nordlinger, call your office.
Comment by guinsPen on 5/31 @ 12:25 pm #
I need some escapism!
Exactly. I recommend North to Chagang Do, Joe.
Comment by guinsPen on 5/31 @ 12:31 pm #
Don’t forget your electricity, people!
Comment by happyfeet on 5/31 @ 12:37 pm #
electricity is my favorite! electricity and also my new thing is jicama and lime. I do not know where Jeff is. I just don’t know. I wish he were here.
Comment by John Stephens on 5/31 @ 12:41 pm #
“The house was like dozens of others built on the same model and lined up in rows. There was a door, a single window, and a roof of curved orange tiles. The walls were white, but they had been painted blue to a height that I must have passed about the age of eight or nine. Each time the district officials came to check the hygiene of the houses, as they regularly did, they ordered us to change the colour of this lower part: to green, now blue, now light brown, but all the houses in our ban had to be the same colour; perhaps because dwellings, like everything else in North Korea, are the property of the people. That means that nothing belongs to anyone.”
If they have Homeowner’s Associations in Hell, this is what they’re like.
Comment by guinsPen on 5/31 @ 12:41 pm #
I wish he were here
Ditto.
Yo, JG!
We’re hungry and that’s a mighty tasty looking tree over by there.
Comment by geoffb on 5/31 @ 12:42 pm #
NK make life in “The Village” idyllic.
Comment by Great Mencken's Ghost! on 5/31 @ 12:51 pm #
Obama read this post. Now he’s in his bunk.
BTW Darleen, your Obamacrats poster was a big hit, drawing a large number of honks, thumbs and other digits.
Comment by Joe on 5/31 @ 12:52 pm #
Electricity? To quote the poet Jello Biafra, “Don’t forget your bag of rice…”
Comment by guinsPen on 5/31 @ 12:56 pm #
Mmmmm, bark.
Comment by mcgruder on 5/31 @ 1:02 pm #
north korea is a special sort of hell.
Comment by serr8d on 5/31 @ 1:14 pm #
What’s this my outdoor (while painting the fascia) radio is saying about a late-term abortion provider gunned down in Kansas or somewhere? Hmmm…fuckers will be on about guns and the ‘Right Wing’ before I get my brush cleaned…
Comment by guinsPen on 5/31 @ 1:18 pm #
Put the silverware down and step away from the tree, Mister Vice-President.
Comment by serr8d on 5/31 @ 1:22 pm #
Well, George Tiller was killed in a Wichita Church. A Church. Killed in a Church.
What was he doing in a Church?
Comment by Darleen on 5/31 @ 1:24 pm #
serr8d
here you go
Comment by serr8d on 5/31 @ 1:28 pm #
I had to look at Huffpo. Sure enough…
Comment by Salt Lick on 5/31 @ 1:29 pm #
Saw this when I visited Canton in 1979, shortly after Mao died. There I was on the dusty, grey streets, inside a churning sea of blue, green, and grey Mao uniforms — bazillions of hyper-active Chinese pedestrians and cyclists.
Suddenly, an attractive young girl rides by on her bike, NOT WEARING A CAP AND WITH A LONG PINK RIBBON STREAMING FROM HER SHINING BLACK HAIR. I asked my government guide about it. He hesitated, then said that in Mao’s time the girl would have been summoned by her block committee for a character review, because the ribbon was a sign she might think herself more important than the Revolution.
See, things got better in China. Now we’re gonna meet them in the middle. Hope and Change.
Comment by Darleen on 5/31 @ 1:30 pm #
What was he doing in a Church?
He was just an advocate for “abortion rights” don’t ya know?
BTW, I hope the murderer gets the death penality, which is still (for the moment) legal in Kansas.
Comment by Rob Crawford on 5/31 @ 2:08 pm #
Regardless of whether this murder was politically motivated or for other reasons, I hope the murderer gets the death penalty.
But I’ll believe the left gives a rat’s ass about politically-motivated violence when they stop treating Mumia as anything but the murdering thug he is.
Oh, and when they treat the Obama administration letting those racist thugs from Philadelphia off the hook for violating the Voting Rights Act with any seriousness.
Oh, and when they admit that animal rights and “eco” terrorists should be tracked down and thrown in prison.
Oh, and when they stop coming to the defense of Islamist terrorists.
Oh, and when they make ’60s-era terrorists and their hangers-on persona non grata.
Comment by SBP on 5/31 @ 2:18 pm #
BTW, I hope the murderer gets the death penality
Ditto.
Comment by SBP on 5/31 @ 2:18 pm #
Suspect apparently in custody now, btw.
Comment by ThomasD on 5/31 @ 2:19 pm #
An off duty cop chasing a criminal got shot and killed in NYC.
Some people are attempting to politicize this, turn it into a racial thing by saying the cops shot a black man seen running with a gun.
I’m bothered by that killing too. Not because the dead man was shot while being black. But because the NYPD thinks it is ok to open fire on anyone seen running with a gun – without ever attempting to determine just who the criminal is.
The abortionist’s death is a bad thing too. But I am less bothered by those events than the ones in NYC.
Comment by Salt Lick on 5/31 @ 2:22 pm #
…Dig it. First they killed those pigs, then they ate dinner in the same room with them, then they even shoved a fork into a victim’s stomach! Wild!â€
Comment by sdferr on 5/31 @ 2:35 pm #
I’d suggest we wait for the facts on this one Thomas. Seen running, for instance may not prove to be the case and even if it should, may not prove to be directly related to the cause of the shooting. From what I’ve read this am about this case, the standard officer training puts the responsibility for declaration and immediate disarming on the officer in plainclothes. If that proves true, it could turn out that a momentary lapse on the part of the officer killed could be found to have been the most consequential act in this sad story. So, time for dispassionate analysis and a bit of slack in the meantime may be warranted, is all.
Comment by B Moe on 5/31 @ 5:28 pm #
35: Has anybody pointed out to those HuffPo pinheads that Tiller was a Christian, too? That is why he was in church today?
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Comment by Slartibartfast on 6/1 @ 9:00 am #
Yes, of course. Because the problem with North Korea started with Mao, Stalin and Kim Il-Sung deciding to use Korea as a conflict to suck the USA into a huge meat-grinder war to deplete its military. Now, Mao thought that throwing a huge number of Chinese soldiers into the fray would do the trick, but unfortunately the kill ratio was bigger than even Mao anticipated. China lost a minimum of 400k troops (some accounts say as large as 1 million) in that little struggle, while the US lost something like 30k-35k.
Things might have been very different had Stalin acceded to Mao’s requests to supply China with a military industrial infrastructure (i.e. hand over the blueprints to aircraft and heavy weapons, and assist in setting up mass production and supply), but Stalin didn’t trust Mao. Which, who could have blamed him?
Mao failed at his primary attempt (more narrowly than he thought, IMO) to hand US a staggering military defeat, but succeeded in his secondary goal of ridding himself of the last vestiges of the Nationalist Army, which served as cannon fodder.
There’s so much more to this, but the blame for North Korea’s plight rests about 80% on Mao Tse-tung, 15% on Stalin and 5% on Kim Il-Jung. Once the war got going, there wasn’t anything Kim could have done to stop it on his own. He was outnumbered and outgunned in his own country by the Chinese.
I hope Mao is burning for eternity for that, as well as for the numerous other crimes he committed against humanity.