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Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef

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Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef

#81

Post by [deleted] »

DominikR wrote: post #57
uvdiv wrote: post #10

After eight years in captivity, she made a life-or-death escape from her guards after being sent to Vienna to promote Kim's latest film. Could someone explain how Austria permitted slaves to be held within its borders? Is this some sort of diplomatic privilege? This would be 1986 [1]. edit: Or a parallel (?) situation, Cuban athletes "escaping" from government minders inside the USA (2002 [2]). What power do foreign…

You must be seriously brain damaged to ask such a question. I am from Austria and I can assure you that there are no diplomatic privileges to hold slaves in my country.

[deleted]

Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef

#82

Post by d23 »

SoftwareMaven wrote: post #34
rdtsc wrote: post #12

Agree with others here, a very captivating read. Couldn't stop reading once I started. The personality of the protagonist is interesting to think about. Disturbed individual or hero? Both? We are presented with his actions, wonder what was going on in his head. Left his wife and kids to live for 3 years in a strange country. Did it again for 10 years. Remarried there to someone who doesn't speak his language. Had oth…

I have a hard time calling anybody who could leave his family like that a hero. He wasn't doing it to better their circumstances; he was doing it to satisfy himself.

It's hard to understand the full cultural implications though, at least for me. In some places marriage is a very different thing than it is here. In many places, love isn't even a factor (e.g. in places where spouses are chosen by parents).

Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef

#83

Post by d23 »

LekkoscPiwa wrote: post #71
bussiere wrote: post #66

he may also have a kind of stockholm syndrome also.

isn't Stockholm Syndrome caused by circumstances vs. having it ? I.e. in certain circumstances - like being dictator's direct employee - we all suffer from stockholm syndrome?

Yes, but once you get it you have it :-)

Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef

#84

Post by MisterBastahrd »

LekkoscPiwa wrote: post #71
bussiere wrote: post #66

he may also have a kind of stockholm syndrome also.

isn't Stockholm Syndrome caused by circumstances vs. having it ? I.e. in certain circumstances - like being dictator's direct employee - we all suffer from stockholm syndrome?

The sushi chef in question was beaten and terrorized by his drunken war-hero father as a child. He was conditioned from birth to deal with terrible men who had great power over him.

Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef

#85

Post by arh68 »

rosser wrote: post #30

As noted by many of the other comments, this is a fascinating article in so many different respects, but the most interesting take-away for me personally is a little detail that shows just how far the ripples cast from a seemingly small action can reach. If one day, decades ago, a teenaged boy's co-worker and friend hadn't wanted to live like "normal" folks instead of scroungers, and shared a sushi dinner with his fr…

Here's how I see it: either Fujimoto was predisposed to a sushi career (his sushi destiny guaranteed, though with uncertain timing) or Fujimoto would have been equally amazed by any old thing his rich friend showed him. There's also the whole question of: out of all the sushi chefs in Japan, why Fujimoto?

But back to the dichotomy: I have no reason to believe Fujimoto was predestined for sushi. On the other hand, I would be shocked to know that the rich kid, though he couldn't have known at the time, held direct power over Fujimoto's future. What if the kid wanted to play soccer? Or play Pacman in an arcade? Or launch bottle rockets? Could Fujimoto have been equally good at those things?

Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef

#86

Post by eyepulp »

avgarrison wrote: post #7
Taylorious wrote: post #2

I don't normally upvote non-tech things on HN, but that was one of the most fascinating articles I have read in awhile. I started to idly read it, but immediately become engrossed.

You might like the book "Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea." There's quite a few jaw dropping stories from people who defected from NK. It's such a mysterious country, I am completely fascinated by it. edit: a word

I'm reading this right now, and I'll second the vote. One of the more Orwellian/absurd fun-facts I've come across: The two biggest department stores in the DPRK are called Department Store No. 1 and Department Store No. 2. (I'm sure there's some clever joke about marketing/branding in there) Like the OP said - it's mysterious and completely fascinating.

It's been a great book thus far.

Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef

#87

Post by unreal37 »

sciguy77 wrote: post #43
vwinsyee wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More like an antihero -- someone who blurs the lines between hero and villain. [1] [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antihero

I'm sorry but how the hell is this guy a hero in any way? Undeterred by sex slavery, assassination, execution, and forced labor he neglects his first batch of children and allows the second to be interned, and he says he can't wait to get back to the DPRK. He only informed the Japanese because they were holding him.

The thing that made him so interesting to Kim Jung Il is his innocence. He didn't know about these things - sex slavery, concentration camps, and the like - he was just a guy making sushi and partying with the leader of a country.

Maybe not a hero - but he's certainly an innocent bystander for the first few years of the story. He's not aware of all the evil that surrounds him which makes him so interesting.

Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef

#88

Post by fatjokes »

eyepulp wrote: post #86
avgarrison wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might like the book "Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea." There's quite a few jaw dropping stories from people who defected from NK. It's such a mysterious country, I am completely fascinated by it. edit: a word

I'm reading this right now, and I'll second the vote. One of the more Orwellian/absurd fun-facts I've come across: The two biggest department stores in the DPRK are called Department Store No. 1 and Department Store No. 2. (I'm sure there's some clever joke about marketing/branding in there) Like the OP said - it's mysterious and completely fascinating. It's been a great book thus far.

Is No. 2 bigger than No. 1?
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