.she is.
Though she is a material girl, she is also a plain jane. She may be a party animal. But all she wants, is to be loved and cared.
.past.
Though she is a material girl, she is also a plain jane. She may be a party animal. But all she wants, is to be loved and cared.
.shout.
N.Korea
Wednesday, 11 June 2008 3:17 pm
I was reading Straits Times online and I came across this report.
N. Korea lavishing money on construction amid food crisis: website
Choson Sinbo, a newspaper published for North Koreans in Japan, reported last week that a modern swimming pool was under construction at the Kim Il Sung University in the capital.
When I was in South Korea, I went for the DMZ (Demilitarised Zone) tour with the USO. Since I am on this already, I might as well talk about the tour.
DMZ is a strip of land across Korea that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. It cuts Korea roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel. It is the most heavily armed border in the world. In the center of DMZ, there is the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) that differentiates North and South. Since the armistice agreement was never followed by a peace treaty, the two Koreas are still technically at war.
Inside the DMZ, there is a place called Panmunjeom, home of the Joint Security Area (JSA). It is the only place where North and South connect. JSA is not a place where everyone can visit. For examples, South Koreans need to obtain approval. And people from certain countries are not allowed in (probably due to terrorism).
Picture of Panmunjeom. I have circled a North Korean soldier (circle in the middle), and the 3 soldiers in green are the ROK (Republic of Korea) soldiers from South Korea. The ROK soldier that I have circled is in a position such that he is half behind the blue house. This is so to make him a smaller target in case there is a fire shoot out.
The red arrow points to a concrete slab, which demarcates the MDL. We were allowed in the blue houses, which are in charged by the UN. There are 2 silver houses beside, which are by the North.
This trip was really an eye-opener. You get to hear a lot of things from the US soldiers, be it with regards to DMZ or their personal experiences. If you visit Korea and have the time, do go for tours that goes to JSA.
Okay, back to the point of the article. North Koreans are so poor, that they cannot afford a meal at restaurants. They have curfew hours, and their activities and the places they can go, are restricted, or should I say confined. They pay so much tax to their government, that they themselves are poor. They don't get to receive any form of media from the outside, because they are all blocked off. All they hear all day, is propaganda.
Think about this kind of life. How do they receive education? How are their ministers chosen? Can they ever get out of poverty? I cannot imagine if one day reunification comes, how the North Koreans are going to blend into the world.
Actually, this whole thing is very saddening. At the end of the day, I really felt a lot.
N. Korea lavishing money on construction amid food crisis: website
Choson Sinbo, a newspaper published for North Koreans in Japan, reported last week that a modern swimming pool was under construction at the Kim Il Sung University in the capital.
The 'top-notch' facility would include an Olympic-size pool, a water slide, spas, restaurants, massage parlours and various other facilities, it said.
The first thing that came to my mind was, who (the hell) is going to visit the spas and restaurants?!When I was in South Korea, I went for the DMZ (Demilitarised Zone) tour with the USO. Since I am on this already, I might as well talk about the tour.
DMZ is a strip of land across Korea that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. It cuts Korea roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel. It is the most heavily armed border in the world. In the center of DMZ, there is the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) that differentiates North and South. Since the armistice agreement was never followed by a peace treaty, the two Koreas are still technically at war.
Inside the DMZ, there is a place called Panmunjeom, home of the Joint Security Area (JSA). It is the only place where North and South connect. JSA is not a place where everyone can visit. For examples, South Koreans need to obtain approval. And people from certain countries are not allowed in (probably due to terrorism).
Picture of Panmunjeom. I have circled a North Korean soldier (circle in the middle), and the 3 soldiers in green are the ROK (Republic of Korea) soldiers from South Korea. The ROK soldier that I have circled is in a position such that he is half behind the blue house. This is so to make him a smaller target in case there is a fire shoot out.The red arrow points to a concrete slab, which demarcates the MDL. We were allowed in the blue houses, which are in charged by the UN. There are 2 silver houses beside, which are by the North.
This trip was really an eye-opener. You get to hear a lot of things from the US soldiers, be it with regards to DMZ or their personal experiences. If you visit Korea and have the time, do go for tours that goes to JSA.
Okay, back to the point of the article. North Koreans are so poor, that they cannot afford a meal at restaurants. They have curfew hours, and their activities and the places they can go, are restricted, or should I say confined. They pay so much tax to their government, that they themselves are poor. They don't get to receive any form of media from the outside, because they are all blocked off. All they hear all day, is propaganda.
Think about this kind of life. How do they receive education? How are their ministers chosen? Can they ever get out of poverty? I cannot imagine if one day reunification comes, how the North Koreans are going to blend into the world.
Actually, this whole thing is very saddening. At the end of the day, I really felt a lot.