I have seen several documentaries about NK and feel like I have a pretty good idea what it would be like there.
I would be terrified that I would have some tiny misunderstanding with a local law enforcement person and would wind up charged with some crime that carries a huge sentence and would then have to spend many years in jail.
I think that the worst thing you can do in NK is insult the glorious leader. If you make an insulting gesture to a friend (in jest) and they think you were doing it to their leader or a statue of their leader, then you can kiss your butt goodbye. It’s jail time for you.
In one documentary, they showed how the NK govt. clearly lied about some great feats they supposedly did in their past. They have a zero tolerance for anyone disputing the veracity of these kinds of claims. So, joking can be one of the very worst things you can do. If misunderstood, it often is considered to be an insult to the leader or the govt. and you are done.
Over and out!
Try to get a lawyer and argue your case in court? It is to laugh.
All the people in NK seem to act like they are real happy to be there. Well, all I can say is that I’m happy to let them live there and happy that I live here and never the twain shall meet.
NK must be the scariest place in the world - except perhaps for Nazi Germany during the war years if there was a way to go back in time. Even so, NK might still be more scary than Nazi Germany.
Mexico is a good example of how a mistake can escalate into a serious prison sentence.
I would never vacation in Mexico when I can vacation in CA or FLA instead. I can get all the Mexican food I want to eat in the southern USA without much danger of being charged with a serious crime and sentenced to 25 years in prison or more.
The Demick book mentioned above, Nothing To Envy, interviews six defectors about their thought process and experiences. It’s clear from the interviews that a majority of them DID believe in the divinity of the Kim dynasty, and were fully committed to the worship of the personality and being of the Great Leader (Il-Sung) and the Dear Leader (Jong-Il). It took several difficult experiences for each of them to lose that commitment to the cause of national socialism and the Kims.
So, I get the impression that for a lot of them, it’s very much cult-like devotion to the Kims. Combine that with the genuine fear of appearing to be hesitant, or even slow, to participate in the worship and adoration.
Nope. Not even at gunpoint. I’m American, Dad fought in Korea, Sgt. Marksman, I doubt the population would really welcome me, and I’m not in any way as rich as Rodman.
I’ve read Escape from Camp 14; it’s excellent. There’s some criticisms to be had about it, but overall, it’s a good book that mostly rings true. The book by Lisa Ling? (Quick Google…Somewhere Inside, that’s it) Not so much. It’s fine - she talks a little about the people set to watch her and their humanity - but it’s mostly a “poor me, why can’t I just get out of here” book that set me off of it.
I liked Nothing to Envy, too.
The Orphan Master’s Son, a novel about North Korea, is really fascinating. It’s a novel, so there is that, but many of the situations depicted (kidnappings of other Asians, even accomplished/well-known ones, “disappearances” of higher ups in the NK gov’t, smuggling, etc. etc) have actually happened. It’s well written and really engaging.
Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leaderis very dense, but contains a lot of the history of the Kims’ rise. I have to admit that I haven’t finished it yet; it’s kind of a slog. (But interesting!)
I have some of the other books mentioned on my reading list, but haven’t gotten to them yet.
I’m a white American with no Asian ancestry or connection to the peninsula. No, I wouldn’t go, for reasons of conscience. I don’t fault people for wanting to see it, but for me it just doesn’t feel right.
The various sports halls of fame for one - there are many. The membership and displays are really repetitive but still quite outstanding nonetheless. It is amazing that a single clan bests the rest of the world in most sports yet it goes unacknowledged in the West.
To answer the question, yes, I would go just because I enjoy bizarre experiences. I am sure that trip would rank near the top. I would be very respectful of everyone and everything while I was there though because long prison sentences in communist-demagoguery centered nations are not my thing. I would just like to see what it is like in every day experience because North Korea sounds as close as you can get to visiting an alien planet while still being on Earth.
