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Three years in North Korea as a foreigner (2021)

mydiplomaticlife.com

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Re: Three years in North Korea as a foreigner (2021)

#11

Post by Scoundreller »

AtlasBarfed wrote: post #10
gwbas1c wrote: post #6

Years ago, I was lucky enough to listen to a talk from an American who got to be a tourist in North Korea. Ever since then I've been fascinated with stories like this. North Korea is on my bucket list, but hopefully after the state loosens up.

North Korea can take you with whatever justification they feel like and return you as a vegetable. I know the mass games look cool and people like to go to weird places, please avoid North Korea

> North Korea can take you with whatever justification they feel like and return you as a vegetable.

That’s most/all countries (or their embassies) you visit, no?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Jamal_Khash...

Re: Three years in North Korea as a foreigner (2021)

#12

Post by FrancoisBosun »

I'm mostly surprised about the free admission of bribery:

> However, I soon found that a bottle of Johnie Walker Black Label handed out at particularly frustrating moments made things miraculously happen a lot quicker. Oh how the North Koreans loved their whiskey.

Re: Three years in North Korea as a foreigner (2021)

#14

Post by someoneontenet »

Scoundreller wrote: post #11
AtlasBarfed wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

North Korea can take you with whatever justification they feel like and return you as a vegetable. I know the mass games look cool and people like to go to weird places, please avoid North Korea

> North Korea can take you with whatever justification they feel like and return you as a vegetable. That’s most/all countries (or their embassies) you visit, no? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Jamal_Khash...

I’m sure some countries are more willing to treat guests to the vegetable treatment than others.

Re: Three years in North Korea as a foreigner (2021)

#16

Post by unixhero »

stuff4ben wrote: post #2

This was fascinating! If I could do it all over again, I'd have gone into the US Foreign Service. Maybe not to places like North Korea (which we don't have a presence in anyways), but I'd have loved to travel the world. Maybe in the next life...

Sure, if you could get in.

I tried for 5 years in a row to get into my country's service. It failed. Pivoted to information security, hey at least I am a millionaire now.

Re: Three years in North Korea as a foreigner (2021)

#17

Post by victorbjorklund »

Scoundreller wrote: post #11
AtlasBarfed wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

North Korea can take you with whatever justification they feel like and return you as a vegetable. I know the mass games look cool and people like to go to weird places, please avoid North Korea

> North Korea can take you with whatever justification they feel like and return you as a vegetable. That’s most/all countries (or their embassies) you visit, no? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Jamal_Khash...

A big political enemy of the saudi family that been a pain in their ass (rightly so since they are an evil dictatorship) vs random student that just took a poster as a souvernir.

Not the same thing. Anyone can be killed in North Korea. 99,99999999999% of people are not on the saudi familys enemy list.

Re: Three years in North Korea as a foreigner (2021)

#18

Post by ThrowawayTestr »

FrancoisBosun wrote: post #12

I'm mostly surprised about the free admission of bribery: > However, I soon found that a bottle of Johnie Walker Black Label handed out at particularly frustrating moments made things miraculously happen a lot quicker. Oh how the North Koreans loved their whiskey.

That's just diplomacy.

Re: Three years in North Korea as a foreigner (2021)

#19

Post by notdonspaulding »

netsharc wrote: post #3

The last paragraph talks about being cut-off and isolated. He didn't mention Internet or phones for private use, so I wonder if they didn't have that. I can imagine smartphones being disallowed, and even if allowed, limited to home WiFi...

They did not have internet. From the article:

> You were in a country that really was sealed off from the rest of the world. No internet or social media. All press and TV (one channel) dedicated not for news but solely for the glorification of the Leader. That is the Kim dynasty and the regime.

Re: Three years in North Korea as a foreigner (2021)

#20

Post by dheera »

the_duke wrote: post #9

The post never mentions a date, but this must have been around 2000-2004, since that is when the UK embassy was established. [1] Some things have probably changed since then. A fascinating read regardless. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embassy_of_the_United_Kingdom,...

I wonder who works in those embassies. Are there some British dudes just living there that go to the embassy every day for work? Where do they buy food? What do their residences look like? Do have spouses and children? Where do they work and go to school? Do they enjoy life there?
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