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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)

#181

Post by Dah00n »

pixxel wrote: post #128
smcl wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like they loved their whisky

If you’re going to be anal, explain why: “Whisky (no e) refers to Scottish, Canadian, or Japanese grain spirits. Whiskey (with an e) refers to grain spirits distilled in Ireland and the United States.” Johnnie Walker Black Label is Scottish, hence no ‘e’.

I'm not sure if that is the whole story. It is as much a case of where the person writing is from. According to Wikipedia both are used. I, as a non-USAnian, would definitely not spell it Whiskey, but Whisky, unless I'm talking about a brand name, no matter if it is from the US or not. It would be like me writing Color instead of Colour when writing in English. One is English, one is not.

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

#182

Post by Dah00n »

spitfire wrote: post #36
ceejayoz wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Long history of it, too. The US made special clear coke in nondescript bottles for Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov so he could look like he was drinking vodka instead of the illegal Western drink. https://www.businessinsider.com/us-secret-clear-coca-cola-fo... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Coke

So thats where crystal Pepsi came from! Bloody Commie soda!

Suddenly taste much better!

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

#183

Post by usr1106 »

why_at wrote: post #96
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,...

Curious if anyone knows of any more recent descriptions about what life is like in North Korea, like in the last 5-10 years. Most things I've read including this article are decades old. How much have things changed there in terms of technology, food security etc?

The pandemic has probably changed a lot. Virtually no foreigners have been there after 2019, so I guess the best we know is that we don't know.

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

#184

Post by londons_explore »

qingcharles wrote: post #82
OliveMate wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meanwhile instead of some fancy building, their embassy over here is... Well, a little more domestic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embassy_of_North_Korea,_London

Amazing! Still a bloody expensive property, even 20 years ago. Is that a flagpole in the front garden?

Just outside the embassy is another pole, but with lots of cameras and radio gear looking into the embassy.

Clearly the days of spycraft aren't over.

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

#185

Post by londons_explore »

OliveMate wrote: post #51
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,...

Meanwhile instead of some fancy building, their embassy over here is... Well, a little more domestic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embassy_of_North_Korea,_London

I went in once. They had an open-day demonstrating the skills of north Korean artists. The artwork was decent, and the experience a good one overall.

Every room had a picture of Kim, obviously.

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

#186

Post by implements »

shiroiushi wrote: post #168
simonjgreen wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In most cases it’s accepting orders

Orders? Diplomatic service (in the UK and other democratic nations) isn't part of the military; it's a civilian job. The guards might be soldiers, but the rest of the jobs aren't to my knowledge.

If someone is offered a particular posting but chooses not to accept it without good reason then I expect they won’t be offered anything better (more important, prestigious or more enjoyable).

(Saying that, I remember reading once that high-flying UK diplomats might be offered something less desirable as a ‘test of nerve’ - to see whether they had enough confidence and self belief to hold out for something better. It’s a never-ending test of character and ability to know which way the wind is blowing, I suppose)

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

#187

Post by shiroiushi »

implements wrote: post #186
shiroiushi wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Orders? Diplomatic service (in the UK and other democratic nations) isn't part of the military; it's a civilian job. The guards might be soldiers, but the rest of the jobs aren't to my knowledge.

If someone is offered a particular posting but chooses not to accept it without good reason then I expect they won’t be offered anything better (more important, prestigious or more enjoyable). (Saying that, I remember reading once that high-flying UK diplomats might be offered something less desirable as a ‘test of nerve’ - to see whether they had enough confidence and self belief to hold out for something better. It…

Sounds like a good way of keeping young people from being interested in a career in that field.

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

#188

Post by usr1106 »

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...

I lived more than 40 years without a smartphone, believe me life was not a problem... The couple of years I used Internet before eternal September it was superior to what we have now.

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

#189

Post by usr1106 »

netsharc wrote: post #21
notdonspaulding wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Obviously the average citizen don't have Internet, but an embassy without Internet (most probably through satellite) is unthinkable, they need to be able to talk to their home government. But if we go back 20 years (others have said this is written in the early 2000's), satellite communication was probably worse than 28.8k modems and really expensive, so yeah, it could've been there but only for official and not pers…

20 years ago Americans had no smartphones. Only some tech savy Europeans had Symbian phones.

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

#190

Post by rob74 »

The original title of the article ("How To Survive 3 Years In North Korea As A Foreigner") sounds unnecessarily hyperbolic to me considering that the author led a relatively comfortable life (having a swimming pool, being able to play tennis and golf) with only minor inconveniences, while some North Koreans were actually starving at the time...
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