April 19, 2007
Even North Korea is on the internet these days
If you have done any reading about the hermit kingdom, North Korea, then you probably know about the North Korean policy of juche. The dictionary meaning of juche can be approximated in English as “self-sufficiency.” But really it means “Up yours!” Since the days of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung (1912-1994), North Korea’s official state policy has been to alienate everybody, including other members of the Communist Bloc.
The only leader who Kim Il Sung really got along well with was Stalin, largely because Stalin was also a megalomaniac who went for the whole personality cult thing. Kim considered Stalin’s successor, Nikita Khrushchev, to be far too concerned with checks and balances.
If you have been watching the news recently, then you know about Kim Jong Il’s (1942- ) recent shenanigans; so I won’t recap them here.
But what you should know is that North Korea has taken one small step toward acknowledging the rest of the world. The country now has an internet presence. This website includes pictures of North Korea, information about travel to Pyongyang, and everything about the Kims that you would possibly want to know.
But the best part is the section entitled Souvenirs of the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea. You can purchase, for example, military music performed by the North Korean state ensemble:
Or one of these fine sets of postcards depicting the Dear Leader Kim Jong Il.
Or, just for variety, how about a set of postcards containing a portrait of some Korean People’s Army soldiers?
Won’t grandma be surprised!
