16 Responses to “Rare Shots From North Korea”

1. #1 |  Aresen |  March 31st, 2010 at 1:16 pm

   The lights mark the path of the Dear Leader as he crossed the river in only four jumps.

2. #2 |  West Coaster |  March 31st, 2010 at 1:29 pm

   #1

   Four jumps, yes; but it looks like the bridge doesn’t actually make it all the way across the river. On the far side, I see pylons/supports, but no bridge.

3. #3 |  tom |  March 31st, 2010 at 1:41 pm

   It looks like Harrisburg.

4. #4 |  Cyto |  March 31st, 2010 at 1:43 pm

   Obvious fake. That bridge has electric lights on it.

5. #5 |  Jozef |  March 31st, 2010 at 2:10 pm

   Are all North Koreans either peasants or soldiers? Where are all the blue and white collar workers?

6. #6 |  Andrew Williams |  March 31st, 2010 at 2:51 pm

   Just think how much rice could be bought/produced using the energy from those lights. Another proof that Dear Leader is circling the drain….

7. #7 |  Brian |  March 31st, 2010 at 3:06 pm

   I wonder if the average North Korean is aware of their position in the world. Is the government there as effective at keeping information out as they are at keeping it in?

   I’m not sure what would be more depressing. To think that they’re just blissfully ignorant of the other possibilities that exist … or to find out that they know and are either too scared shitless to do anything about it (in the case of the peasants) or content with their position as one of the more privileged flies on the shitheap (in the case of the soldiers)

8. #8 |  Tolly |  March 31st, 2010 at 3:15 pm

   Also check out Vice-TV’s video diary of a visit through NK…
   http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/vice-guide-to-north-korea-1-of-14

   Really sad and thoughtful how it’s been completely turned into an empty nation cult following the whims of a borderline insane leader. Mostly you just feel sorry for the ordinary people who struggle to survive amidst all the insanity. I can’t wait for the regime to sputter and fail so we can really find out the true depth of how far that nation has fallen.

9. #9 |  Kristen |  March 31st, 2010 at 3:20 pm

   My employer, a U.S. gubmint agency, thinks that there link is porn.

10. #10 |  FuManchu |  March 31st, 2010 at 3:32 pm

    Actually, that’s a shot from China. It’s from Dandong, the Chinese bordertown between China and North Korea which has the most traffic through it. That’s the Yalu river, separating the countries. That bridge was bombed in the Korean War, and has been left like that. You can actually walk to the end of what’s left of the bridge. The ladies selling trinkets there say that only Americans and Koreans get on it.

    The factory chimneys you see in the background are in North Korea. There are some older buildings near the border, but most everything has been abandoned. The North Korean border town is a few miles back a few degrees to the right of the picture. They tend not to have much along the Chinese border (beyond kidnapping border guards) for security reasons.

11. #11 |  Aresen |  March 31st, 2010 at 3:42 pm

    West Coaster | March 31st, 2010 at 1:29 pm
    #1

    Four jumps, yes; but it looks like the bridge doesn’t actually make it all the way across the river. On the far side, I see pylons/supports, but no bridge.

    The Dear Leader levitated the rest of the way.

12. #12 |  Mattocracy |  March 31st, 2010 at 4:05 pm

    I think North Korea is the most freightening place on Earth.

    @ #7,

    I don’t think the average N. Korean knows anything about the outside world. As far as they are concerned, pulling carts with live stock is lightyears ahead of the rest of the world, who are still living in caves and don’t even have government issued buckets to shit in like they do.

    Those that do know about the outside world know that if they ever leave, their families will be murdered. I think this last group also knows that if the regime ever ended, they would the brought up on crimes against humanity. So its business as usual.

13. #13 |  RogerX |  March 31st, 2010 at 6:04 pm

    For those who missed it, you MUST watch the 14-part series (a few minutes each) that VBS.tv did on North Korea. They snuck two guys and a handheld camcorder into North Korea for a week. It’s a miserable place full of terrifyingly misinformed locals.

14. #14 |  JS |  March 31st, 2010 at 8:40 pm

    I bet its named “The people’s glorious bridge given generously by the dear leader” or something like that.

15. #15 |  Tim Spencer |  March 31st, 2010 at 9:26 pm

    North Korea is great, we’ll be there soon.

16. #16 |  Whim |  April 1st, 2010 at 12:02 pm

    Good news and bad news:

    The bad news is there is no surplus electricity to power the street lights in Korea.

    The good news is the stars are clearly visible at night.

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