North Korea

From RationalWiki
(Difference between revisions)
Jump to: navigation, search
(Human rights record)
m
Line 1: Line 1:
 
{{Communism}}
 
{{Communism}}
 
[[Image:DPRK.png|thumb|left|Their official commie logo]]
 
[[Image:DPRK.png|thumb|left|Their official commie logo]]
'''North Korea''', also known as the DPRK or "Democratic" (ha ha) "People's" (yeah right) "Republic" (not!) of [[Korea]] (well, half of it!), is a small remnant of the [[Cold War]] ruled by the [[dictator]] [[Kim Jong Il]]<ref>Technically somebody called Kim Yong-nam is the ''de facto'' Head of State, but then Kim Yong-nam may as well be a sockpuppet of Kim Jong Il.</ref>, who rules the country as a God-king, and has the world's largest personality cult. He inherited power from his daddy, [[Kim Il Sung]]<ref>It is not technically inherited, since Kim Il Sung is still the "Eternal President of the Republic"</ref>, who founded the nation. It is anticipated that KJI's third son, Kim Jong-Un, will succeed his father. North Korea is perhaps the most undemocratic and [[totalitarian]] state in existence, with possibly the world's worst human rights record, and one of the only countries in the world in which internet access is hugely censored and generally only available in the capital.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/23/technology/23link.html "The Internet Black Hole That Is North Korea"], ''New York Times'', October 23, 2006.</ref>
+
'''North Korea''', also known as the DPRK or "Democratic" (ha ha) "People's" (yeah right) "Republic" (not!) of Korea (well, half of it!), is a small remnant of the [[Cold War]] ruled by the [[dictator]] [[Kim Jong Il]]<ref>Technically somebody called Kim Yong-nam is the ''de facto'' Head of State, but then Kim Yong-nam may as well be a sockpuppet of Kim Jong Il.</ref>, who rules the country as a God-king, and has the world's largest personality cult. He inherited power from his daddy, [[Kim Il Sung]]<ref>It is not technically inherited, since Kim Il Sung is still the "Eternal President of the Republic"</ref>, who founded the nation. It is anticipated that KJI's third son, Kim Jong-Un, will succeed his father. North Korea is perhaps the most undemocratic and [[totalitarian]] state in existence, with possibly the world's worst human rights record, and one of the only countries in the world in which internet access is hugely censored and generally only available in the capital.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/23/technology/23link.html "The Internet Black Hole That Is North Korea"], ''New York Times'', October 23, 2006.</ref>
  
 
==System of Government==
 
==System of Government==

Revision as of 05:48, 2 February 2011

Join the party!

Communism

Icon communism.svg
Opiates for the masses
From each
To each
Their official commie logo

North Korea, also known as the DPRK or "Democratic" (ha ha) "People's" (yeah right) "Republic" (not!) of Korea (well, half of it!), is a small remnant of the Cold War ruled by the dictator Kim Jong Il[1], who rules the country as a God-king, and has the world's largest personality cult. He inherited power from his daddy, Kim Il Sung[2], who founded the nation. It is anticipated that KJI's third son, Kim Jong-Un, will succeed his father. North Korea is perhaps the most undemocratic and totalitarian state in existence, with possibly the world's worst human rights record, and one of the only countries in the world in which internet access is hugely censored and generally only available in the capital.[3]

Contents

System of Government

Amusingly enough, the definition of the word "Democratic" according the OED is "a system of government by the whole population of a state," and the definition of "Republic" is "a state in which supreme power is held by the people," meaning that North Korea's full name means "People-ruled People's People-ruled State of Korea." In reality, North Korea is neither a democracy nor a republic. The real leader, Kim Jong Il, is officially only the head of the party and the head of the army. Long-dead Kim Il-Sung is still the official Head of State, which led columnist Christopher Hitchens to refer to the nation as a necrocracy.[4]

Industry

Its only real industry at this point is its military (which all men from ages 18-35 are required to join). A joint North-South industrial park has been set up, but rather intrusive "security" regulations on workers and businessmen has prevented it from doing as well as it might. During the Cold War, North Korea benefited from favourable trade deals with other communist countries, particularly the USSR. However, when the USSR collapsed there was no longer a market for inferior North Korean goods and NK stopped receiving favourable prices on fuel and the like. NK factories stopped functioning, and a 'rust belt' emerged, as factories fell into disrepair. Instead, North Korea is trying to build up its tourism, by showcasing the natural beauty that exists there. Considering the nation's near total lack of development it does indeed have a lot of natural wonders. Of course, the tourist board does not mention the spirit-crushing hunger that most of the non-military citizens endure.

North Korea, an astronomer's paradise. (Also pictured: South Korea and Japan with loads and loads of astronomy-hindering artificial light.)

Ideology

North Korea's official ideology is "Juche", a totally self-serving invention of Kim Il Sung which combines Stalinism and Maoism with fervent religious worship of Kim Il Sung, and now his son. As part of the Juche ideology, North Korea's government is a dictatorship of three groups in society: the industrial proletariat, farmers and peasants, and intellectuals. This is in contrast to the usual Communist notion that the dictatorship is of the industrial proletariat only, and, one supposes, makes North Korea less bad in comparison to Cambodia under Pol Pot, who had all the intellectuals executed.

Politics

North Korea has three political parties, allegedly representing each of these classes, instead of the usual one in other Communist states. None of these parties is independent to any degree and are all fronts for the personality cult of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, so don't let anyone fool you into thinking North Korea is a multiparty democracy or anything like that. The largest and most dominant of these parties is the Workers Party of Korea. The real opposition if it exists is forcibly suppressed by the government to the point of paranoia; anyone who fails to show sufficient religious fervor toward the Great Leader and the Dear Leader is suspect.

Human rights record

North Korea is possibly the most blatant violator of human rights in the world. While Kim Jong-il eats delicacies from around the world, most of the country's population is starving, brainwashed, and terrified. Most Western and South Korean food aid is given to the Army and to government officials, and only a trickle is available to the population. At the same time, the government has told its people to blame Western sanctions, and even the story that it is stockpiling food to feed the starving South Korean masses. Millions have died of starvation, and many are forced to scavenge for food. Most of the population lives in impoverished villages with little or no food available, and must rely on themselves to survive and keep their families alive. If they can afford it, they can buy from the country's secretive black market. These villages are among the most filthy and impoverished areas in the world. People living in cities or towns have slightly better lives. They have access to state media, and can get jobs in local factories, hospitals, or schools, but people's lives are constantly controlled by fear. The residents of Pyongyang, the capital, live better than the rest of the country. The government awards people by letting them live there. However, living conditions in Pyongyang are still poor by Western standards. In a sick parody of George Orwell's 1984, each home has a radio in the wall that blares propaganda at given times, and cannot be turned off. Each home in North Korean cities also must have well-maintained portraits of Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung.

Healthcare is almost non-existent in the country. North Korea's hospitals have extreme shortages of medicine and medical supplies, and use beer bottles as IVs. Most of their antiquated medical equipment is donated by the world, but few doctors know how to operate it. Doctors often have to donate their own blood and pieces of skin when operating.

Political repression is worse than any other country in the world. People often spy on each other for the slightest signs of disloyalty, and the government not only punishes offenders, but also punishes three generations of their families in order to purge their tainted blood. Police can at random inspect someone's home, and look for signs of disloyalty, such as foreign television or a secret lover (pre-marital relationships are strongly forbidden). As well as any open criticism of the government, any slight sign of disrespect for dead dictator Kim Il-sung, complaints about living conditions, or offenses by a family member can get one in severe trouble. In North Korea, "punishment" includes either public execution, or imprisonment in one of a series of gulag-like camps in mountains near the Chinese border, where people, some of them there for life, slave away to brutal guards, scavenge for food, are tortured and interrogated and even raped, and are forced to watch and even participate in public executions. Many children do not even know that a world exists outside of the camps.

North Koreans are taught to hate and fear the rest of the world, and especially South Koreans. Although some get the chance to meet a Westerner in a carefully guided tour throughout Pyongyang, almost all North Koreans have had absolutely no contact with citizens of foreign nations. The only media available is state media. Access to the internet is strictly forbidden. Mail can only be sent within the country, and is carefully inspected. With information access from the rest of the world completely blocked off, no one except those who secretly listen to foreign radio or watch foreign television can get any real news. Many people don't even know that a man walked on the moon.

Reality

Seriously, the people in that country are starving to death, and yet Kim still thinks that one day he'll reunite all of Korea under his benevolent heel.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Technically somebody called Kim Yong-nam is the de facto Head of State, but then Kim Yong-nam may as well be a sockpuppet of Kim Jong Il.
  2. It is not technically inherited, since Kim Il Sung is still the "Eternal President of the Republic"
  3. "The Internet Black Hole That Is North Korea", New York Times, October 23, 2006.
  4. Deadly Disinterest: Why has the Bush administration lost interest in North Korea?, Slate, December 24, 2007.
Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Community
Tools
support