[sargon]

Either way it's a country that has been under siege by it's own government for 50 yrs....to call the people a Personality cult is an understatement....it far surpasses that.

I'm always struck by that nighttime satellite photo that we've all seen, which shows mainland China and the Korean peninsula, with all the lights from the cities in China and South Korea just scattered all over the landscape.

And in between them is a veritable black hole on the face of the earth—dark, unlit North Korea. Judging by signs of the use of electricity, the place looks uninhabited. It's like they're living in the 19th centry—at best—down there.

It has to be a terrible, miserable place to be born and live.

Just imagine how different peoples' lives are, just because of which spot of ground they happen to be born on.

Another reason I count myself so very lucky, having been born in the United States. Would that it were so for individuals born in North Korea.

The difference in quality of life versus their neighbors to the South—which is a basically open society—couldn't be more profound.

I wonder what people in North Korea know about, say, the American Revolution? Can you imagine the level of propaganda, the amount of control—both physical and psychological—that these poor souls are subjected to? They probably don't know up from down and left from right...

[txhurl]

I suppose Cuba doesn’t look much brighter, either.....

[caww]

Yes...N.Korea certainly shows it's infrastructure is not at all adequate to handle it's population let alone a manned war. Kim relies fully on his Missile capabilities as its sole defense. Although he does have a small special force his army base is weak and unprepared for modern warfare. They march in groups daily in the city....but rare to see any in actual combat exercises. Kims all about the "appearance" and deceptions he produces rather than the realities that are.