Worse Than 1984 - North Korea, slave state

slate.com ^ | May 02, 2005 | Christopher Hitchens

[texas_mrs]

How extraordinary it is, when you give it a moment's thought, that it was only last week that an American president officially spoke the obvious truth about North Korea. In point of fact, Mr. Bush rather understated matters when he said that Kim Jong-il's government runs "concentration camps." It would be truer to say that the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea, as it calls itself, is a concentration camp. It would be even more accurate to say, in American idiom, that North Korea is a slave state.

[driftdiver]

I did read the story but object to our President being called Mr Bush. He's Mr. President or President Bush.

[driftdiver]

"Yeah well it's not "its" it's "it's"."

big difference between between being disrespectful to the elected leader of our country and my grammer mistakes.

Displaying a lack of respect for the elected leader of the free world weakens our country.

This same thing is true for any leader of any organization.

[Still Thinking]

No points of light.

[reagan_fanatic]

Back when NK had that railcar explosion, there were North Korean citizens who, crying and screaming, risked being burned by the fire to remove the portraits of the 'Dear Leader' from the wreckage before they were consumed by fire.

North Korea is a weird, surreal place twiced removed from reality.

[Wuli]

"Every member of the US Congress, and White House press corps, should be prepared to sign a statement that they read this, or why they chose not to."

Send a link to the story to your representatives in the House and the Senate; send copies of the link to friends, co-workers, family members, church members and any other associates and ask them to do the same.

[Rummyfan]

I'll give Hitchens a pass on that ... maybe a holdover from referring to the British PM as 'Mr'. But what he's saying about DPRK is dead-on.

[Still Thinking]

So it's more than simply being physically enslaved. They're brainwashed to the point where they actually think the prick is a good guy. Interesting the extremes to which people can be indoctrinated.

[Wuli]

The absoultely worse part of the situation at the moment is that nothing in the Slate article is "news" to the current government in South Korea, and yet when the North set off it's recent missile tests the South Korean government was more angry at Japan's response to the provocation than it was with the North.

Their fellow Koreans are starving, in chains and exist as mere property of the dictator in the North, yet they do not want to "offend" him. If ever there was a free and democratic nation on a course of national suicide, it is South Korea.

[bkepley]

--maybe a holdover from referring to the British PM as 'Mr'--

Maybe but Hitchens has never been shy about being "disrespectful" to anyone and it's not something I worry about. Bush is not the pope-king-creator-of-heaven-and-earth for Mr. Hitchens or for me either.

[Rodney King]

What are all those cities off the eastern coast of S. Korea?

[ozzymandus]

The comparison to 1984 isn't very apt. The citizens of orwell's slave state had food and shelter, if only minimaly.

I wonder why China couldn't absorb N. Korea's entire population. China has well over a billion people, N. Korea has what, 20 million?

[marsh_of_mists]

That's not southeastern China. It's Machuria--northeastern China. Korea is up north towards Siberia and west of Japan.

[stbdside]

Those lights are probably from fishing fleets.

[driftdiver]

"I'll give Hitchens a pass on that ... maybe a holdover from referring to the British PM as 'Mr'. But what he's saying about DPRK is dead-on."

OK you may be right. DPRK is an amazing holdover.

[driftdiver]

"and yet when the North set off it's recent missile tests the South Korean government was more angry at Japan's response to the provocation than it was with the North."

Thats because of two things IMO. One, South Koreans and North Koreans still consider themselves to be Koreans. its not denial of what happens its the fact they still have family on both sides. Second, the Japanese ruled Korea for many years and were EXTREMELY brutal. Most Koreans I have met strongly dislike Japan.

"Their fellow Koreans are starving, in chains and exist as mere property of the dictator in the North, yet they do not want to "offend" him. If ever there was a free and democratic nation on a course of national suicide, it is South Korea."

Who stands the biggest risk of dying if Kim Jung Mentally Ill goes off the deep end? Its the South Koreans so I'd give them a little lee way on how they want to handle the situation. Most people that I've talked to over there also believe a peaceful reunification can be accomplished.

[driftdiver]

"That's not southeastern China. It's Machuria--northeastern China. Korea is up north towards Siberia and west of Japan."

Ok but its still pretty dark.

[CarolinaGOP]

After reading your link, all I can say is that I am SO very thankful to have been born in this country!

[monkeywrench]

From what I've been reading and hearing the leftist Roh govt. is getting no support from most Koreans on this matter, or much of anything else. They think the govt. should stand with the US/Japan side, not the commies.

[davisfh]

"Now really, wouldn't you be better off stargazing in Pyongyang rather than Seoul? Hmmm?"

Now why didn't I think of that?

[texas_mrs]

The comparison to 1984 isn't very apt. The citizens of orwell's slave state had food and shelter, if only minimaly.

Agreed. But Hitchens must have felt the same way since he titled the article "Worse Than 1984 - North Korea, slave state".