North Korea calls for "human shields" to protect new leader

North Korea calls for "human shields" to protect new leader

news.yahoo.com

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea called on its people to rally behind new leader Kim Jong-un and protect him as "human shields" while working to solve the "burning issue" of food shortages by upholding the policies of his late father, Kim Jong-il.

Asserting that the inexperienced young Kim, in his late 20s, is "precisely" identical to his father, the editorial said "the whole Party, the entire army and all the people should possess a firm conviction that they will become human bulwarks and human shields in defending Kim Jong-un unto death."

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From the "Department of You Can't Make This #SNIPPED# Up!"

I have to say that North Korea is one of the strangest countries on this rock. Do the government or people of this country realise how odd they appear?

I have always wondered how much support this family really has... Are the citizens terrified of the government, or "merely" brainwashed?

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I suppose we may have our answer to the question of whether Un would uphold his father's policies. In reply to Shark, there are two possibilities in my opinion. The first is that they are simply "brainwashed," considering that since they were born they were drilled with this stuff.

But I think that upon growing up and realizing how bad life is in general, they have to start questioning the things they had been taught. I think this is the case, considering there are some refugees who make it out of NK. If they were all brainwashed, then no one would attempt to defect.

So the other option is that they are simply compliant out of fear. They are afraid that if they do not bow down to the leader's picture, among other things, that their neighbor will turn them in, in a selfish attempt to gain favor with the authorities/government/leader.

The only place in NK, to my knowledge, where things are a bit more "normal" by our standards is Pyongyang, but we would probably still be appalled. The regime lets only the most "loyal" subjects live in this city, mostly officials and military personnel if I'm not mistaken.

reply to post by JiggyPotamus


It blows my mind, like life from some sort of distopyian scifi book.

I don't know I would react to being observed and/or monitored by every person in the country... man my thoughts to anyone born in that h***hole.

I am not an advocate for war, but I would be awesome if the people of NK with boot this twisted family to the curb.

It's likely a combination of both.

Those that aren't brainwashed are afraid of what will happen if they challenge the 'leader' that has a mob of brainwashed people to serve his every whim. Further, discerning who really supports the regime and who just goes along with it is no easy task. Not only do you run the risk of being looked at suspiciously for having meetings; but you also run the risk of talking to the wrong person. Perhaps you piss off someone who believes the regime's dogma, and they turn you in. Perhaps you pick up an under-cover operative of the regime.

However - you can pretty-much be assured that any North Korean who has stepped outside of the blissfully ignorant North Korean territory is not brainwashed - at least, they don't believe the dogma (that stipulates the rest of the world is jealous of North Korea and that the leadership of Kim Jong Il and his father were the only things keeping the evil, greedy, envious world at bay). However - they are likely people with powerful connections inside the country and will remain loyal to the regime - where they can come back home and be treated as gods and pick their flavor of grade school child that evening.

While that may be pretty #ed in the head by our standards - I do have to say that North Korea is a rare case of a dictatorship that appears to be quite content with things staying the way they are. The regime knows that, if they actually invade and (miraculously) capture South Korea; their regime would soon collapse in the face of a culture that had not been suppressed since the advent of radio media (and would have none of the nonsense North Korea accepts as true). So, they never will invade.

They won't use nuclear weapons - not offensively, at least - for the same reason.

They are simply content to be gods in their little corner of the world and shout insults at the rest of the world as a way of appearing tough to their populace.

I do wonder about this new leader, and whether or not he will abandon such a calculated stance in the future - giving way to ambition or adrenaline-backed delusions of grandeur.... but I would imagine he's had this explained to him throughout his life; and that the current regime would work their own angles to prevent obviously compromising behavior.

www.youtube.com...

Interesting little deal on North Korea.

If your caught "not conforming" you and your surrounding family are shipped off to the labour(death) camps/ salt (death) mines)

I don't know if anyone noticed but on bbc news it indeed say human shields but on sky news it said human RIFLES which says to me suicide bombers can anyone shed any light on this?

If you're interested in seeing "inside" of North Korea, I suggest watching this documentary. I found it to be pretty informative. Since they have no access to any "outside information," I can't see anything changing there any time soon. They are most definitely brainwashed into believing their leader is somewhat of a demi-god. It's quite sad, honestly.




Cheers,
Strype

Im currently reading this..... Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea, by Barbara Demick

Its leading me to belive that the people there are not happy and change would be welcome, but very difficult to impliment without people thinking they are been tricked.

reply to post by Shark_Feeder


I think it's a bit of both, there are many people genuinely sad over his death, you only have to look at the death od Diana Princess of Wales & the hysteria that occured here in the UK to see how a media inspired cult can take root & these people have had this their entire lives. The few who can see beyond the state propaganda & cult of personality are too frightened to appear any different. I doubt very much if anything changes as far as democracy is concerned in N. Korea however due to the relative youth & inexperience of the New leader some of the ols guard may make a play for power.

Looks like ordinary citizens are preparing for the worst, lets face it, we all know its going to go down, its just a matter of time

reply to post by cerebralassassins


Wow, that thing looks mean. What's the title given to that beast? Any idea? Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Strype

North Korea is a living hell where people exist in a never-ending state of terror.

As posted above, viewing the documentary "Welcome to North Korea" can provide a glimpse into nightmare.

After viewing it, the suffering people in North Korea come unbidden into my consciousness quite often. It reminds me that there exists people chained and enslaved. That tender babies are born into a soup of misery and death. That the individual human being, the highest expression of life is, in North Korea, of no value at all.

And I am reminded of those at the top whose glands secrete the chemicals which allow them to derive physical pleasure and mental joy at the slow calculated death of others. It makes them feel good.

It is disheartening to know that those at the top of our social structures gain sustenance by the deaths of those at the bottom. But it has ever been so. And North Korea is an example of just how far those at the top will go to keep those glandular secretions going.

At least we in the "free" world can speak about these things. For now....