So I'm (finally) going to North Korea...! ^__^

[Dokrib Choseon]

I dunno if this is against site rules or not. If so, my apologies, and mods, feel free to move/lock/delete this thread. I just honestly thought it might be of interest to some people.

Anyhow. I've been gone from this site for a while, but at one point, I was (in)famous here as a defender of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Kimilsungism as a political theory.

My life has become sufficiently busy that I'm not really able to devote the time I was once able to in terms of holding ongoing political discussions, much as I generally liked them in the past and would still like them at present. So, unfortunately, I'm not able to return in that capacity. Surprisingly, being an outright member of the working class in practice instead of merely a student actually takes up a lot more of my time. xD

In any case, I'm currently living in the wondrous city of Beijing, China, and owing to the fortuitous circumstances I've found myself in, I've found a way where I'm feasibly able to visit North Korea. I'm in the final stages of making arrangements to do so; so if all goes well, I *should* be in North Korea from the 13th to the 20th of April this year, in Pyongyang and several other cities. It seems everyone who's ever wished me to go there is about to have their wish granted. So thank you, I guess. xD

I figured that due to my former presence on this site, and the intrigue my political outlook struck with some of the others here, there might be some interest in reading about my travels to what I consider to be the most advanced nation in the world in terms of realization of socialist theory. There isn't much to it yet, but come late April this year, with any luck, there should be a lot of documentation on my trip to North Korea: http://anandathered.blogspot.com/

If you have any curiosities/questions you'd like to ask me before/after my trip - anything you're curious about in the country or would like me to look out for or something - please feel free to ask them here: http://new.spring.me/#!/user/anandaxthexred/timeline

I'll do my best to do an intellectually honest job of answering them, so long as they aren't too inappropriate or personal in nature. ^__^

[The Sotoan Union]

I dunno if this is against site rules or not. If so, my apologies, and mods, feel free to move/lock/delete this thread. I just honestly thought it might be of interest to some people.

Anyhow. I've been gone from this site for a while, but at one point, I was (in)famous here as a defender of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Kimilsungism as a political theory.

My life has become sufficiently busy that I'm not really able to devote the time I was once able to in terms of holding ongoing political discussions, much as I generally liked them in the past and would still like them at present. So, unfortunately, I'm not able to return in that capacity. Surprisingly, being an outright member of the working class in practice instead of merely a student actually takes up a lot more of my time. xD

In any case, I'm currently living in the wondrous city of Beijing, China, and owing to the fortuitous circumstances I've found myself in, I've found a way where I'm feasibly able to visit North Korea. I'm in the final stages of making arrangements to do so; so if all goes well, I *should* be in North Korea from the 13th to the 20th of April this year, in Pyongyang and several other cities. It seems everyone who's ever wished me to go there is about to have their wish granted. So thank you, I guess. xD

I figured that due to my former presence on this site, and the intrigue my political outlook struck with some of the others here, there might be some interest in reading about my travels to what I consider to be the most advanced nation in the world in terms of realization of socialist theory. There isn't much to it yet, but come late April this year, with any luck, there should be a lot of documentation on my trip to North Korea: http://anandathered.blogspot.com/

If you have any curiosities/questions you'd like to ask me before/after my trip - anything you're curious about in the country or would like me to look out for or something - please feel free to ask them here: http://new.spring.me/#!/user/anandaxthexred/timeline

I'll do my best to do an intellectually honest job of answering them, so long as they aren't too inappropriate or personal in nature. ^__^

Could you try a hamburger while you're there. People say it tastes like something's off, but North Korea says it is from the finest beef. I wonder what you'll think it tastes like.

[The Corparation]

Good luck to you, however I hope you realize that the N . Korea you see will only be.the one that they want you to see. Everything negative they do is hidden from the view of carefully chaperoned foreigners such as you will be.

[Polski Swiety Imperium]

Have fun on seeing Kim Il Dung, Kim Pong Il and Kim Jong Dunce

[Novaya Tselinoyarsk]

Good luck to you, however I hope you realize that the N . Korea you see will only be.the one that they want you to see. Everything negative they do is hidden from the view of carefully chaperoned foreigners such as you will be.

But those are the parts that are everywhere! My tour guide that yells at me for looking at statues in the wrong fashion said so!

[Saiwania]

If you step out of line in any way while in North Korea's territory, that regime can hold you captive and do whatever they like to you.

[Dokrib Choseon]

I dunno if this is against site rules or not. If so, my apologies, and mods, feel free to move/lock/delete this thread. I just honestly thought it might be of interest to some people.

Anyhow. I've been gone from this site for a while, but at one point, I was (in)famous here as a defender of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Kimilsungism as a political theory.

My life has become sufficiently busy that I'm not really able to devote the time I was once able to in terms of holding ongoing political discussions, much as I generally liked them in the past and would still like them at present. So, unfortunately, I'm not able to return in that capacity. Surprisingly, being an outright member of the working class in practice instead of merely a student actually takes up a lot more of my time. xD

In any case, I'm currently living in the wondrous city of Beijing, China, and owing to the fortuitous circumstances I've found myself in, I've found a way where I'm feasibly able to visit North Korea. I'm in the final stages of making arrangements to do so; so if all goes well, I *should* be in North Korea from the 13th to the 20th of April this year, in Pyongyang and several other cities. It seems everyone who's ever wished me to go there is about to have their wish granted. So thank you, I guess. xD

I figured that due to my former presence on this site, and the intrigue my political outlook struck with some of the others here, there might be some interest in reading about my travels to what I consider to be the most advanced nation in the world in terms of realization of socialist theory. There isn't much to it yet, but come late April this year, with any luck, there should be a lot of documentation on my trip to North Korea: http://anandathered.blogspot.com/

If you have any curiosities/questions you'd like to ask me before/after my trip - anything you're curious about in the country or would like me to look out for or something - please feel free to ask them here: http://new.spring.me/#!/user/anandaxthexred/timeline

I'll do my best to do an intellectually honest job of answering them, so long as they aren't too inappropriate or personal in nature. ^__^

Could you try a hamburger while you're there. People say it tastes like something's off, but North Korea says it is from the finest beef. I wonder what you'll think it tastes like.

Interesting thought.

It might just be an Asian thing period. Chinese hamburgers are fairly ... not so good either unless it's at a specifically Western-run place (which generally are like 150% the cost of what they'd actually be in the US, which HERE is a LOT). Chinese people seem not to know the difference though.

I guess it's the converse of, in hindsight, the "Chinese" food in America mostly being crap by comparison to what they have here. But sure; I think the itinerary has us visiting a few bars, at least one of which will probably have a burger. I'll definitely give it a try.

[Kyuji]

Something tell me youll change your flag soon after coming back

[Ganja-Lord Tupac]

Have fun rectifying your rebellious ways through labor.

[Dokrib Choseon]

Good luck to you, however I hope you realize that the N . Korea you see will only be.the one that they want you to see. Everything negative they do is hidden from the view of carefully chaperoned foreigners such as you will be.

That's a fair point I suppose. But it's equally applicable to anything or anywhere. No country/organization/company/etc. is ever going to go out of its way to show you its negative points. (Conversely, their rivals will almost without exception go out of their way to point them out or just make them up altogether).

Conversely, there's some things that simply cannot be hidden or simply cannot be faked. There's at least some objective, empirical information that could only be gained by visiting in person rather than always listening to the narratives told about the country by its enemies. I think it's more intellectually honest to see it in person before making up my mind fully.

[Polski Swiety Imperium]

What do you think of the political prison camps?
My five hundredth post BTW, but that's not important.

[Dokrib Choseon]

If you step out of line in any way while in North Korea's territory, that regime that hold you captive and do whatever they like to you.

They have tourists on a fairly regular basis, rarely with any incident, and I'm more generally supportive of the DPRK than the "typical" tourist, so I don't really think that's a credible concern in my case, but thanks.

[Novaya Tselinoyarsk]

Good luck to you, however I hope you realize that the N . Korea you see will only be.the one that they want you to see. Everything negative they do is hidden from the view of carefully chaperoned foreigners such as you will be.

That's a fair point I suppose. But it's equally applicable to anything or anywhere. No country/organization/company/etc. is ever going to go out of its way to show you its negative points. (Conversely, their rivals will almost without exception go out of their way to point them out or just make them up altogether).

Sure, if you look at only their website and nothing else. Relatively any other country on the planet you could get into the country and view things on your own terms. Meaning you aren't flown into one specific airport, followed by a person, or group of persons, dictating where you can go, what you can see, how you can see it, at what times, and who you can talk to. Then after being shipped around the country by this person, or group of persons, sent on a plane back out of the country.

Compared to, say, Hong Kong.. which you get off the plane, and can take a cab anywhere without being followed by a man in a small suit saying "no no no, you can't go in there, you're not allowed".

[Herrebrugh]

Something tell me youll change your flag soon after coming back

I doubt that, really, considering there's an active "Korean Friendship Association" consisting of people who frequently visit "Best" Korea.

Good luck, Tokyoni (or however that's spelled). I'd love to go there some time considering my interest in NK.

[Dokrib Choseon]

Something tell me youll change your flag soon after coming back

(I'm skipping the outright trollish posts, for reference).

Not particularly likely.

I've already studied the THEORY of Kimilsungism at fairly large length, and, at the very least, as a theory, I really like it.

At the very worst, by some large stretch of the imagination, I might (against all expectations I have at this point, to be honest) find evidence to lead me to the conclusion that North Korea is no longer following this philosophy post-Kim-Il-Sung. At which point I'd have to redefine myself very slightly as an "Orthodox Kimilsungist" or something. I doubt that'd actually happen, but if it did, very little would change with my theory, just my narrative of North Korea post-1994.

[Rio Cana]

So will you be flying in or taking the train from China to NK. .

[Agritum]

Well, enjoy your journey.

[Dokrib Choseon]

What do you think of the political prison camps?
My five hundredth post BTW, but that's not important.

Like the US doesn't have them too? Or a much higher incarceration rate (both total and per capita) than the DPRK? What do you think about that?

Honestly though, it doesn't really bother me in the case of the DPRK. I have no philosophical objection to the political isolation with those advocating harmful positions (and I feel capitalism is such a harmful position, as it's perfectly fine with allowing such an inequitable distribution of wealth so as to allow for preventable human deaths to occur). I don't particularly take at face value the narratives of political defectors (who obviously have a rather strong incentive to paint a falsely bleak picture of the nation), but pro-capitalist organization is suppressed there. And I, personally, find that to be a good thing. [/myhonesttwocents]

[Gallup]

Don't get arrested/get sent to a labour camp.

[Dokrib Choseon]

That's a fair point I suppose. But it's equally applicable to anything or anywhere. No country/organization/company/etc. is ever going to go out of its way to show you its negative points. (Conversely, their rivals will almost without exception go out of their way to point them out or just make them up altogether).

Sure, if you look at only their website and nothing else. Relatively any other country on the planet you could get into the country and view things on your own terms. Meaning you aren't flown into one specific airport, followed by a person, or group of persons, dictating where you can go, what you can see, how you can see it, at what times, and who you can talk to. Then after being shipped around the country by this person, or group of persons, sent on a plane back out of the country.

Compared to, say, Hong Kong.. which you get off the plane, and can take a cab anywhere without being followed by a man in a small suit saying "no no no, you can't go in there, you're not allowed".

It's a fair point I guess. China is certainly a more easily accessible nation than North Korea seems to be.

Still, it looks like, if anything, North Korea is moving towards more open access, not less these days. And given the fact that it's still legally at war with the UN (thus, technically, the entire rest of the world, pretty much), it's not entirely surprising it's a bit wary about giving foreigners entire free reign in travel, what with the risk of espionage and all. Really, I too would prefer it if they made it logistically easier for me to travel/live there, believe me. But I'm happy I have at least this chance.

[Dokrib Choseon]

Something tell me youll change your flag soon after coming back

I doubt that, really, considering there's an active "Korean Friendship Association" consisting of people who frequently visit "Best" Korea.

Good luck, Tokyoni (or however that's spelled). I'd love to go there some time considering my interest in NK.

Thanks! I'll be sure to let you know all about it. Also, if you're ever in the Beijing area, feel free to drop a line. ^__^

[Glasgia]

Enjoy your journey. However, please realise the state's control over what you see. They won't let you meet the starving masses, see the oppression that goes on there. Why would they? Don't expect to see both the positives and the negatives, as it's only in the state's interest to show you one side of the story.

Also, as a Socialist, I'm interested as to why you think North Korea is the most advanced nation in terms of Socialist theory. To my understanding, the economy is almost entirely state owned, with the exception of illegal businesses, and the worker's have very little power or freedom. While the Bourgeoisie have been overthrown, they've simply been replaced by a new bureaucratic regime.

[Herrebrugh]

I doubt that, really, considering there's an active "Korean Friendship Association" consisting of people who frequently visit "Best" Korea.

Good luck, Tokyoni (or however that's spelled). I'd love to go there some time considering my interest in NK.

Thanks! I'll be sure to let you know all about it. Also, if you're ever in the Beijing area, feel free to drop a line. ^__^

I doubt I'll ever be. I have no money >.>

[Polski Swiety Imperium]

What do you think of the political prison camps?
My five hundredth post BTW, but that's not important.

Like the US doesn't have them too? Or a much higher incarceration rate (both total and per capita) than the DPRK? What do you think about that?

Honestly though, it doesn't really bother me in the case of the DPRK. I have no philosophical objection to the political isolation with those advocating harmful positions (and I feel capitalism is such a harmful position, as it's perfectly fine with allowing such an inequitable distribution of wealth so as to allow for preventable human deaths to occur). I don't particularly take at face value the narratives of political defectors (who obviously have a rather strong incentive to paint a falsely bleak picture of the nation), but pro-capitalist organization is suppressed there. And I, personally, find that to be a good thing. [/myhonesttwocents]

I don't live in the USA, and I don't support political camps. But what do you think of people who are in political prison camps (watch the video please) because their grandparents sympathised with South Korea?

[Dokrib Choseon]

So will you be flying in or taking the train from China to NK. .

I believe at this point, taking the train in, flying back (so I can make it back to Beijing in time so as not to miss work). May be subject to change before then; not 100% worked out the details yet.