Is North Korea's idolization of its leader truly beneficial for its citizens?

[Greg Bernhardt]

Note to self: buy penis liquor.

You are so lucky that you've been able to travel so extensively and experience so many cultures.

Not to late to buy Evo an xmas gift guys! :D

Indeed, I still have ~300k airline miles, so I've got a few more cheap trips left in me!

 

[turbo]

Apparently North Korea's trading main trading partners aren't too certain of their near future and don't want to cross into NK until things stabilize.

http://news.yahoo.com/mourning-hermit-kingdom-north-korea-seals-itself-off-045808510.html

"We can't go in now, because of the death of Kim Jong-il," Yu Lu, a Chinese trader in Dandong who does business with the North, told Reuters. "It's all closed off, and basically all the North Koreans are heading back. It's very tightly closed today."
However, it was not clear if the border was officially closed.
Chinese business people in Dandong said that while it was still possible to travel across on Tuesday, many were cancelling trips, fearing the border could be closed.
"We're worried that it could be shut down at any time, because of the mourning activities, and nobody wants to be stuck in North Korea with the border closed," said Yu Lu.

 

[lpetrich]

North Korea I like to call a Communist monarchy. Kim Jong Il succeeded his father, and one of his sons has succeed him. rootX's BBC quote is very revealing:

First, personalities. Kim Jong-un's elder half-brother Kim Jong-nam was passed over for the succession. He lives in China, which means he has Beijing's protection.

Kim Jong-il dead: Kim Jong-un's power in North Korea rests with mysterious uncle | News | National Post

But as Kim Jong-un stepped forward to bow before his father’s flower-banked bier, there was a dark-suited man standing behind him, in a long line of uniformed generals, who stood out.

Jang Song-thaek, Mr. Kim’s 65-year-old uncle, may be the North Korean equivalent of former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping — a career technocrat, who was mysteriously purged from power in 2004 only to return 18 months later to become the second-most powerful man in North Korea.

Seems like the internal politics of a royal family.

Then this big question: BBC News - How genuine are the tears in North Korea?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Then this big question: BBC News - How genuine are the tears in North Korea?

I think most are. They see him and his father as Gods. As creators and protectors of their land. They think the US will attack at any moment. The problem is that they have no sense of the outside world. It's a problem of relativity. Yes their life is hard, but their entire life they are taught the outside world is much worse. They are taught the South is a barbarian land, full of lawlessness and prostitutes.

I am also willing to bet most of the crying videos are from within Pyongyang. Of course they lead the best lives and have the most to lose without his direct support.

 

[chente12]

Throw some i pods, wifi, starcraft, PS3, and Xbox across the DMZ and you’ve distracted enough N. Koreans to take over the country. I think one of two things can happen. Either N. Korea goes ballistic and does something utterly idiotic to flex their “muscles” or the new leader is too immature to rule with a “firm hand" (good thing regarding N. Korea) and sooner or later ends up in Disney World with his older brother and Mickey Mouse.

 

[rootX]

Then this big question: BBC News - How genuine are the tears in North Korea?

It seems like either these crying people are abnormal or it is part of the propaganda.

Discussion about internal frictions and people discontent with the NK leaders is purely speculative but I don't recall seeing any group (nation) as united under a religious cult as asserted in this thread. It is hard to discuss about NK when it is so closed. But, it might be possible to draw parallels with a past nation, maybe Germany under Hitler Only problem was that NK is not as heterogeneous as Germany so there might not be similar cleansing activities.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

It seems like either these crying people are abnormal or it is part of the propaganda.

I dunno... My mother cried when Micheal Landon died and she never met the man, only saw him on TV. Many people cried for John Lennon and Kennedy. These were people who were not even brainwashed into "loving" these others.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I dunno... My mother cried when Micheal Landon died and she never met the man, only saw him on TV. Many people cried for John Lennon and Kennedy. These were people who were not even brainwashed into "loving" these others.

Furthermore one of my good friend's mom was so grief struck when John Denver died that she was bed ridden for nearly two weeks!

 

[rootX]

You have to ask who is recording the people crying.

NK will go to any extent to make the leader and the country look great:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlin...restores-order-to-kim-funeral-with-photoshop/

However, I also recall reading few articles in case of Russia and China where people get rewarded by how much their personal interests align with the central authorities' interests. So, it might be in people's best interest to praise the leader to get rewards in return even in the case of NK. You also have to question the NK policy to prioritize military over civilians (Songun). Do civilians really benefit from praying the Kim?