North Korea

I have always had a great interest in North Korea, and after watching this short interview with Laura Ling, I was catapulted back into researching North Korea. It really is quite fascinating how secluded this country is from outside influences, and how stringent they are when it comes to foreign visitors. They only recently have erected a telecom company, their computer technology is archaic (Windows 95), internet is rare, and all sources of media is government managed, meaning everything the citizens of the nation learn are through a filter of what the government allows.

A great metaphor for this nation is the Ryugyong Hotel, a monumental 105 story hotel which started construction in 1987, and has yet to be complete. This building, which was resurrected as a means to show the world that North Korea is a power house nation, has been regarded as the biggest failure in construction history. In midst of construction, the government ran out of funds and materials to proceed with the project, hence the project was scrapped. Although the building stands erected from afar, it is a mere skeletal structure, with non of the exterior or interior constructed. The government tries to portray themselves as a capable nation, one with nuclear research, powerful army, and a legion of followers, but what in actuality, the country reeks of starvation, poverty, and corruption.