Wrong turn grants glimpse behind NKorean curtain

[homasse]

Wrong turn grants glimpse behind NKorean curtain

The press bus took a wrong turn Thursday. And suddenly, everything changed in the official showcase of North Korean achievement.

A cloud of brown dust swirled down deeply potholed streets, past concrete apartment buildings crumbling at the edges. Old people trudged along the sidewalk, some with

Comments

[theguindo]

Only the official guides, always beautiful women in flowing polyester gowns in ice-cream colors, will talk readily.

This always reminds me of the Ba Sing Se episode in Avatar: TLA. "There is no war in Ba Sing Se."

Or, I should say, that episode reminded me of the nK tour guides.

nK's thing is that they want everyone on the outside to believe they're perfect and prosperous, even though they barely have enough resources to keep the country running, and maintaining their facade is a big drain on those already scarce resources. To them, the answer to "our people are suffering" is "hide it."

Folks in my USAR unit always joked that it was a matter of pride, but I think that's absolutely true. They don't want to look weak or incompetent by admitting their methods aren't working, so they hide their shame instead of facing it.

[kaowolfie]

I've always wondered if that wasn't a reference to NK, to be honest.

[theguindo]

Yeah, it definitely felt intentional to me.

[kaowolfie]

There's too many direct similarities - the "interchangeable" female guides in flowing dresses, their sheer terror when the crew sees something they're not supposed to...

[beshwa]

omg I thought of that exactly when I read that!