Putting on a Good Face
The disparity between the upper class and government officials of North Korea and its poor residents is incredible. Shown below is the situation shown to visitors of North Korea, much different than the situation for the majority of North Koreans.
"Bill Richardson, former Governor, US Ambassador to the UN and backchannel freelance diplomat extraordinaire, was planning his 8th trip to Democratic People's Republic of (North) Korea. He invited my father Eric, who invited me." |
"Looks great, right? All this activity, all those monitors. Probably 90 desks in the room, all manned, with an identical scene one floor up. |
"Ordinary North Koreans live in a near-total information bubble, without any true frame of reference. I can't think of any reaction to that except absolute sympathy. My understanding is that North Koreans are taught to believe they are lucky to be in North Korea, so why would they ever want to leave?" |
The Quirks
"This is a country in a permanent revolutionary state, and everything you see reflects that dug-in, determined, fiercely independent quality. ... "[Most] prominent buildings ... [display] two large portraits of the deceased leaders: Kim Il Sung, 'Great Leader' and 'Eternal President,' and Kim Jong Il, 'Dear Leader.'" |
We also saw virtual-reality software, video chat platform, musical composition software (?) and other random stuff. |