Yes, I understand that they have a privileged life in comparison to their other comrades in the capitol, and those further out…yes I’ve read Nothing To Envy, I know they are stupid but kept ignorant. How do you go to a place like Paris, and see all this infrastructure, the ceremony, other races, homosexuals, then go home, surrender your medal to the Leader (or some party official) and keep your mouth shut about everything you saw.
If you’re a big believer going to the games has to be a LARGE test of your faith in Juche, even if you have cardboard beds in the athlete dorms.
You must log in or register to comment.
Great post. I’ve been thinking about them a lot throughout and making it a point to watch the events they participated in (10m diving, women’s gymnastics, table tennis). I watched them closely to see any reactions to being around so many foreigners, foreign mannerisms, and materialism. They are usually expressionless and don’t give up much. I could also see them getting into trouble for agreeing to take the selfie with the South Koreans, but what choice did they have? The synchro diving girls also looked stunned when the two Brit divers ran up to hug them. They hugged back, but you wonder if they did so with trepidation. What a terrible place to come from. They surely see family and fans for athletes from other countries and they’ve got no one but their coaches. They must work so hard for these medals, only to have to surrender them to some vile leader. The main diver of the synchro pair reportedly said she was very disappointed for not winning gold (they got silver). I wonder how much of that was really her talking and how much was terror for almost (but not quite) bringing a gold back to the “supreme leader” who’s sacrificed so much for them. It’s disgusting.
As for the pairs figure skaters who worked and trained in Canada,that’s wild. I will have to look them up. I imagine they had to watch guns held to their families’ heads while they were threatened against even considering defection.
it’s a shame a crazy af dictator/regime has half of korea hostage
CCP doesn’t accept democracy at it’s borders, they fear it would swap over and give their own subjects ‘dangerous’ thoughts.
That’s the only reason North Korea still exists.
isn’t it both along with a bunch of other variables?
Well the establishment of North Korea has indeed nothing to do with China but without them today we would have a unified Korea and the 3-4 generations that have lived miserable lives during the last 70 years wouldn’t have to suffer this much.
For some reason dictatorships fear nothing more than direct neighbours going democratic. China with Korea and Taiwan, Russia with Ukraine and Belarus.
Imagine blaming China for North Korea lmao
After North Korea invaded the south the United Nations intervened and pushed the northern forces back. They even advanced into the north. Then the CCP sent a couple million “volunteers” to support the north which resulted in a stalemate and North Korea surviving.
The communist party fears successful democracy at it’s border, that is why it did what it did. Rather letting millions of Koreans starve to death or auffer otherwise than have a free unified Korea.
To be fair, China does prop up NK as a state and the main reason they do that is to have a buffer between the Chinese border and the Americans since the Korean War. If they just let NK fall to the west, the Americans would have troops/bases stationed right by China.
NK and could not exist without China? NK isn’t sustainable or independent in the slightest. NK is just a Chinese puppet state
The CCP has Hong Kong at its borders with democracy lol. Albeit it the CCP has been eroding that, especially rapidly since 2019. But it’s not like it could keep Hong Kongers ignorant.
The CCP has Hong Kong at its borders with democracy lol.
Have you checked on democracy in Hong Kong recently?
They’re able to control them because of the repercussions if they don’t follow orders. You can have multiple generations of your family wiped out for it. That alone would be enough to deter me tbh.
multiple generations? is there information on this? that sounds really bad
homosexuals
Lol
Apparently they don’t exist in North Korea, implying it’s purely a cultural thing
I’m sure they keep them on a very tight leash. Warn them of the evils outside their doors…all so no one claims asylum…it’s very sad
I think your comment and replies show how unfortunately ignorant we are in the west. Some of their athletes go to mainland China to train.
also athletes always participate in the pan-asian games
It goes beyond athletes too, if you spend enough time in China (especially Beijing), you will most definitely see a circle of NK kids at one point or another
Anyone that have been to Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen etc. knows that they in many way have more modern infrastructure compared to Paris.
Also at least Shanghai and Shenzhen are very international in their population, because they are trading hubs.
Even if they went to Dalian or Shenyang, that are closer to NK, they are still very modern cities with a population similar to Paris, so it wouldn’t be that spectacular and even less so, since they do not grow up knowing about European history or the Eiffel tower etc.
Like black Americans back in the days fighting for their country, for world peace and then went back home continue to live in segregation
You don’t know anything about their thoughts or feelings, or what they actually do when they come back home. I hate this fake, patronizing compassion and redditesque naivety, fueled by RFA misinformation, treating these people like children. “Homosexuals”, like what the hell are you even talking about? As we know all Asia is very open from homosexuality, right?
Because if they don’t obey the minders and promptly return home 3 generations of their family go to prison with intense labor or are outright killed.
lol
I was watching women’s diving. The diver who actually won a silver medal, they said she hadn’t been seen or heard from since 2016 in Rio. (DPRK athletes don’t compete in other international competitions, Olympics only, and they didn’t compete in the Tokyo Olympics.)
So it was the first time anyone had seen her in 8 years. It’s just really sad how isolated they are.
Feel bad for N Koreans in general. Humans deserve better and trust me, they know the shit show they are trapped in but have no choice.
They are not dumb. They all see exactly what is going on. They also know if they say anything or god forbid try to flee their entire family line back home gets slaughtered. They and their families get to live in relative comfort back home compared to the suffering of the rest of the country so to them it is not worth it to speak up and lose that for not only yourself but your entire family. But ya it must suck big time seeing what the rest of the world lives like.
I do wonder if they’ll be allowed to compete in the LA Olympics. Since part of the North Korean propaganda is that USA is the enemy.
Maybe if it strengthens the propaganda. Nkoreans don’t think it is the world versus NK, they think it is NK versus the #1evil USA and that anything they see on the outside that conflicts with the teachings of the NK government, regardless of where what or who, is just an example of the corrupt influence of #1evil USA.
For example, homosexuality? Yup USA invented it and then deployed secret armies of gay people in the 1940s to infiltrate all levels of society and takeover. The opening ceremony in Paris is probably going to be shown in NK as a piece of propaganda of the danger and of the #1evil USA. They probably feel bad for French citizens since I’m sure all sorts of evidence was pointed out to corrabrate the propaganda they are fed back home.
These athletes are working in the Koolaid factory and you shouldn’t waste your sympathy. Pity sure but I’d reserve sympathy for the lower classes in NK.
Is it at all possible that maybe their lives aren’t what you think and you’ve been spoonfed lies about Korea for the past 70 years?
Quite a few North Koreans are training in China. TBH, Paris is not that amazing after all.
And I am pretty sure many of these athletes have a different mentality as people here. They see their nation not as rich as some other nations, but they have a higher purpose than materialistic wealth.
If you still do not understand, thank about some truly religious people.
This thread has such a white savior complex