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As Korean scholars like to say, "everyone likes to talk about North Korea, because you can say anything about it." Indeed, news such as the fact that Kim Jong-un personally burned one of the ministers with a flamethrower or that he announced the successful landing of his astronauts on the Sun cannot be confirmed by anything.

We are in website Let's try to reveal the life of completely ordinary people in North Korea by comparing it with South Korea. This is how the life of people who were still one nation 72 years ago has changed.

Pyongyang vs. Seoul

If we consider the capitals from a bird's eye view, then both cities will give the impression of large-scale megacities. High-rise buildings in Pyongyang are almost indistinguishable from the residential areas of Seoul or Busan.

General panorama

The panorama of the main river that separates the two cities is also very similar. By the way, bridges for Seoul, unlike Pyongyang, are a tragic thing, since it is on them that a large number of suicides are committed. The fact is that people cannot cope with the high competition of the southern society, where there is no concept of a measured life, but there are only two goals: self-realization and success.

Central regions

This is what the business districts of the capitals look like.

Sleeping areas

And these are residential areas of the capitals. Remarkably, the northerners do not pay taxes for housing and communal services, and they receive apartments for free after marriage registration. While a small apartment in the south costs about $180,000 on average.

Fashion

As far as fashion is concerned, reports that women's trousers are banned in the north and there is a set of permitted haircuts are not true. Fashionable clothes by local standards can be found in overseas stores (this is for rich Koreans) and from Chinese shuttle traders (for the rest). But, of course, with South Korea, which is considered one of the most stylish countries in the world, they have a 50-year difference in fashion.

Education

Education in the DPRK is one preparatory year and 10 compulsory years of study. Then geniuses and representatives of golden youth go to universities, and the rest go to work. By the way, Western literature and geography are taught at school. True, mainly African countries are demonstrated as the Western standard of living. For comparison, in South Korea, students study for 12 years; South Korean universities are among the most prestigious in the world. , and scholarship holders of all world grants dream of an internship here.

Work

This is how Koreans spend their breaks at work. As you can see, habits haven't changed that much in 70 years. By the way, about work: the average salary in the DPRK is about $ 3, food is issued on coupons. The average salary in the south is exactly 1,000 times higher.

culture

Such a unique South Korean phenomenon as K-pop, of course, shocks the refugees from the north. In general, in South Korea, all refugees from the DPRK are entitled to 3-month courses on adapting to life in the modern world. How they manage to infiltrate society, read the BBC investigation.

Food

There is a myth that there are only 3 metro stations in Pyongyang, between which only foreigners are transported. Not true! The Pyongyang subway is even a year older than the Seoul one, and all residents use it.

Buying a car in North Korea is absolutely impossible. A car can only be issued for official success or for official needs. Therefore, everyone uses public transport or electric bicycles.

Technique

NASA astronomers have presented their own view of our planet: thanks to a satellite that was recently launched, they were able to show with unprecedented clarity how the Earth looks at night. The NASA website noted that the ultra-sensitive equipment, in addition to the "glow" of cities, captured the torches of oil and gas fields and the lights of ships at night.

(8 last photos Lights of the night land, view from space 2012)

A satellite called "Suomi NPP", which has a super sensitive radiometer "VIIRS" was launched last year. He circled our planet as many as 312 times in order to take pictures of all the islands and every section of the continents.

"Reuters" clarifies that the pictures that were taken in October and April of this year in cloudless weather were compared with frames forty years ago; famous photographs of the planet, taken by "Apollo 17" and called "blue marble". The current nighttime photographs of the planet have been dubbed "black marble".

United States of America at night, view from space, October 2012. (Clickable, 3000 × 2000 px):

The Earth has been photographed from satellites for forty years, and not only for the purpose of weather forecasting. Nevertheless, "Suomi NPP" was the first device designed to take photographs at night.

Asia and Australia at night

Steve Miller, an employee who directly works with the Suomi NPP satellite, noted that "the Earth must be observed not only in the daytime, but also at night." Miller also noted that "Our planet, unlike us, never sleeps."

Africa, Europe and the Middle East at night, view from space, October 2012. (Clickable, 4000 × 4000 px):

NASA noted that the "glow" of the lights of the night Earth is extremely uneven: "In some places the city glows like a huge cluster of galaxies, in others it is something that resembles a lone star in the night sky."

Nile river in Africa at night, view from space:

The illuminated navigable rivers are amazingly beautiful, for example, the Nile stands out most strongly against the general background. In addition, at night from space it is clear that humanity is still limited by the landscapes of nature. "Black marble" made it possible to discern some of the political problems of the world. As the authors explain, South and North Korea contrast quite sharply in the frames, and in the Middle East, clusters of oil and gas development torches can be clearly seen.

Korea and the Yellow Sea at night, view from space:

"Suomi NPP" has already been tested in meteorology: the apparatus gave scientists the opportunity to see from space Hurricane Sandy, which hit the east coast of the United States on October 29. In addition, the satellite captured the impact of the elements; in the early days of the hurricane, millions of people lost electricity, night lights became significantly smaller.

Lights of the night land, view from space on the world at night. (Clickable, 4000×2000 px).

29-04-2017

It turned out (quite unexpectedly for many) that today the biggest threat to Western civilization is not Iran, not China, not Russia, and certainly not ISIS. And a small state in terms of territory and population (24 million inhabitants) is North Korea. A country that can hardly feed itself, and sometimes - as was the case in the mid-1990s - cannot at all. Then at least 200 thousand people died of starvation. And many more would have died out if it were not for the humanitarian food aid from the West.

This country was created after WW2 by Stalin according to the exact patterns of the mini USSR, for which Red Army captain Kim Il Sung (this is actually a pseudonym) was thrown there. And at one time, at the beginning of the war, they were taken out (in the officialdom it is said that he himself crossed the border in Manchuria) to the Soviet Far East as an activist in the propaganda war with Japan. A little polished and brought back. Thus arose the great leader of the Korean people.

North Korea (hereinafter I will simply call it S. Korea) is considered the preserve of Stalinism, like a time machine with which we can return to 1952.

I would call it coprolite (these are fossil excrements of extinct dinosaurs). There were no such degenerate parodic forms of totalitarianism as S.Korea in the USSR even in the worst of times.

The expressive puffy face of North Korea is its new leader, Kim Jong-un, born in 1982.

Here you need to make an amendment: after all, Korea is changing in some way. One way or another, the West is penetrating into it, and in the last couple of years it no longer seems as closed and crazy as it was all previous decades. For example, since 2014, foreigners can no longer hand over their phones when entering the country. It even has its own cell phone service. You can buy a computer (however, ordinary people do not have access to the Internet). I will give a selection of information about this "Internet".

The Korean "people's Internet" is more like an internal corporate (intranet), rather than a global network, as in the rest of the world.

This domestic operating system is called Gwangmyeong (Clear Light) and is operated by the only ISP in the country. It is controlled and can be turned off at any time. It works with an adapted version of the browser called "Naenara", the same name as the official portal of North Korea, which also has an English version.

Common sites on the North Korean Internet are news portals such as the Voice of Korea and the official government portal, Rodong Sinmun.

But everyone who creates content for this "network" must be extremely careful. The organization Reporters Without Borders, which monitors the situation with the freedom of the press in the world, notes that some North Korean journalists could end up in "revolutionary" camps for a simple typo.

However, some North Koreans have unlimited Internet access. It is assumed that they are possessed by members of only a few families directly related to Kim Jong-un himself.

Now the closed Korean system is used by about several hundred thousand people, and more than 5,000 sites in Korean, Japanese and English operate on its open spaces. The network is filled with propaganda materials, as well as ideologically neutral information (scientific, educational texts, university websites, etc.).

The most important function of the Red Star is simple: every time the name of Kim Jong-un is mentioned, the font size of his name increases. local users are sure that the Internet itself pays high respect to the leader.

It is impossible to get into the Gwangmyeong network from another country. Here is such an achievement of Korean programmers: from the internal system it is impossible to get into the global network, and from the global one it is impossible to see what is happening inside the Korean one. It looks like a concentration camp: you can’t run away from there, and you can’t find out from the outside what kind of order is there.

Access to the global Internet, however, is available. However, it exists only where it is vital for industry or science (say, in research institutes). And every counter-transverse one will not be able to enter and sit down at a computer with the Internet. According to stingy descriptions, employees with Internet access are repeatedly checked by state security and receive permission from it, and a room with a computer connected to the Web is also guarded accordingly - you won’t get through without showing permission. Where the employee goes on the Internet, of course, will also be checked. And the list of institutions that are allowed to connect to the Internet is personally approved by the Great Leader Kim Jong-un - one must understand "so that the infection does not spread."

The only place where the Internet and the intranet “connect” is a certain institution, the translation of the name of which sounds like “Computer Information Center”. There, specialists in buttonholes and epaulettes, who know languages, carefully read the network space in order to find the sites necessary for Juche science and industry. A resource found (usually upon request) that satisfies the conditions is carefully checked for "ideological sabotage" - everything that does not correspond to ideology is removed. Only after that, the site or information from it is “uploaded” to the internal network for all-Korean access.

Naturally, priority is given to technical and natural-science information - humanitarian and even more so political information, based on ideological requirements, has practically no chance. According to the well-known Korean scholar A. Lankov, even the Soviet Pravda was sent to the DPRK for special storage - so what can we say about Western sites!

What's new in S.Korea yet? Personal cars have appeared, which are issued to some institution. Moreover, they began to issue passports for trips abroad - mainly to China. Here, too, there is a benefit for the authorities: people go there to feed themselves and earn 50-100 dollars a month - a lot of money for Korea. All some kind of unloading-savings for their products.

Previously, they fled from S. Korea as best they could. More than 200,000 fled. Not for freedom, not for human rights and not for information. What is freedom and human rights, a simple Korean does not know and does not represent. Therefore, he cannot want to. But the fact that he is constantly hungry, he feels it. The feeling of hunger has not yet been compensated by singing hymns and bowing in front of the statues of leaders. A simple Korean has heard that "there" is a lot of food. You can get drunk there. And so - every day. This is heaven and happiness. But how to get food "there" he has no idea. Since childhood, the brain of a Korean has been crammed with ideological clichés and clichés, the logic is disabled, the fugitives, for the most part, can hardly adapt to an environment saturated with technology and all sorts of machines. Few people can even master the profession of an auto mechanic. The brain must develop from the very beginning of birth. Amala and Kamala, two girls in India who were brought up by wolves in infancy, then (when they were found) could no longer master speech and remained cubs.

But let's continue. Despite some kind of improvement, all other achievements of Soviet socialism remain in force. Namely: the Juche doctrine, included under the 1972 constitution as a mandatory ideology for study and worship. Juche has two characters: master, body - nature. That is, a person controls himself and all nature around. More often they convey the meaning as "reliance on one's own strengths." It can also be referred to as "originality" or the Ukrainian word "independence".

The concept of "Juche" also stems from the idea of ​​building socialism in a single country. And from a person who passes as a host. Everything follows from this: the originality of its system, paving the way for the whole world in the construction of Jucheism (aka Kimirsenism-Kimirchenism), the priority of any discoveries and accomplishments. Juche is an extreme version of autarky and isolationism.

Up to the point that C. Korea is now declared the beginning of civilization (the Sumerians and Egypt are in second place). And even the very first man arose in C. Korea - some cave was recently opened there, and in it - the first man, Korean Adam. The chronology is based on the year of Kim Il Sung's birth, so now it is 106 AD (2017 is still indicated in brackets). But these brackets are temporary. Then they'll cancel. As they have already canceled any mention of the fact that there was once Marxism-Leninism in Korea. And the very word communism has been abolished. The portraits of Marx-Lenin on the main square of Pyongyang were taken in 2012. Now everything is original, autochthonous. Yes, before you had to go to C. Korea to come to 1952.

No, there is something. monumental sculpture. Luxurious metro station. military parades. Unconditional love for the leader. Threats against the US and its allies in the region (South Korea and Japan) - "bury". Mausoleum. Loyalty and devotion to the cause of the party. It even greatly overwhelms everything that was under Stalin. For example, in April 2017, all people in Korea, at the call of the party, with sobs said goodbye to each other, showing that they were ready to die "all as one", but not to yield to America in anything.

Yes, complete, some kind of transcendental zombification of people. Considering that Koreans have the highest IQ among Asians, and Asians even have a slightly higher IQ than Europeans, it must be admitted that the system of fooling and creating biorobots in C.Korea is almost perfect. This is especially noticeable at the funerals of leaders and in their mausoleum. Grief is supposed to be expressed loudly, grief is unfeigned, screaming desperately. Tears should flow like a river. It is good to beat yourself on the head, with a fist in the chest, with a heel on the ground. Scratching your face with your nails is very welcome. This was not even close at Stalin's funeral. Something similar was only in ancient Egypt during the burial of the pharaoh.

How to achieve such genuineness and sincerity of feelings? There are few zombies here. Everyone knows that one can easily end up in a camp for not showing enough grief. They don’t write anything about the camps, but for some reason everyone knows that it’s scary. And fair. In relation to enemies, to those who want to flee the country. But not for the mourner. Therefore, he is truly grieving. Completely according to Orwell: the brain, saving itself from the horror of destruction, creates a real model of terrible grief. Yes, at this moment, the screaming mourner sincerely believes in the irreparability of the loss. His mental pain is unbearable. He beats in convulsions and convulsions. Emotions of the highest order. The pain is overwhelming. I even want to shoot out of pity. These scenes that would not have been given to any Stanislavsky, we will see here:

In the mausoleum of the leaders there is a special hall for sobs. The same scenes are there. It is curious that the joy at the speech of the leader and at his greetings is also expressed by weeping and sobs. But those are tears of happiness. How to distinguish the cries of grief from the sobs of joy is not known. From the outside it's exactly the same. The Koreans themselves are somehow different.

Today there is no country more warlike than South Korea. It's kind of like a military camp. For 24 million people 1 million 200 thousand army. And another 7 million reserve. The fourth largest army in the world. Since 2006 - five tests of nuclear weapons. Medium range missiles. 100 submarines. About 600 aircraft. About 4000 thousand tanks. Wikipedia gives slightly different figures: According to Wikipedia, the DPRK has 70 submarines, 940 aircraft and 5,500 tanks. The gaps in the numbers are understandable: these are expert estimates, the numbers themselves are a military secret.

Kim Jong-un announced that he had broken all non-aggression agreements concluded with South Korea, and also annulled the treaty on the denuclearization of the peninsula.

Since 2013, Kim Jong-un, against the backdrop of a map of the United States with cities marked in red circles, has ominously warned that a nuclear strike will be launched against these cities very soon. On the same day, through the official channels of the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, countries that had consulates in these cities received an order to urgently evacuate their employees, because these cities would be destroyed. The fact that every day Korean TV broadcasts threatening programs about the atomic strike on the United States, that all newspapers are filled with deadly cries, that even children's choirs sing about the destruction of "fat America" ​​- this has long been the norm. But here is something unheard of - the official notification of the atomic bombing!

The government-run newspaper, Mingju Joseon, states: "The Korean People's Army will deal merciless blows against their opponents at the slightest provocation on their part. These blows will have such destructive power that "the US armies and their puppets will be destroyed to the last man, and no one be able to sign an act of unconditional surrender."

Washington did not comment on these harsh statements by Pyongyang.

Australia received a similar threat the next day.

Here is the answer to the standard question: why is it possible for America, Russia, China, England, France, even India, Pakistan and Israel to have nuclear weapons, but not Korea? Is this not double standards, not discrimination? No, not discrimination. And here's why: all these countries have responsible and sane governments. To a different extent - but they have. None of them under any circumstances threatened a planned atomic strike. Even in the most critical periods of history, such as during the Caribbean crisis of 1962. No country after the moratorium conducts tests of atomic weapons. Except C. Korea. And this is contrary to the unanimous ban of the UN Security Council. Korea looks like an inveterate bandit. like a complete scumbag and a mess. Of course, in these escapades of a plump and rotten 35-year-old Korean leader, there is a lot of bluff, even more blackmail. By this blackmail, the Kimi-like leaders sought food supplies and the relaxation of various sanctions. And yet ... With frenzied cries, Kim can turn himself on so that suddenly, in a fit of madness, he will give the order to launch a ballistic missile. Of course, after that, North Korea will cease to exist. But after all, "brotherly", half-blooded South Korea will get it. And along with it, both China and Russia, which border on the DPRK.

And besides nuclear weapons, what does Kim do? Along the border with South Korea, on a front of 4 kilometers, Kim concentrated 21,000 artillery pieces. There are long-range 176 mm howitzers, and various guns, and rocket launchers. The trunks stand every meter apart in five or six rows. One volley is tens of thousands of charges. Within one hour, barrel artillery alone can fire up to 500,000 shells. And all this is aimed at Seoul, located 40 kilometers from the border. There has never been such a density of fire in the history of wars. That is, one volley - and the city is gone. This is a real gun put to the temple of Seoul, taken hostage.

Kim Jong-un gives instructions on the spotIto prepare a strike on Seoul, at the top - exercises in honor of the 85th anniversary of the army, a strike on Seoul is being practiced

So, isn't it clear why the Security Council does not allow S. Korea to have nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles? Here is a close analogy. Respectable citizens who do not have arrests and are mentally healthy are allowed to have weapons. Now suppose that in one house there is a tenant who yells every day that he will cut everyone, shoot them, set them on fire, blow them up. That he was about to acquire a powerful bomb and then he would certainly kill everyone. Can such a weapon be trusted? Or should he be disarmed and sent for compulsory treatment himself?

Apparently, it is no coincidence that recently, on April 13, 2017, the United States tested MOAB ("Mother of all bombs") in Afghanistan to eliminate the tunnels of ISIS terrorists. Its radius of destruction is about 150 meters, partial destruction occurs at a distance of up to 1.5 km from the epicenter, so that with several bombs it is possible to preventively eliminate the entire artillery group against Seoul, and then immediately destroy the nuclear center and missile launchers with the same bombs. Russia reportedly has a much more powerful bomb of this type.

By the way, we know that China is quite dissatisfied with its protégé. Eun's crazy ambitions can cause a military conflict that is completely undesirable for China. China, according to its concept of the Middle Empire, is in no hurry. All the surrounding barbarians will eventually come to China to pay their respects. And then this bully from the gateway intervenes. Beijing has repeatedly advised Eun to adopt the Chinese model of politics. Leave power in the hands of the party, but give free rein to small and medium-sized businesses within the framework of the "socialist market". And don't get bullied. Moderate warlike fervor and stop nuclear tests. Where there! We have a great Juche, we do not need advisers. Beijing was offended by such ingratitude of his pupil - after all, he is the main supplier of food and technology to South Korea. Therefore, China began to support the UN Security Council resolutions against South Korea. And recently he didn’t even accept a shipment of coal from North Korea, and this is their only form of payment for food and military equipment.

The most peaceful speeches of Korean zombies sound like this: “All sorts of realities clearly show what the rage of the United States is. The United States and its satellites commit vile atrocities, including UN sanctions to eliminate our nuclear weapons. But such actions only expose the immoral nature of the sanctions and only strengthen our determination to wipe out with a powerful atomic strike nothing can stop our energetic progress towards accelerating the construction of a mighty socialist power with an invincible nuclear sword and a high banner of the spirit of "make yourself strong yourself. The American imperialists and South Korean puppets, having mobilized all nuclear strategic means, including more than 300 thousands of aggressive armed forces, the strike formation of the nuclear aircraft carrier "Carl Vinson" and the nuclear strategic bomber "B - 1B", are furiously conducting aggressive joint military exercises. the existence of a harsh environment that does not know when a war will break out, and the comprehensive strengthening of powerful deterrence forces that make it possible to ruthlessly destroy the aggressors. If the United States and the South Korean puppets throw even one spark into the territorial limits that exercise the sovereignty of our Republic, then our army, with the invincible Hwaseong weapon equipped with a nuclear warhead, will completely reduce the main bases of aggression and provocation to ashes." juche-songun.livejournal.com(The style and grammar of the source is fully preserved).

An enraged Trump, at a meeting with representatives of the UN Security Council, said that he would like to "finally solve the problem of North Korea." "North Korea is a big problem for the whole world. And this problem we must finally solve. The current status quo in North Korea is unacceptable, and the Security Council should impose additional, stronger sanctions to counteract the Korean nuclear program and the program to manufacture ballistic missiles".

By convening a senatorial briefing on April 26 against the backdrop of sending a military flotilla to the region, Washington sent a clear signal to Pyongyang that it was seriously considering a military solution to the problem.

Experts talk about three possible scenarios for relations with North Korea.

1. Peace option. In the event that North Korea tests nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, the UN Security Council adopts new, strict sanctions. It can be assumed that Sookin Eun will back down and even shut down his nuclear programs. This is hoped for by the fact that the approach of the Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group to the coast of Korea led to the fact that Eun canceled the nuclear explosions planned for the second half, instead conducting artillery firing exercises, as it were, in Seoul. But still launched a couple of medium-range shooters with a complete fiasco immediately after launch (the missiles exploded on their own territory immediately after launch). The fate of the rocket men was sad, they say, they are either shot or re-educated in camps.

On April 27, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, speaking at the UN Security Council, said this about this scenario: the United States is ready for a diplomatic solution to eliminate the nuclear threat from North Korea . He called on the UN Security Council member countries to diplomatically isolate the DPRK (up to breaking off diplomatic relations) in order to force the country to abandon its nuclear program and the development of new ballistic missiles.

"I call for action before North Korea does," the Secretary of State continued. "Now, inaction in the face of the world's greatest security threat could be disastrous."

The US pressure campaign against North Korea, Tillerson continued, will take the form of targeted sanctions against the country's citizens and possibly foreign companies associated with them, and if necessary, Washington will use military force.

We are talking about "military force" in scenario 2.

1. Suppose Kim Jong-un, defying sanctions and warnings, as well as China's insistent demands, nevertheless conducts a nuclear test. In response, the United States launched a strike against North Korean military installations. Pyongyang responds by shelling targets in South Korea, including Seoul, as well as hitting US military bases. It is possible that Japan will also be hit. The US will retaliate. At what stage such a duel will end (that is, whether it will come to the use of atomic weapons) is not exactly known.
2. Suppose Kim Jong-un uses nuclear weapons. Hardly with the help of a rocket or an airplane (his atomic weapons are still too heavy), most likely with the help of delivery by ship. The result is a colossal loss of life. In this case, the Unn regime comes to a guaranteed end, "and one can only pray about the fate of the entire Korean peninsula."

The probability of the first scenario is close to 90%, the second is about 10%, and the nightmare third is only 0.1%.

So far, the first, mildest scenario is being implemented.

This concludes the introduction. The rest of the explanations will be under the photo about the phenomenon of S. Korea, given below.

So, let's sit in a time machine and go to the USSR in 1952.

Korea militaristic

Intercontinental missiles C. Korea KN-14, range up to 10 thousand km.
Presumably, S. Korea has from 12 to 15 nuclear charges and various launch vehicles for them. Although some sources claim up to 70 charges.

http://so-l.ru/news/show/armiya_kndr_i_nemnogo_istorii

The level of military equipment.

New tanks, 900 pieces - Soviet T-62 and its Chinese-Korean modifications ("Chonma-ho 5" - "heavenly horse"). The rest of the 4 thousand - earlier releases up to T-34. Aircraft - only Soviet from MIG 17 up to MIG-23 and 20 pieces of Russian MIG-29, transporter-IL-76. Submarines - small, Soviet diesel-electric 50s Foxtrot Submarine B-39 and Golf-2 (according to NATO classification), artillery - Chinese howitzers, missiles - Chinese and their own.

Compulsory military service operates in S. Korea, citizens are subject to conscription upon reaching 17 years of age. Service life - 10 years. The mobilization reserve is 4.7 million people, the mobilization resources are 6.2 million people, including 3.7 million people fit for military service. The Navy is armed with about 650 ships, most of which (Coast Guard boats) are engaged in catching fugitives.

17 factories for the production of firearms and artillery, 35 factories for the production of ammunition, 5 factories for the production of tanks and armored vehicles, 8 aircraft factories, 5 factories for the production of military ships, 5 factories for the production of guided missiles, 5 factories for the production of means communications, 8 factories of chemical and biological weapons. In addition, many civilian factories can be converted to military production at minimal cost. Over 180 defense enterprises have been built underground in mountainous regions.

With such a commander in chief, the army is invincible

And with such generals

It's better to give up immediately, without a fight

The main strike force is armed with Mosin's 1930 three-rulers. But what brutal faces!

But there is also such special forces, equipped with the latest technology Face-muzzles are painted black to intimidate the enemy.

Hari (no other word for it) female soldiers. It looks like a special breed has been bred.

korean dream

PARADE NORTH KOREA 15.04.2017 / 105th anniversary of Kim Il Sung.

Pyongyang front

Photo sources are varied. Some of the blogs of Themes Lebedev and Sergey Doli, who were in Korea and secretly photographed there, but more - from American and Korean sources.

The most striking feature of the capital is a monstrous number of sculptures. Figures with rifles, machine guns, grenades, machine guns, pipes, stones... Where there was not enough stone, there is plaster. But there is also bronze - this is for the leaders.

Most important monument: Pyongyang Juche Monument

At night, the peak burns with a bright flame, very effectively against the backdrop of a de-energized city.

Mausoleum of two leaders - Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il

Leaders - Budyonny Cavalrymen

Hotel "Ryugen" (the old name of Pyongyang) 105 floors. It has been under construction for 30 years (started in 1987) and still will not be completed.

It's empty inside. Nobody lives.

Saveiris's Egyptian firm, Orascom, installed glass panels on the 105-story Ryugen Hotel, covered all this disgrace from protruding fittings with glass. There is still nothing inside, but from the outside the building looks much more decent now. The firm, as is customary in Korea, was not paid anything. As well as for telephonization of C. Korea.

This was the case. There are two exchange rates in S. Korea - the official rate recognized by the state, but in practice little used, which is 130 won per dollar, and the market rate, at which about 7-8 thousand won are given per dollar (i.e. the difference is more than 50- multiple).

It is clear that Orascom demanded to change money at the official rate that was used in the calculations before, but the North Korean side said that it would only apply the market rate, which officially does not exist. If you accept the terms of Orascom, then Saveiris's company is due about half a billion dollars, and if you accept the terms of the North Korean side, then only $10 million.

Nobody lives in these houses, as well as in the Rügen Hotel. Nothing inside, empty boxes. There is not enough electricity, so it's all propaganda decorations. In the evenings, the dispatcher turns on the lights in different windows for the illusion of life. There is only enough energy to light up the Juche Monument and fireworks.

This is what North Korea looks like from space at night

Both Koreas are outlined in red. Top - China, bottom - South Korea. The glowing dot in S.Korea is Pyongyang. The point is given by the illumination of monuments to leaders and other ideological objects. A few more weak points are metallurgical and military plants with a continuous cycle of work.

This could have been limited in the story about S. Korea, but so far few people fly into space to see for themselves, so we will continue our journey on earth.

More scenery

Night Pyongyang. Everything is in the dark except for the symbols
To live in the capital of the DPRK, you must have a special permit for this and a special badge that is issued to official residents of the capital.

Synchronized movements of the leader and the people

The leader gives instructions on how and what to build. Everyone is holding notepads to record valuable directions. There are many soldiers among the escorts. Valuable instructions of the leader look like this: You need to build quickly, efficiently, inexpensively. "Inexpensive" is ensured by the fact that military construction battalions are generally the main builders in the country.

Festivities. Everyone moves in sync.

An indestructible union of workers (hammer), peasants (sickle) and the people's intelligentsia (a phallic symbol depicts an artist's brush). These tools are the coat of arms of C. Korea. Although it would be more accurate to make a rifle, a bowl of rice and a concentration camp watchtower the coat of arms.

And again the Monument of the Workers' Party of Korea. The dominant of the sculptural composition is the sickle, hammer and brush. The brush in S. Korea symbolizes the intelligentsia.

Sports as preparation for military service

Houses of the elite, you just can't go there. BMost of this area is fenced off with a metal fence, the passages in which are guarded by sentries.

The street is the runway. For crossing the carriageway in the wrong place on this street fined. In Pyongyang, the widest streets with concrete pavement for 8 lanes were built a long time ago, while there was actually one car passing there per hour. What for? And these are landing strips for airplanes. Reserve.

Arch of the Reunification of both Koreas. Entry to Pyongyang. There is no free movement of cars and people in S. Korea - each person is tied to his city. To go to another place, you need to arrange something like a business trip. Therefore, there are checkpoints on all roads.

Peaceful car ride in Pyongyang. Trucks made in China, made according to Soviet models, which, in turn, are made according to American ones.

Traffic controller for 10 cars per hour. The most prestigious profession for a girl. At this exhibition of her achievements, there is a chance to marry a military man passing by. This will somehow ensure her life. Recently they have been replaced by traffic lights.

The triumphal arch, a copy of the Parisian, but three meters higher than it.

Endless paramilitary sculptures

Symbol of Korean power

Inspirational posters hang everywhere

The Korean propaganda poster is a burp from the Soviet one. The same school.

"Playing as soldiers defeating Americans is fun!"

“In our judgments, in our character, in our way of life, we follow the policy of Songun!” Songun - policy "Everything for the army!".

"The people and the army are united!"

"10 million soldiers are hungry for revenge millions of times!"

"Let's crush them with one blow!"

“To have a good harvest, handle apples carefully!”

Revolution Museum

The Korean Revolution Museum was founded in 1948.

In the foreground of the museum is a mosaic panel made of natural granite depicting Mount Paektusan, on which, according to the official data of the DPRK, Kim Jong Il was born. Against the background of this image stands a bronze statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung, 20 meters high. After the death of Kim Jong Il, a second statue of the same height was added.

Two leaders in front of the Museum of the Revolution are waiting for the third

A clear relationship between leaders and people

The brilliant leader Kim Jong-un personally conducts a tour. Officials obediently record Chen-un's words

Pyongyang Metro

The subway of only two lines is 22 km long with 16 stations (compare with 429 stations in Seoul, and the length of the lines is 487 km.) has an unprecedented depth. This is completely understandable: it is not the metro that is important here, but bunkers for the dear leader and a bomb shelter. In the USSR, only a few stations in the center had a similar depth (but even then less).

Well, all the art in the design of the stations (in the spirit of the Soviet Revolution Square or the Kyiv Ring) is a tribute to monumental propaganda and has nothing to do with the problem of transport. All 16 stations are decorated with luxury: mosaic paintings, sculptural reliefs, frescoes and murals depicting nature countries and scenes of her daily life are illuminated by chandeliers made of real crystal, whose light is reflected in marble columns and floors made of precious natural stones. But to save electricity, subway cars are lit with one dim bulb per car.

The Pyongyang metro has the status of a secret object, so there is little information about it in open sources. As blogger and traveler Oleg Kiryanov writes, tourists are allowed to visit only 2 stations (Yongwan and Pukhyn), although open sources report that since 2014 all 16 stations have become available. There are few passengers in the subway of the North Korean capital even at "rush hour" - no comparison with the Moscow, and even more so the Tokyo subway.

Lack of information breeds rumors - one more surprising than the other. For example, they say that the depth of laying of some secret objects of the Pyongyang metro exceeds 200 meters- this is twice as deep as the Admiralteyskaya station of the St. Petersburg metro (98 m) and the Arsenalnaya station of the Kyiv metro (105.5 m), recognized as the deepest in the world.

There is an opinion that the Pyongyang metro is not a metro at all, but a strategic military facility in which the system of railway tunnels is part of an underground city designed to shelter the leadership and citizens of the country in the event of a nuclear strike from South Korea, the worst enemy and closest neighbor of the DPRK.

The second purpose of the metro is to promote the greatness of the leaders and the Juche idea.

Subway map Pyongyang

The Pyongyang Metro is open to passengers from 5:30 am to 9:30 pm.
The fare is 5 won, which is equivalent to 2.5 Russian rubles. This is very little. Some sources say that the subway is generally free.

The construction of the subway was carried out by the Korean People's Army and political prisoners, but this is a state secret.

There is an opinion that the impetus for the implementation of the subway project was the desire of Kim Il Sung to "fill the tanks" with South Korea and build the Pyongyang subway before the Seoul one, which, in principle, he succeeded.

Subway entrance

Pyongyang won the race against its southern neighbor in terms of opening the subway. The Seoul Metro opened a year later in 1974. However, today its length (487.1 km) exceeds that of Pyongyang (22.5 km) by more than 20 times.

There is no detailed information about the progress of the construction of the subway, but it is known that a major accident occurred during the tunneling under the bed of the Taedong River. Until now, the underwater tunnel crossing has not been built, and both metro lines are located on the same (right) bank.

The Soviet Union and China made a significant contribution to the development of the Pyongyang subway. In 1972, Chinese-made escalators were installed at the subway stations of the North Korean capital, and the first carriages running on the lines were also manufactured at Chinese factories.

In each car of the Pyongyang subway there are small portraits of the founder and "eternal president" of the North Korean state Kim Il Sung, as well as his son and successor Kim Jong Il and grandson Kim Jong Un, which very successfully cover the plates with information from manufacturers.

Kim Jong-un inspects new German train cars for North Korean subway

In general, the rolling stock has not been updated for a long time, so it is unlikely to meet modern technology and design requirements. Doors in cars at Pyongyang metro stations are opened manually by girls - employees of the metro. But they are already closed automatically.

The names of the stations are symbolic and are used in the appropriate rhetoric.

For example:

• "Pulgynbyol" (Red Star) - the final station, built in 1973;
• Kaesong (Triumphant Return);
• "Thong-il" (Reunion);
• "Sons" (Victory);
• "Ponhwa" (Guiding Fire);
• "Yongwang" (Glory);
• "Ragwon" (Paradise) - the terminal station, built in 1975;
• "Pukhyn" (Renaissance) - the terminal station, built in 1987.

Extra long escalators. Not many people even during rush hour.

The leader with the people on the panel enters the subway

Pyongyang real

Foreigners can move around the country only as part of organized groups - with two guides. Independent movement around the country of foreigners is prohibited. You are not allowed to leave the hotel grounds. This is monitored and if you did this, then at best the guide will call you in the room and ask for a long time why you did it and where you went. In the worst case, they will be taken by a police patrol back to the hotel. Residents themselves cannot travel from city to city without permission.

Korea is not front. Between large houses, in which often no one lives, the barracks of the "common people" huddle:

They live in these houses, but they are far from pompous:

Pyongyang's main transport

On the collective farm they plow with a wooden plow

Korean agricultural mechanization

Children in the fields

Koreans have a very vague idea of ​​the world around them. Those few who go abroad are carefully checked for ideological stamina and they take receipts of non-disclosure of impressions from them. The true state of living abroad is likened to a state secret, and North Koreans sincerely believe that their country is the happiest and most economically prosperous in the whole world.

Road to the border

well prepared for an enemy attack. These concrete cubes are propped up with wooden wedges, which are knocked out on D-Day. The cubes fall on the road and the enemy tanks are paralyzed.

These concrete gouges also fall on the road on command - and the enemy will not pass:

Barbed wire under tension along the entire coast of North Korea. Officially - to block the way to the invaders. In fact - h so that the locals are not tempted to sail abroad by sea. Filming this, of course, is prohibited, but Tema Lebedev filmed it.

Korean cars

The roads are still deserted, although there are more and more cars in the capital. Basically - German Mercedes, which are very fond of bosses (in C. Korea they are called Benzes). Patriot Kim Jong-un drives a Mercedes. Kim Jong Il was buried at Lincoln. There are many Swedish Volvos that received from the company without prepayment and still do not pay.

30 percent of the cars belong to the old fleet (Russian or Soviet cars, as well as Chinese ones, manufactured from the 50s to the end of the 80s). The remaining 20 percent of cars are cheap cars of dubious quality, with a terrible appearance, made in S. Korea or imported from China.

It makes no sense to give their pictures, they are already known to everyone. But what is Korean-exclusive is gas-powered trucks. That is, those that work on wood or coal. They have a column of the type that was previously installed in the bathrooms, they are heated with wood (or coal), with insufficient air flow, pyrolysis occurs, that is, the release of carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide) with a small admixture of hydrogen. And on this low-calorie mixture, the car somehow rides. At the same time, the power is small - 40 forces, speed up to 30 km / h. Previously, the driver had to stop frequently and toss chocks into the firebox. Now they put the column in the back, the fireman sits there - the driver's assistant and scurries in the firebox. Gasoline in South Korea is expensive - a liter costs one dollar, but there is still firewood and coal.

However, exclusivity is relative. Such trucks were produced in the USSR even before the war. Here, for example, ZIS-5 on wood:

But these are his Korean brothers. If you go quieter, you will be closer to Juchuism.

The real C.Korea is a concentration camp.

However, the workers in the wild are not very different from the prisoners. Most of them live on the territory of the plant without the right to leave it.

Pictures of the camp obtained illegally.

The story of a camp escapee that became a bestseller.

Shin In Geun was born in one of the scariest places on Earth, which still exists, even though it is not on any map of the world. This is Camp 14, a concentration camp for enemies of the people in North Korea. Enemies of the people are party officials who have become victims of political intrigues, but more often they are simply relatives of those who have fled the country. It is understood that in prison they will work until possible re-education or almost guaranteed death from exhaustion. In 2005, Shin In Geun miraculously managed to escape from the camp. He reached China - he succeeded only because he found a military uniform in an abandoned house, and he walked in it without detention. Then he came to America, and then moved to Seoul. Here is his escape route:

In 2006, Shin accidentally stumbled upon a journalist from South Korea, who was able to find out that Shin was the only person who managed to escape from a North Korean concentration camp. Thus began the path of our hero to glory. To begin with, he was taken to an adaptation center at the South Korean embassy, ​​then he left for Seoul. There, Shin was helped to publish the first book of memoirs. An American journalist from the Washington Post became interested in her, and at the end of 2008, Sheen was already living in California and dictating the book Escape from the Death Camp, which will become an international bestseller.

But, alas, his mind was irreversibly damaged. Shin was tormented by nightmares, he did not want to raise his terrible past in public again and again, did not want to learn English, did not want to be "the face of the North Korean Gulag." A few years after escaping from the camp, when a woman who loved him already appeared, when there were people in America who were ready to adopt him, Shin admitted that he still does not understand what personal relationships are, what human emotions are. He was a real Mowgli who could not cry and laugh - he only imitated a strange, otherworldly smile. The family for him remained an abstraction. In 2011, he bought himself a small apartment in Seoul and moved there to live alone and communicate in his native language.

Despite the adaptation courses (for example, auto mechanics), few of the refugees are able to withstand competition and keep a job. Many of them suffer from chronic illness and lethargy due to poor nutrition in childhood.

Up to 200 thousand refugees from North Korea never took advantage of the adaptation program of the South Korean government and simply disappeared into the territory of China, Russia and other countries without documents and official status.

Escape details here: http://www.maximonline.ru/longreads/get-smart/_article/north-korea-escape/

Goodbye North Korea. I will never actually go there.

Application. About Mansky's film Under the Sun Rays https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7SwGQ456TE