Inside North Korea: Forbidden photos taken inside Kim Jong-un's secretive state

The cityscapes always look very surreal to me.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Everything looks very surreal in North Korea.
Why use cars when there is bicycles:)


But the cityscapes are quite common like North Korea in many countries here in Europe as well.
Stockholm view and former Minister of Finances Anders Borg.

Again :-(

North Korea launches ballistic missile

(CNN)North Korea launched a ballistic missile off the east coast of the Korean peninsula, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday.

The South Korean military said it was closely tracking and monitoring the situation and maintaining a readiness posture for any North Korean provocation.

The launch was confirmed by U.S. officials.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/17/asia/north-korea-missile-launch/index.html

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He is the third generation of leaders in the world's most closed countries. North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un is treated like a god back home. But the outside world sees him as a dangerous demon - moreover with nuclear weapons. In this film we meet a few who really know him, so who is he really?
"The Unauthorized Biography" 53 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SreCKKklTgQ

Come to think about it.
The US and North Korea are still technically in war against each other since 27 juli 1953 when the armistice took place.

The US and North Korea are still technically in war against each other since 27 juli 1953 when the armistice took place.

Correction the UN and DPRK ....

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The US and North Korea are still technically in war against each other since 27 juli 1953 when the armistice took place.

Correction the UN and DPRK ....

I stand corrected. The conflict ended some years before I was born.
Anyway. The borderline has become like a tourist attraction.
Mostly south koreans looking north with binoculares.
On the other side not so many. Only militarys and Kim Jong-Un looking south.

American student was sentenced to 15 years in prison for crimes against the state. What I want to know is why would any American go to N. Korea in the first place?

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

American student was sentenced to 15 years in prison for crimes against the state. What I want to know is why would any American go to N. Korea in the first place?

In my case, morbid curiosity.

I heard that student was trying to collect souvenirs, which was pretty dumb.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

American student was sentenced to 15 years in prison for crimes against the state. What I want to know is why would any American go to N. Korea in the first place?

In my case, morbid curiosity.

I heard that student was trying to collect souvenirs, which was pretty dumb.

There are two reasonable sides to this. As you say, it's pretty dumb.
On the other, it's a pretty harsh response. Over-punishment. Yeah, probably some punishment could be expected, but 15 years hard labor.
North Korea ... it ain't the communism, it's the totalitarianism that's the problem.
Slightly off-topic: heard anything about Turkey's leader, lately? Dude looks to be going to the totalitarian route lately. Going so far as to tell government's of other countries what to censor.

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

American student was sentenced to 15 years in prison for crimes against the state. What I want to know is why would any American go to N. Korea in the first place?

In my case, morbid curiosity.

I heard that student was trying to collect souvenirs, which was pretty dumb.

There are two reasonable sides to this. As you say, it's pretty dumb.
On the other, it's a pretty harsh response. Over-punishment. Yeah, probably some punishment could be expected, but 15 years hard labor.
North Korea ... it ain't the communism, it's the totalitarianism that's the problem.

In that country he should be happy he wasn't fed to the dogs. (Considering Kim's famine speech, Solyent Green) Speaking of over-punishment, how about the case in California where the theft of a single slice of pizza received a life sentence?

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a pretty harsh response

Well, I guess part of it is they want/expect some intervention and bargaining.

If I ever find myself over there, I'll try to be good as I don't expect Pres. Trump to be so kind to my bucket list. ;~)

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/kim-jong-uns-pleasure-squad-7856039

Kim Jong-un's secret "Pleasure Squad" includes schoolgirls as young as 13, it has been claimed.

The girls are allegedly picked at random by soldiers - sometimes from their own school - and forced to serve a small military circle of North Korea's elite.

They are part of what is known as the leader’s Gippeumjo, or Pleasure Squad.

Their medical histories are closely examined, and routine checkups are performed to ensure their virginity is intact.

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Update:

North Korea’s Latest Missile Test Shows Signs of Progress, Analysts Say

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile into high altitude on Wednesday morning, demonstrating that the country was making progress after five consecutive failures in just over two months, analysts said.

The projectile, a Musudan missile, took off from Wonsan, a port city east of Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, and flew about 250 miles over the sea between North Korea and Japan, South Korea’s Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/23/world/asia/north-korea-missile-test.html

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Guy welcome back

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Hm that happens on a Wednesday afternoon after spending an hour in the dentists chair. The only cure is to waddle down to the local pub and prepare for Thor's day.

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http://tass.ru/en/world/892138

North Korean missile plunges in Japan’s exclusive economic zone

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http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/japan-china-south-korea-unite-in-condemning-north-korea-missile

TOKYO — The foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea made a rare display of unity Wednesday to sharply criticize North Korea's latest submarine missile test.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, who chaired the meeting with China's Wang Yi and South Korea's Yun Byung-se, said the missile launch is a "provocation that simply cannot be tolerated."

Kishida said the ministers reaffirmed their effort in prompting North Korea to use restraint. "I hope to coordinate closely in order for Japan, China and South Korea to lead the efforts of the international community," he said.

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3 more ...
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_KOREAS_TENSIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-09-05-00-21-22

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea fired three ballistic missiles off its east coast Monday, South Korea's military said, in a show of force timed to the G-20 economic summit in China.

North Korea regularly engages in missile and rocket tests, especially when international attention is turned to Northeast Asia. World leaders are gathering for the G-20 summit of advanced and emerging economies in the city of Hangzhou in eastern China. Beijing is the North's only major ally, but ties between the neighbors have frayed amid a string of nuclear and missile tests and what many outsiders see as other provocations in recent years.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the three missiles, launched from the western North Korean town of Hwangju, flew across the country before splashing in the waters off its east coast, but officials did not describe the range of the missiles.

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Not good if correct.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/09/06/Japans-command-to-destroy-North-Korea-missiles-failed-reports-say/6071473173848/?spt=hts&or=3

Japan's command to destroy North Korea missiles failed, reports say

Pyongyang’s launch of three ballistic missiles went undetected, according to local press.

TOKYO, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- A Japanese command to "destroy" incoming North Korea missiles on Monday repeatedly failed, according to local press.

Tokyo's self-defense forces were unable to recognize North Korea preparations for Monday's missile test because Pyongyang used a road mobile launcher, also known as a transporter erector launcher, Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai reported Tuesday.

On Aug. 3,the SDF was also unable to identify a ballistic missile North Korea launched into Japan's territorial waters. Tokyo subsequently issued a new order to destroy all incoming projectiles entering Japanese airspace.

Japan's "destroy command" would lead to a sequence of events, including the deployment of SM3 interceptor missiles and Patriot missiles. The PAC system would be deployed near the site of Tokyo's defense agency, according to the report.

On Monday, the defense ministry could not detect the three ballistic missiles North Korea fired until they landed west of Hokkaido in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

Tokyo also could not immediately confirm the results of the launch even after Seoul's joint chiefs notified the public of the tests.

Japan press also reported the missiles have increased in strike accuracy. Each of the three missiles launched Monday traveled about 620 miles before falling into Japanese waters, according to the Nihon Keizai.

The defense ministry estimates the missiles fell between 125 and 155 miles from Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.

Pyongyang launched the missiles to test out the missile defense systems of Japan, the United States and South Korea, local newspaper Sankei Shimbun stated Tuesday, and the Mainichi Shimbun stated North Korea launched multiple projectiles to make interception more difficult.

On Tuesday, North Korea state media focused heavily on the Monday launches. Pyongyang's Rodong Sinmun stated all three missiles flew more than 600 miles, and KCNA reported the tests "this time" confirmed the "accuracy" and "flight safety" of the rockets.

All three missiles are the midrange Rodong missiles, North Korea stated.

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