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http://www.aidanfc.net/a_year_in_pyongyang.html
I stumbled across a fascinating account of a man who spent a year in North Korea. His job:
His name was David Richardson, and he worked as a reviser for the Foreign Languages Publishing House. If you ever wondered how the works of the Great Leader and other North Korean propaganda at least end up in decent English (or French, German, et al), it's thanks to people like David. The job is sometimes called polishing. First, armies of locals toil to translate the Leader's obiter dicta into what they fondly imagine is English. But then they need a native speaker to check that it's right. So at any given time FLPH usually has half a dozen assorted foreigners doing this job for the major languages.
(the story is actually about David's replacement, but whatever, it's the best description of the job. Anyway, North Korea is legendary for keeping information about itself hidden, so I was very interested in this story. I can't really describe it here, so I'll just put in a few quotes to hopefully pique your interest.
Armed with such sketchy information, when I eventually arrived in Pyongyang, I found myself immeasurably better informed that the average North Korean citizen, who has been conditioned to believe that the Japanese capitulation in World War Two was precipitated not by what happened at Hiroshima but by the unstoppable advance of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army under its brilliant, iron-willed, ever-victorious commander, General Kim Il Sung, sun of the nation and lodestar of liberation, and that in 1950 they were not driven headlong to the northern border by the UN forces. They were merely making a temporary strategic retreat as a result of which they quickly recovered the lost ground again, thanks to the outstanding military genius of the aforesaid commander. Certainly a number of Chinese volunteers did cross the border to lend comradely assistance, but this figure of one million must clearly be dismissed as US imperialist propaganda designed to cover up the ignominy of the mighty imperialist military machine being unequal to the confrontation with the valiant Korean people under the inspired leadership of Great General Comrade Kim Il Sung. As for South Korea today, everyone knows about the distressed living conditions of the working masses who long for the great leader's fatherly embrace, but are brutally suppressed by the US imperialists and the military fascist puppet dictatorship.
Mangyondae is situated a couple of miles outside Pyongyang on the banks of the Taedong River. It is said to be the place where the great leader was born into a humble peasant family and where he grew up until he left home at the age of thirteen to join up with the anti-Japanese guerrilla fighters in Manchuria. It should be noted that although his family were humble peasants, they were at the same time great patriots, thinkers and revolutionaries. Kim Il Sung's father, Kim Hyong Jik, is supposed to have been an influential leader of the national liberation movement against the Japanese occupation. It was none other than the great leaders great-grandfather, Kim Ung U, who led the successful assault on the predatory US battleship, the General Sherman, that infiltrated Korea up the Taedong River in 1866. We in the West do tend to forget just how far back US imperialist designs on the Korean peninsula actually go.
As any North Korean will tell you, you can't beat an outing to historic Mangyondae for a fun-packed day out for all the family. Set in several acres of lovely parkland, it offers first and foremost the original medieval thatched cottage where President Kim Il Sung spent his formative years. Why is it the only house left in the village? How did it escape the American bombing? Why does it look so much like a recently built model of an old-style Korean dwelling? It's a miracle. Miracles sit easily with some people.
The Korean public has no access to the popular music of the outside world. When Koreans purchase a radio, they have to take it to a special place to be adjusted so that the dial cannot be tuned to switch stations. It is not only forbidden to listen to anything other than state radio. It is rendered a practical impossibility. As for foreign records and tapes, like foreign books and magazines, they are not even available in the dollar shops.
At the beginning of each November, each household is issued with several kilos of cabbage to which the people then add spices to make their revolting national dish called kimchi, which supplements their grain ration. Refrigerators are a luxury. The households that do have one do not have large enough ones to store a whole winter's supply of kimchi. Everyone therefore stores it out of doors in earthenware jars, relying on the sub-zero temperatures to keep it fresh. When temperatures in December 1987 rose as high as eight degrees centigrade, this had a most deleterious effect on the quality of their diet.
Very interesting stuff, I recommend that you give it a try.
http://www.aidanfc.net/a_year_in_pyongyang.html
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Wow before I clicked, I thought it was going to be about "North Korean Progamers or Programing".
Thanks.
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At the beginning of each November, each household is issued with several kilos of cabbage to which the people then add spices to make their revolting national dish called kimchi
haha
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On March 11 2009 07:43 Fontong wrote:Show nested quote +At the beginning of each November, each household is issued with several kilos of cabbage to which the people then add spices to make their revolting national dish called kimchi haha
LOL
here come the baezzi's
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"Once they were all up, they squatted in a row with their backs against the wall of the factory and did nothing except chatter and giggle and touch one another - North Korean girls are very physical in displaying their affection towards each other."
"It was a typical North Korean scene; sweet, endearing, innocent people, without a clue what they are doing."
"I can honestly say that the citizens of sinister, Stalinist North Korea are the nicest people I have ever met in my life. They were nice to me, and they are nice to each other. The comradeship of the girls on the roof was touching to see and it was the sort of thing I saw all the time."
rofl=[]
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Pretty interesting, but what's the guy got against Kimchi 
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No foreign media?! How are they going to learn that Starcraft 2 is coming!
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So I read further, and I came across this:
+ Show Spoiler [Quote] + It is perhaps a little unfair to dismiss Korean television as nothing but an endless stream of propaganda, but only a little. During my two weeks in hospital I watched quite a lot of television. It made a change from reading and it was something I could do standing up. For some reason I found it much less painful at that time to stand than to sit. By the end of a week I could endure to stand up for half an hour at a time, whereas I could not sit for more than five minutes before the pain drove me back into bed. An astonishing amount of viewing time is given over to documentary-style celebrations of the great leader, the glorious achievements of the Juche revolution, and also to the architectural splendours of Pyongyang and the natural beauty of the Korean countryside. The people are encouraged to take a great pride in their country's natural beauty. But they do have dramas and light entertainment. Every week there is an amateur song contest, when the workers and peasants get the chance to put on their finery and step into the spotlight. Koreans, as mentioned before, love to sing and these amateurs turn in very stirring performances. Their eyes shine and they make impassioned gestures as they perform the well-loved revolutionary ditties that extol the virtues of the great leader and the victories of the socialist revolution, to the accompaniment of accordion and guitar. When they have poured their hearts out, impassive judges press buttons. A red light comes on if their performance has gained the judge's approval. A green lights denotes failure. Then the performer has to stand and listen to the judge's criticism before departing the stage. The performers do not mind. Public criticism has become a standard part of daily life in their culture. It is considered good for people. Before they pour their hearts out, the performers announce their names and occupations. They have exciting jobs like fitter at the Kum Song General Tractor Plant, electrician at the February 8th Vindon Factory, or sub-work-team leader on a co-operative farm. At any rate they perceive their jobs as exciting. For this is a society where the highest honour is not to be made a knight of the realm, but to be decorated as a Labour Hero. Outstanding sportsmen and entertainers enjoy a modest celebrity but the quintessential heroes of the Juche Korea are the workers and peasants and men of the Korean People's Army, who exceed annual production quotas, grow record crop yields, or build the West Sea barrage, and the media do not let people forget this. There are no chat shows where glittering celebrities offer tantalising glimpses into their personal lives on North Korean television. Instead there are images of determined men up to their waists in foaming, icy water laying pipes or building factories in the snow. These are the activities that are portrayed as glamorous in North Korea.
The idea for American Idol came from North Korea!
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On March 11 2009 09:35 deathgod6 wrote:
No foreign media?! How are they going to learn that Starcraft 2 is coming!
i wonder if they even know anything about sc1, or even computers
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Nice website, it gives a different perspective to the country. I wonder how his living conditions were...
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A few months back there was a 19 GB torrent on Demonoid of documentaries on North Korea. I'm not sure if people are still seeding it. Most fascinating stuff I've ever seen. Highly recommend checking out A State of Mind and Crossing the Line.
There was another piece, I think it was North Korean Junket, but maybe not. It talked about the Korean Friendship Association, which is apparently an organization for foreigners who, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, think the DPRK isn't all that bad and want to participate in their propaganda. You can join too! Although if you're planning on boarding an airplane any time soon, I wouldn't recommend it. 
edit: thanks for the link--bookmarking for when I have more time ;<
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At any rate they perceive their jobs as exciting. For this is a society where the highest honour is not to be made a knight of the realm, but to be decorated as a Labour Hero. Outstanding sportsmen and entertainers enjoy a modest celebrity but the quintessential heroes of the Juche Korea are the workers and peasants and men of the Korean People's Army, who exceed annual production quotas, grow record crop yields, or build the West Sea barrage, and the media do not let people forget this. There are no chat shows where glittering celebrities offer tantalising glimpses into their personal lives on North Korean television. Instead there are images of determined men up to their waists in foaming, icy water laying pipes or building factories in the snow. These are the activities that are portrayed as glamorous in North Korea.
While alot of those quotes are pretty damn frightening, I totally approve of this one :3.
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interesting, reminds me a lot of 1984.
thanks for posting my friend. er... comrade.
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thx for this, including the doc names
I'm interested in this material
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koreans have kimchi (nutritious and cheap)
americans have mcdonalds (no nutrional value, cheap).
its funny because americans are just as much slaves to propaganda as they say "pitiful" Nkoreans and Chinese are. american public relations and advertising is the mesmerizing magic that goads you into spending your debt on garbage. professional sports is the new religion that numbs the masses before sleep. "politics" is the marginalizing cleave that keeps everyone simultaneously powerless and diluted to the fact that "their vote counts". and we "pity" poor north korea and their Stalinist regime. americans think they are "free" because they have money to buy whatever they want... that is slavery. i live in "REd China" there are no guns, no drugs. there is no crime. there is no "free press"... that means there is no fearTV. what is the western press? it is "propaganda" and ideology-feeding vomit.
in beijing girls hold hands when talking around together. families dont have hummers but they have love. parks are full of elderly people do synchronized taiji and exercising. "oppressed" children go to school 6 days a week and wear uniforms. they dont play 10 hours of video games a day but go to chess and Go practice and learn more in middle school than I did with my "liberal and free" american public education. There are "propaganda" posters like "a prosperous community starts with you" . I havent seen a gun in 5 years. when i visited america last xmas i was nervous the whole time amid obese grazing cows and cops with guns.
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On March 11 2009 11:45 omninmo wrote:
its funny because americans are just as much slaves to propaganda as they say "pitiful" Nkoreans and Chinese are. american idol? sounds like the korean singsong show... what crisis?
Yes because America stole the idea for a singing show, we are all the same as North Korea
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On March 11 2009 09:35 deathgod6 wrote:
No foreign media?! How are they going to learn that Starcraft 2 is coming!
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On March 11 2009 11:48 sixghost wrote:Show nested quote +On March 11 2009 11:45 omninmo wrote:
its funny because americans are just as much slaves to propaganda as they say "pitiful" Nkoreans and Chinese are. american idol? sounds like the korean singsong show... what crisis? Yes because America stole the idea for a singing show, we are all the same as North Korea
Its painfully obvious you didnt understand a word he said.
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On March 11 2009 11:45 omninmo wrote:
koreans have kimchi (nutritious and cheap)
americans have mcdonalds (no nutrional value, cheap).
its funny because americans are just as much slaves to propaganda as they say "pitiful" Nkoreans and Chinese are. american public relations and advertising is the mesmerizing magic that goads you into spending your debt on garbage. professional sports is the new religion that numbs the masses before sleep. "politics" is the marginalizing cleave that keeps everyone simultaneously powerless and diluted to the fact that "their vote counts". and we "pity" poor north korea and their Stalinist regime. americans think they are "free" because they have money to buy whatever they want... that is slavery. i live in "REd China" there are no guns, no drugs. there is no crime. there is no "free press"... that means there is no fearTV. what is the western press? it is "propaganda" and ideology-feeding vomit.
in beijing girls hold hands when talking around together. families dont have hummers but they have love. parks are full of elderly people do synchronized taiji and exercising. "oppressed" children go to school 6 days a week and wear uniforms. they dont play 10 hours of video games a day but go to chess and Go practice and learn more in middle school than I did with my "liberal and free" american public education. There are "propaganda" posters like "a prosperous community starts with you" . I havent seen a gun in 5 years. when i visited america last xmas i was nervous the whole time amid obese grazing cows and cops with guns.
you're a faggot shut the fuck up
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On March 11 2009 12:52 sMi.SyMPhOnY wrote:Show nested quote +On March 11 2009 11:45 omninmo wrote:
koreans have kimchi (nutritious and cheap)
americans have mcdonalds (no nutrional value, cheap).
its funny because americans are just as much slaves to propaganda as they say "pitiful" Nkoreans and Chinese are. american public relations and advertising is the mesmerizing magic that goads you into spending your debt on garbage. professional sports is the new religion that numbs the masses before sleep. "politics" is the marginalizing cleave that keeps everyone simultaneously powerless and diluted to the fact that "their vote counts". and we "pity" poor north korea and their Stalinist regime. americans think they are "free" because they have money to buy whatever they want... that is slavery. i live in "REd China" there are no guns, no drugs. there is no crime. there is no "free press"... that means there is no fearTV. what is the western press? it is "propaganda" and ideology-feeding vomit.
in beijing girls hold hands when talking around together. families dont have hummers but they have love. parks are full of elderly people do synchronized taiji and exercising. "oppressed" children go to school 6 days a week and wear uniforms. they dont play 10 hours of video games a day but go to chess and Go practice and learn more in middle school than I did with my "liberal and free" american public education. There are "propaganda" posters like "a prosperous community starts with you" . I havent seen a gun in 5 years. when i visited america last xmas i was nervous the whole time amid obese grazing cows and cops with guns. you're a faggot shut the fuck up
Having spent a fair amount of time in China and the US, I feel like omninmo makes a lot of valid points. Our western press is really full of a lot of vomit, although I don't know that it's necessarily propaganda or ideology-feeting. A lot of what is said about 'lack of freedom' in places like North Korea or China really overstates things, but at the same time, there are definitely some kinds of lack of freedom, so you see what you want to, depending on where you come from (Just like the guy in the story). I really don't think having a broader view of the world makes omninmo a faggot though, I'll leave it up to you to decide.
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EPT
