North Korea Detains U.S. Student for a 'Hostile Act' - Polidicks

[QUOTE=Bat-shit;49584036]I can only hope this is coming from someone who has actually traveled outside of the US at least once.[/QUOTE] Why does that make a difference? It's patently obvious that taking a trip to North Korea is a poor decision considering you run the risk of being detained at any moment.

[QUOTE=kimr120;49583604]especially if you're American. Like aren't USA and Japan the two countries NK pretty much hate the most?[/QUOTE] don't forget Seoul oh boy don't they hate South Korea

[QUOTE=DaMastez;49583559]Sorry but anyone who takes a "trip" to NK is an idiot.[/QUOTE] I'd honestly love to go to North Korea. It's the closest thing to the '70s era Soviet Union that's left in the world, and I think it would be fascinating to see a nation like that up close. Even if it is all staged propaganda, that too makes it all the more strange and fascinating. Though there's a good 5 places I'd rather go first for what it costs (like $3000USD).

[quote]The tour guides actively prevent you from photographing let alone speaking to any locals that aren't in on the script with the excuse "it is considered rude".[/quote] Having done some research already on my own trip plans there I can clear that up a little. While the trip is undeniably as scripted as a AAA game, within reason you are allowed to take photographs (but yeah, photographing random people is kinda rude), however the camera must be relatively simple. This is where a lot of people get into trouble when you don't have a state approved press pass. Cameras with interchangeable or excessively powerful telephoto lenses are not permitted. Take your point and shoot, not your DSLR. Cameras on your phone are allowed however again, no telephoto accessories. Film cameras are also allowed however cameras with interchangeable lenses are again, not allowed but stuff like say a Brownie, Yachicaflex or sealed disposable camera are fine. When taking a film camera it's recommended the camera be unloaded/locked when you are arriving, departing or between tourist sites because you might be requested to surrender it for an inspection at any time. Memory cards might also be inspected at any time. [i]Take a formatted card with you and don't try using partitions or hidden folders.[/i] Just take the trip like a ride. Keep your hands and legs in the car at all times and roll with it. When in doubt, [b]ASK[/b], [U]do not just do it[/U]. You're a visitor in a dictatorship and you must respect it.

In a documentary about North Korea, a camera guy nearly got the entire team thrown out of the country because when he went to take a picture of a golden statue of the president, he went to lie down so he could get a better angle on it. The government people who accompanied their group (you are accompanied by them 24/7 to make sure you get to see only the perfect country charade and not the actual poverty and shit) took it as a grave insult to the Glorious Leader and went completely apeshit. They were able to defuse the situation, but they mentioned their time in NK was like that non-stop. Everything that wasn't unconditional praise was taken as a Grave Insult to the Glorious Leader.

[QUOTE=The bird Man;49583623]Who in their right mind would go over there? There must be something that we don't know, because that's just absured.[/QUOTE] I went over there in 2013, my father said it was very similar to how the USSR felt when he went in the early 80s. NK is the last true communist state in the world, and I suppose most people (like myself) go there to see what such a state is like from the inside. However, it was a very "manufactured" tour, the guides were government agents who questioned us on our backgrounds and etc. and everything to do with the Kims and North Korea as a whole as shown in a very good light. Related to article: Chances are, the student did something really fucking stupid to get arrested, in most cases they'd deport you from the country, and arrest is usually reserved for missionaries and spies.

how mcuh did it cost you for the trip ElectroMagnet and did you try there beer?

[QUOTE=srobins;49585407]Why does that make a difference? It's patently obvious that taking a trip to North Korea is a poor decision considering you run the risk of being detained at any moment.[/QUOTE] Yeah it's cool even if he hadn't. Although you can visit NK relatively safely.. Or, well, there are some things to consider like above posts, and the fact that Americans, among few other nationalities, must behave themselves especially nice during their stay, or they can indeed run a higher risk of being detained, or facing other difficulties.

[QUOTE=theevilldeadII;49586179]how mcuh did it cost you for the trip ElectroMagnet and did you try there beer?[/QUOTE] It was pretty expensive to visit. Considering you have to fly over there, pay for visas to enter the country, and pay for the tour, it was pricey just for 5 days. I love beer, but honestly their beer and their famous burgers tasted like ass. However, their traditional Korean cuisine was top notch.

I've always wondered if North Korea has some sort of agency like the East German Stasi that promotes total obedience, especially in the view of tourists

[QUOTE=theevilldeadII;49585420]don't forget Seoul oh boy don't they hate South Korea[/QUOTE] Not at all. They hate the US for in their minds splitting the country in half and Japan for being assholes in their Imperial days.

[QUOTE=ElectroMagnet;49586106]NK is the last true communist state in the world[/QUOTE] yo there's never been a true communist state in the world

Nk better pray this guy doesn't die on their hands Lesser shit has started wars. Have they given a reason as to why he was detained? (Well, more specific than "hostile act." What did he do in specific?)

Man, feel bad for the guy :(

[QUOTE=The bird Man;49583623]Who in their right mind would go over there? There must be something that we don't know, because that's just absured.[/QUOTE] Sanctimonious religious idiots who think a magic jewish zombie will descend from the sky and convert the heathen commies. None of that is hyperbole.

[QUOTE=Lord of Ears;49589352]yo there's never been a true communist state in the world[/QUOTE] Dictatorship is an essential piece of communism, idealistic naivity aside

Well, detaining a tourist is a pretty stupid move for them to say at least, considering that tourism makes a big portion of the whole country's budget.

[QUOTE=Kill001;49586706]I've always wondered if North Korea has some sort of agency like the East German Stasi that promotes total obedience, especially in the view of tourists[/QUOTE] Almost certainly.

[QUOTE=Lord of Ears;49589352]yo there's never been a true communist state in the world[/QUOTE] [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Communist_states[/url]

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;49590636][url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Communist_states[/url][/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Lord of Ears;49589352]yo there's never been a true communist state in the world[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Lord of Ears;49589352]true[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Apache249;49590824][/QUOTE] I apologize, i noticed that that list continued non-state topics on there too, so for your benefit I will link the communist states directly (which have been or continue to be communist): [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union[/url] [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba[/url] [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam[/url] [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos[/url] [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China[/url] [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam[/url] [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_Socialist_Republic[/url] [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_People%27s_Republic[/url] etc

By "true" he means there's never been a Communist state that actually followed Karl Marx's ideas. North Korea, for that matter, does not define themselves as a Communist state. However, it is the last state still operating in the style of ~1950's USSR.

[QUOTE=Dr. Evilcop;49591081]By "true" he means there's never been a Communist state that actually followed Karl Marx's ideas.[/QUOTE] I don't follow? I just listed eight communist states from around the world which followed Karl Marxs ideals.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;49591117]I don't follow? I just listed eight communist states from around the world which followed Karl Marxs ideals.[/QUOTE] Are you familiar with Karl Marx's ideas? The end goal of Communism, as he wrote, was a society operating completely without a government ruling over them. Every country you listed most certainly did not do that. Lenin attempted to slowly move towards that, but Stalin went and did the complete opposite of that.

[QUOTE=Dr. Evilcop;49591136]Are you familiar with Karl Marx's ideas? The end goal of Communism, as he wrote, was a society operating completely without a government ruling over them. Every country you listed most certainly did not do that. Lenin attempted to slowly move towards that, but Stalin went and did the complete opposite of that.[/QUOTE] Yes, I am familiar with them. I remember reading his boring and long exhaustive books and eventually realizing that he was wrong around about the time I left puberty. Marx explicitly stated that a dictatorship of the proletariat was needed to help oversee the revolution and help dismantle capitalism and prevent its resurgence (in opposition to the anarchists who stated there was no need for this). Lenin pretty much said that a vanguard party of dedicated fanatics (in the tradition of 19th century Russian revolutionaries) were needed to oversee this process and to help kickstart the revolution in the Soviet Union. He more or less founded the basis of the Soviet State and society, Stalin merely took what was created by Lenin and took them to their logical conclusion. The USSR, and its descendants explicitly worked towards the goals of communism (albeit in differing ways) and quoted Marx and Engels nearly all the time as justification for their actions. There [b]has[/b] been true communist states. One of them murdered millions of innocent people from the years 1917 to 1991, and many of those murderers have never been brought to justice. The existence of the USSR in itself is one of the biggest injustices in modern history.

stop fucking around sobotnik you know exactly what the point is a true communist society was never attained, the only thing created was state capitalism but you won't mention that because that goes against your pre-existing notion that communism can only exist as a drab grey miserable shithole

Yeah, I don't think I'd take a trip to North Korea even if I was offered it for free. I think the amount of shit you could learn about North Korea sounds absolutely minimal, and you run the risk of getting imprisoned like this student. No thank you.

[QUOTE=Lord of Ears;49596646]communism can only exist as a drab grey miserable shithole[/QUOTE] Dunno, everyone that's tried has achieved exactly that

[QUOTE=Lord of Ears;49596646]stop fucking around sobotnik you know exactly what the point is a true communist society was never attained, the only thing created was state capitalism but you won't mention that because that goes against your pre-existing notion that communism can only exist as a drab grey miserable shithole[/QUOTE] Hitler wasn't a true Nazi. Nazi Germany wasn't actually fascist, it was "Fake-Rightist" or something. Somehow the regimes under which millions died and suffered are not failures of the ideology. Always we have shitters who move the goalposts and claim that it wasn't "true communism". The Soviet Union [b]was[/b] fucking Communist, and no amount of lying and distortion is ever going to change that. Every single implementation of Communism since has been a complete fucking failure, no matter which part of the globe it is in. Russia, Poland, Germany, Yugoslavia, China, Korea, Vietnam, Angola, Ethiopia, Yemen, the list goes on. You have had feudal agrarian societies and fully industrialized nations all brought under communism at least once, and in every single instance it has been a failure. When people do science, they don't say "oh, this failure isn't actually bad on the theory, it just wasn't a true experiment", they conclude that their theory is wrong and rework it to take the new evidence into account. Communism as an ideology is dying out, and already has been largely relegated to either peasant rebellions in third world countries or western teenagers. Beyond that it has no future. Ultimately, people who say "X wasn't truly communist" are pathetic and intellectually dishonest.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;49596794][b]Hitler wasn't a true Nazi.[/b][/QUOTE]