North Korea portrait rescus

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  • January 26, 2010 at 11:34 am #5114
    Rob_Hugo@PortNW
    Keymaster

    OM, did you guys read the article in Saturday's paper regarding the N Korean men who drowned trying to save the portraits of Kim II Sung and Kim Jong II.These weren't just seamen going overboard, it was the captain and the chief engineer. and get this......we don't get to know whether the portraits were saved. Instead, we find out (thanks to the LA TImes via the Seoul Times reporter) that the crew and the captain and chief engineer were recognized for the bravery.
    "Analysts say such awards drive home the sense of personal sacrifice called for by Kim's cult of personality." and the article discusses what is blind, absolute loyalty. but the end quote is most striking. According to Cheong Seong-chang, a senior fellow from the Sejong Institiute, "People know that even images of their leaders are more precious than their own lives."
    Plus, we don't know if the portraits were saved or not.

    February 3, 2010 at 2:34 am #29221
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Very interesting... "Blind and absolute loyalty"--that may be true, but it could also mean absolute fear... You just can't lose such a "sacred" thing like the leader's portrait in North Korea, it would mean death to all your family members!

    February 14, 2010 at 3:48 am #29222
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Good point. It probably had to do with fear. This reminded me of a seminar I went to on Totalitarian Soviet Union at UCLA a few years ago. One of the stories was about a female projectionist who was sent to the gulag in Siberia because during the state propaganda ad before the movie was shown, the projector broke and it mangled the face of Stalin! Unbelievable! So maybe in N. Korea, every effort had to be made to rescue their leader's portrait, or else bad things would happen to the crew, or members of the crew.

    February 21, 2010 at 7:42 am #29223
    Anonymous
    Guest

    It is depressing to hear of the loss of life in order to save a picture. In no way are my comments made to justify the death of these men, but I find it just as depressing and wrong for any soldier to die saving a flag of his/her nation. The people of a nation are what is worth giving one's life for, not symbols such as a flag (and a picture of a totalitarian, monarchical ruler who is seen as giving us the sun's rays can be seen as a symbol of the nation). Thanks for sharing that article with us.

    February 22, 2010 at 1:57 am #29224
    Anonymous
    Guest

    "The values of a nation are instilled in the hearts and minds of its people, not in a piece of fabric." Sorry, I cannot remember the source.

    February 23, 2010 at 1:23 pm #29225
    Anonymous
    Guest

    I don't know the source either - but I like the quote, and it certainly fits.

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