1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

interesting North Korean news stories and discussion

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by cwerdna, Jan 20, 2013.

  1. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2005
    12,544
    2,123
    1
    Location:
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    I recently heard this one thanks to the NPR news app:
    Out Of Desperation, North Korean Women Become Breadwinners : NPR

    I didn't know about how people weren't being paid there or having to pay 20x to 30x their salary to not work.

    As some of you might know Eric Schmidt of Google and Bill Richardson recently went to NK.

    CNet put up this piece today: Schmidt, daughter open up about trip to North Korea | Internet & Media - CNET News. Most interesting to me was this link to Eric Schmidt's daughter's post at Sophie In North Korea about their trip. I didn't realize she was on the trip nor that he had a daughter.

    Post other interesting NK related stuff here...
     
    #1 cwerdna, Jan 20, 2013
    amm0bob and fuzzy1 like this.
  2. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2009
    2,518
    1,790
    0
    Location:
    NEPA
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    Limited
    #2 RRxing, Jan 20, 2013
    amm0bob likes this.
  3. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,105
    10,038
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I don't usually have much opportunity to hear NPR, but did hear that story on its original broadcast.

    The NK economy is a basket case. As it continues to collapse, that women's market -- originally a black market of not-employed/not-supported women desperate for food -- appears to be the primary remaining economic activity. Nearly all other adults, essentially all men and some women, are conscripted government employees. The government is no longer able to provide rations or paychecks to many of them, but won't release them from their assigned make-work posts to allow them time to fend for themselves. Failure to appear at their assigned jobs is harshly punished. They are unpaid government slaves.

    The consequences of all this are awful.
     
    #3 fuzzy1, Jan 20, 2013
  4. dbcassidy

    dbcassidy Toyota Hybrid Nation, 8 Million Strong

    Joined:
    May 13, 2008
    1,581
    290
    3
    Location:
    Middlesex County, MA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    All to put on a display for the whole world, so the NK think.

    DBCassidy
     
    #4 dbcassidy, Jan 21, 2013
  5. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2012
    1,968
    813
    0
    Location:
    L.I.- NY
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Well, something's got to give eventually.
    People will only tolerate the current conditions so long.
     
    #5 ny_rob, Jan 21, 2013
  6. dbcassidy

    dbcassidy Toyota Hybrid Nation, 8 Million Strong

    Joined:
    May 13, 2008
    1,581
    290
    3
    Location:
    Middlesex County, MA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Under a dictator rule, what choice do they have?

    DBCassidy
     
    #6 dbcassidy, Jan 21, 2013
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)