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. 

How Real Are Video Games Becoming?

    It is amazing how two places that used to be the same country are so drastically different.  There are so many specific cultural components that make North Korea and South Korea very opposite, but the underlying difference between the two is that people want to live in South Korea.  In most cases, living in North Korea is a curse, and most of the people in South Korea feel bad for those in North Korea.  Although North Korea is typically known for being a worse overall place from South Korea, they both have their ups and downs.  The largest underlying issue in North Korea is the amount of people who are starving, especially those who are children.  Human beings in general deserve to have food, but especially if you are young.  The starvation of the people in North Korea is a well known event in the United States.  Something that people are not aware of are the issues that are occurring in South Korea with video games.  The amount of electronics that are used in the United States is most definitely an issue, but people in South Korea, especially teenagers, are taking it to a new level.  It has become a place for large groups of people to gather, and play hours and hours of online gaming.  Playing video games has become such a large part of their culture, that there are now professional video game players who get paid to play and are praised by the citizens of South Korea.  There are even video game tournaments that are broadcasted on television with commercials and everything!  In 2005, Seungseob Lee visited an Internet Cafe in the city of Taegu and played, "StarCraft" almost continuously for fifty hours. He went into cardiac arrest, and died at a local hospital.  Once this occurred, the video game addiction in South Korea became a large deal.  When people start dying because of how many video games they have been playing, I think it has reached a point where peoples time spent on games needs to be reduced.  If you want to read more about the death of Seungseob Lee, click on this link http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4137782.stm  I personally feel as if video games are fun if you are playing them with a couple friends, but if you are investing that much time into them, they are a serious issue.  If you would like to hear more about the game that killed Seungseob Lee, go to this link for some rediculous facts http://www.cracked.com/article_18763_5-insane-true-facts-about-starcraft-professional-sport.html

Orphan masters son: Fact or Fiction?

    The book "The Orphan Masters Son" by Adam Johnson seems to be complete fiction. Unfortunately, most of the things that happen in the book are occurring events in North Korea.
    In the book many things happen that seem to be so crazy that it couldn't possibly be real. Think again. Many of the things that happen in the book are not fiction. Even though the book is fiction, it uses examples of things that have happened in North Korea. The thing I found craziest was when Jun Do lets the shark bite his arm in order to save his crew from the wrath of the North Korean Government. When the second mate of the fishing boat that Jun DO was on runs away, The crew had to come up with a story that the government would believe that the second mate had died instead of running away. When a person runs away from Korea, their family and friends are all killed or put into prison on suspicions of plotting against the government.
    Soon after the incident of the Second Mate running away, Jun Do is interrogated. The way of interrogation is to beat the story out of Jun DO. When Jun DO confesses that the second mate ran away, the interrogator stops. Then they let Jun Do go and the issue is not brought up again. This seems very weird because Jun Do confesses to what they consider to be a crime, but because he has an alternate story, they deem him a national hero so that they can blame the Americans for what happened.

    In the middle of the book Jun Do kills the North Koreans karate champion, Commander Ga, in a prison mine. Soon after, Jun Do finds himself at the house of Sun Moon, when the former Commander Ga lived. Jun DO must now assume the life of Commander Ga, and subsequently becomes Commander Ga. Commander Ga was not a liked person by Kim Jong-Un so he was never faced with being charged for any crime. As Weird as it is, there are cases where this happens in North Korea. If a man kills another man, and then takes his life and continues to do what the man before him did, he will not be punished. In the book it says that the North Koreans must endure what the have to in order to make the country better. This is interpreted to mean that the family and friends of the past man must accept the new person to be who he says he is. This is probably the weirdest thing to happen in the entire book.
     The only other even that could possibly be weirder is at end of the book when jun Do is charged for killing Sun Moon. Kim Jong-Un loved Sun Moon so now there are charges to be faced. Jun Do, "Commander Ga", is sent to the interrogators known as the Pubyok. The Pubyok have the weirdest ways of interrogation on the face of the earth. They try to get the persons entire life story and write it in a book. They call it their biography. The way that they get the person to talk is either through a lobotomy, or through electrocution. At the very end of the book, there is a scene where Jun Do, and his interrogator, who realizes that what they are doing is wrong, electrocute them selves. It is very weird but the Pubyok really do exist.
    North Korea is an extremely secretive state but the things that we do know about them are extremely odd.

United States: Most Violations of Human Rights

Ever wonder how awful the good ol' U.S. of A is? Well wonder no more! With a list of all the human rights violations by the United States published by the North Koreans you can see why "The U.S. is a living hell".

In February there was an extensive list put out by the U.N. that covered all the human rights being violated in the DPRK. The report was compiled with 320 interviews with people who survived, or escaped the secret prison camps in North Korea. Their conclusion was: "...the country was committing human rights violations without any parallel in the contemporary world."(Washington post) 

After the list was released the Koreans were infuriated. They think that they can still keep what they are doing behind closed doors a secret. Their retaliation included arguing back to the United Nations, and then later the KCNA (Korean Central News Agency) published an article titled "New Analysis on Poor Human Rights Records in U.S." in which they filled with their own list of violations of human rights in the west. This was their feeble attempt at getting back at the U.N.. Filled with "Indignant anger" the North released this list of what violations are happening in the United States:

• "Under the citizenship act, racialism is getting more severe in the U.S. The gaps between the minorities and the whites are very wide in the exercise of such rights to work and elect."
• "The U.S. true colors as a kingdom of racial discrimination was fully revealed by last year's case that the Florida Court gave a verdict of not guilty to a white policeman who shot to death an innocent black boy."
• "That's why 52 percent of the Americans have said that racism still exists in the country while 46 percent contended that all sorts of discrimination would be everlasting." 
• "The U.S. is a living hell as elementary rights to existence are ruthlessly violated." 
• "At present, an average of 300,000 people a week are registered as unemployed, but any proper measure has not been taken." 
• "The housing price soared 11.5 percent last year than 2012 and 13.2 percent in January this year than 2013, leaving many people homeless." 
• "The number of impoverished people increased to 46.5 millions last year, and one sixth of the citizens and 20-odd percent of the children are in the grip of famine in New York City." 
• "All sorts of crimes rampant in the U.S. pose a serious threat to the people's rights to existence and their inviolable rights."
• "The U.S. government has monitored every movement of its citizens and foreigners, with many cameras and tapping devices and even drones involved, under the pretext of 'national security.'"
• "Meanwhile, bills on easing arms control were adopted in various states of the country, boosting murderous crimes. As a result, the U.S. has witnessed an increasing number of gun-related crimes in all parts of the country and even its military bases this year. In this regard, the United Nations on April 10 put the U.S. on the top of the world list of homicide rates."
• "The U.S. also has 2.2 millions of prisoners at present, the highest number in the world. For lack of prisons on the part of the government, individuals are providing detention facilities to make money." 
• "A Russian TV said that in the U.S. the wealthy classes are now keen on the investment in providing private prisons for their high profit and so more people will be imprisoned."
• "Its chief executive, Obama, indulges himself in luxury almost every day, squandering hundred millions of dollars on his foreign trip in disregard of his people's wretched life."

The North Koreans are not only mad at the United States, but also South Korea. They released another report saying that because they have been "deprived of everything thanks to America" the South has "the worst human rights situation in the world"

“Over 60% of university students cannot afford their school fees so must work [to make ends meet]," the newspaper said, according to a translation from Daily NK. "Some even have to subject their bodies to medical trials."

This is almost embarrassing for the DPRK because the rest of the world in not going to take these reports seriously.

How do you feel about living in such a dengerous place? Leave us a comment and let us know!

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/

Were we all previously wrong about the North

April 24, 2014 - North Korea is a bigger threat than anyone had ever expected. All of our intelligence turns out to be wrong. When Kim Jong Un inherited power most of the world laughed at him assuming he was not capable of leading a nation and developing a successful nuclear arsenal. The world was assuming that Mr. Kim's uncle Jang Song-Thaek was going to keep him in check.
Initially the idea was that North Korea would try to get it's economy going and increase the nuclear missile arsenal. We thought that Mr. Kim was going to follow the path laid out by his father and grandfather. however that was not the case as shown in recent missile testing showing that their nuclear program has in fact surged forward. Now they want to prove to the world that they have a Missile that can reach America's shores.

Evans J.R. Revere had this to say after trying an assortment of diplomacy option with the North: "“For two decades our policy has been to keep the North Koreans from developing nuclear weapons. It’s now clear there is no way they will give them up, no matter what sanctions we impose, no matter what we offer. So now what?”
That is the real question indeed: "So now what?" If North Korea doesn't care if they are being cut off from the rest of the world then how are you supposed to stop them from doing something highly irrational? Can you? One part of this article I'm unsure about is what the outcome would be if the DPRK had to be stopped by force. They have potentially inter-continental missiles, and if they were to launch them towards a more powerful nation with the ability to blow up the whole world it would end very badly for them. The United states also has many allies that would back us up if the DPRK were to attack. 

(Above) Intercontinental missile aboard a mobile transport in North Korea. The North Koreans use trucks like this to transport missiles like this in between tunnels that they use to keep them secret.

The other part of this article I'm unsure about is if all of the previous intel there was on North Korea is wrong then how can we be sure that this is true? With the amount of interactions they have with the rest of the world it is hard to keep tabs on what truly is going on over there. Mr. Kim could just be all talk and no walk. Maybe the world only needs to make sure they don't invade the rest of the Korean peninsula again, instead of fearing for their own shores.
“I’m now convinced North Korea would prefer to collapse with nuclear weapons than try to survive without nuclear weapons,” Said South Korea's former national security adviser, Chun Yung-Woo, as well as "...the strategy Washington is pursuing is based on the opposite assumption". Washington is presumably thinking that that the DPRK would not prefer to collapse with their arsenal, but instead unleashing all hell on the rest of the world right before their demise. If very strict sanctions are already placed on North Korea then what will stop them from launching their nukes?

If you have an idea on how to stop this madness please comment!

Horrors of Camp 14

In a documentary called camp 14, a man named Shin Dong-hyuk has escaped from the camp and lives to tell his story.  He was born in the camp, and had lived there until he was 23.  There are many horrible events that he had to witness that have shaped him into the anxious human being that he is today.  When he was ten years old, his mother and brother were planning to escape from the camp.  If anyone were to plan to escape or try to escape, you would be shot.  Even if you knew about someone planning on escaping and you didn't turn them in, you would be shot.  Because of this rule, Shin turned in his mother and brother to the camp leaders.  Within the next couple of days, Shin's mother and brother were taken out to a field and shot right before his eyes.  Although this was traumatizing for him, he did not feel bad because he did, "The right thing" by turning them in.  These were the rules of the camp and he felt like he did a good thing by following them.  Before his mother and brother were murdered, they did something to disobey the rules so Shin had to pay for it.  They took him into an underground torture center and used fire to torture him.  "They burned me as bad as I could be burnt without being killed" was said to describe the torture he endured.  After 23 brutal years of loneliness and a life of not knowing any other world but camp 14, Shin made an escape.  This chance came in January, 2005 when the sun was setting.  Shin and another man decided to make a run for it.  When the two of them reached the electric fence, the man in front of Shin threw himself in between two of the wires and was instantly fried.  His body allowed enough room for Shin to slither through and survive.  The death of Shin's friend allowed him to live.  He was a sacrifice.  After he escaped from the camp, he started heading North.  He described it as the most amazing thing ever.  People were laughing, talking, wearing what they wanted and saying what they wanted.  After heading North for a long enough period of time, he finally reached China where he was safe.  To me, this story was extremely moving.  The fact that he has built a new life for himself after going through camp 14 is enough on it's own.  If you want to check out the video on your own, go to this link!  I hope it is as inspirational to you as it was to me!!  http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/north-korean-prisoner-escaped-after-23-brutal-years/