The Ryongchong Disaster

    On April 22nd, 2004, a disaster occurred which killed nearly 3000 people.  There are many different theories of why the disaster occurred, some people feel that it happened on accident, and some feel that it happened on purpose.  At 1PM on April 22nd, there was a train disaster that happened in Ryongchong near the boarder of The People's Republic of China.

Subject:    The subject of the event is the train disaster in Ryongchong, North Korea.  A large theme of the subject was whether the disaster happened on purpose or not.

Occasion:   It happened in Ryongchong, North Korea, on April 22nd, 2004.

Audience:    The event applies to citizens in general all around the world.  When such a large disaster occurs that kills this many people, most citizens around the world are interested to hear about what happened.

Purpose:    Some people feel that a possible purpose for the event occurring is because Kim Jong-il passed through the station several hours before the explosion as he returned from a meeting in China. It was suggested that the explosion might have been an assassination attempt.

Speaker:    The speaker for the event that occurred in Ryongchong is a New York Times author named James Brooke.

Tone:  The tone of the article is very informational, but is also a little saddening.  The way that the article is written is very informational, but the author of the article also places a tone that is heartfelt and sympathetic.

    Personally, I feel that the event in Ryongchong was something that was very horrible.  Even if it was an attempt to take out Kim Jong-Il and his horrible ways, it is not reasonable to put that many people at risk.  Maybe the train accident was an accidental derailing of the train, but maybe it also occurred on purpose.  It is amazing how someone like Kim Jong-Il and drive people to putting thousands of people at risk just to kill him.  This is a great example of how all violence does is lead to more violence.  If we ever want to live in a world full of peace we are all going to have to accept what has happened in the past and move on. 

Visiting North Korea Soon?

Personally I'm not exactly planning on visiting the DPRK any time soon, but if you're an adventurous traveler looking for someplace new to go, North Korea is the place for you, and theres an app for that! On wednesday the NKNews founder, Chad O'Carroll, and Uniquely Travel team came out with the North Korea Travel App. This app is 99 cents and gives the user images of luxury spots in North Korea such as - hot springs, hotels, and an 18-hole golf course. There is also a GPS map of other travel destinations within N. Korea. There is also a virtual tour if you don't actually plan on visiting North Korea, but if you do the app comes standard with an itinerary builder.
I'm very skeptical about this because North Korea is a communist country, they have millions of starving citizens, they have missile programs that are very secretive, and their social views are very different from anywhere else in the world.
The DPRK is very isolated form the world, and they keep it this way by not allowing their citizens to leave, and not letting outsiders in. With this app, and if travel to north Korea actually becomes something that any traveler could do then what will happen to their isolation? Will they open up to the rest of the world? The sanctions placed on the North will have to be loosened up if they are allowing travelers into the secret state.
The sanctions on North Korea are to try and get them to give up there nuclear arsenal. However, because they are already so isolated from the rest of the world the sanctions do not bother them. This travel to DPRK might act as an act of kindness and maybe thats all the North really needed, a hug. "We believe strongly in the value of not isolating a place that is criticized for its isolations tendencies." said Simon Cockerell, who has visited the DPRK a multitude of times and wrote the app's 'insider tips'.

If you do get the app, or already have it, let us know in the comments what you think of it!
Also if you take a trip to the DPRK please tell us about it in the comments we would love to hear from you!

Get the North Korea Travel app now for your smartphone or tablet. http://www.northkoreatravel.com/guideapp/