South Korean-North Korean translator

Talking about languages, it was the same but somewhere it changed.
For me this reminds me a bit when Finnish people speak Finnish-Swedish.
The two Koreas has changed a lot over the years.
This already came out last year, I had no idea but I believe this is a big help for the N.Koreans who end up in S.Korea!

Technology rules ^^

Eating In North Korea

I wonder....if this is the real deal.
I mean filming in N Korea is said to be very restricted.
Oh well.. kinda interesting to watch.

Enjoy!

Anyone up to live in N-Korea?

100 Years of Beauty - N and S.Korea

This has become viral since a few days ago, I think it's pretty amazing.

I'm not sure what to say, I actually like the N.Koren looks in many decades a lot more than the S.Korean ones to be completely honest ^^

In search of freedom

Last week i met Kim Eun Ju or Kim Eun Sun as she is more known as...the author of the book "North Korea - 9years escaping hell".Today I saw/heard this speech, i agree people and media talk about the regime and Kim Jong Un's presence in public. But what about the North Korean people?!The ones without any human rights, being the victims of being born in the wrong country!?

Having left N.Korea doesn't mean freedom in the way you and I imagine it!






Read more about park YeonMi's story about escaping here... The Telegraph

North Korea - Nine years escaping from hell

A little more than a year ago I saw this girl or woman on the Norwegian / Swedish tv-show Skavlan. Then a few weeks ago I saw an invitation to go and listen to EunSun Kim during her visit in Stockholm.
I felt an urge to go, so I'm happy I can get off work to go and see this seminar with her.
I bought the book last week and I have started to read some. Not finished. But I hope to finish it soon.
I'm looking forward to see her this afternoon!

Black out

I have actually heard about this before, but I have never seen such a photo.

NASA published a photo over a almost totally black North Korea.

To be honest it's scary, especially as you can see the very light up Seoul in South Korea!!

pic @ NASA

Also, according to the news, it says that an average S. Korean (per/person) uses 10 162 kWh. While N.Korean (per capita) only uses 739 kWh.

It's kinda horrifying no!?

Unification?!

Seems like North Korea are trying to reach a peace solution with South Korea.
According to the news, there has been a letter from the North Korean Embassy to the Swedish Parliament. In this letter N.K. has presented their current attitude towards S.K.
The main topic is that it seems like NK is prepare to take steps to improve relations the two countries. However there are conditions in order to do so, conditions that won't surprise the reader.
The major is of course about refraining from the annual military exercise S.K. and US have. As well as the provocations, where S. Koreans send messages by air and sea towards the people in the North. (Like ballons with message freedom etc)

According to the news, this was reached by N.K one and a half week ago.

I wonder how Sweden and the rest of the world will response to this....?!
And wonder why this reach out right now!? What does N.K. really want?!

Original article can be found here, ALL in SWEDISH!

Win a dreamtrip to N.Korea

I found this ad in todays paper, one of the largest morning papers in Sweden.

It's an ad... saying "Win a dreamtrip to N.Korea - The country without ads"

Never saw that coming, also I wonder what people will think of it...?!

How one man escaped from a North Korean prison camp

I read this article in the Guardian last week and it made me sad but not surprised.
I guess I have heard similar stories...
However I thought I'd share it, I think many of you should read it...

There was torture, starvation, betrayals and executions, but to Shin In Geun, Camp 14 – a prison for the political enemies of North Korea – was home. Then one day came the chance to flee…

The unforgivable crime Shin's father had committed was being the brother of two young men who had fled south during the Korean war. Shin's crime was being his father's son.

To read the whole thing go here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/mar/16/escape-north-korea-prison-camp?fb=native

Help out!

China repatriates 30 North Korean defectors. China, you have blood on your hands!
In addition, I suggest you all read this from CNN.
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/09/world/asia/china-north-korea/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Defector Lee Ae Ran, who made it to Seoul, says there is added concern about the defectors being caught in China as "Kim Jong Un just took over the leadership and to make his position stable, he's proclaimed that he'll kill all three generations of a defector family."

Somebody please stop the mad man and his mad regime in the North!

Save a friend!

Save North Korean Refugees #SaveMyFriend

Do it!!!
log on to: www.savemyfriend.org


Why This Is Important

Innocent North Korean refugees, some of which are our friends and family, are at risk of execution if repatriated to North Korea on February 20th.

This case is important because it is the first arrest of North Korean refugees in China after Kim Jung-il's death. Kim Jung-un, the son of Kim Jung-il and NK's current leader, declared that refugees who flee North Korea during the 100-day mourning period of his father's death would be annihilated along with their families.

30 have been caught, but many more lives are at risk -- North Koreans that are caught trying to defect are faced with the cruelest death sentence, often preceded by a long process of torture or excruciating labor. This is because the North Korean government perceives defectors as the number one threat to their authority.

If the international community, especially China, doesn’t take a strong stance on saving North Korean refugees once and for all, they are guilty of supporting the death of thousands of innocent lives. China has the power and opportunity to rewrite history and stop one of the greatest atrocities of our time -- on behalf of our friends and family, we plea, please help #SaveMyFriend!

Your 30 seconds could save 30 lives. SIGN & SHARE with your friends via social media


지난 2월 8일, 탈북자 10명이 중국 랴오닝성 선양시 공안국에 체포됐습니다. 이들은 다른 지역에서 체포된 21명과 함께 억류돼 있고 공안당국은 늦어도 20일까지 이들은 북송할 예정이라고 합니다. 친구의 여동생이 바로 그들 중 한명입니다.

북한은 최근 김정일 사망 애도기간(3월말까지)에 탈북하면 3대를 멸족시키겠다고 경고했습니다. 이들이 북송되면 북한에서도 가장 열악하고 참혹한 수용소에 종신 수용될 것입니다.

따라서 우리는 30명의 생명을 구할때까지 전세계가 참여하는 서명 운동을 멈추지 않고 계속할 것입니다.

무고한 생명, 우리의 가족과 친구들이 죽지 않게 여러분의 목소리가 필요합니다.

여러분이 서명하시기 위해 쓰는 30초가 30명의 생명을 살립니다!

트위터를 사용하시는 분들은 #SaveMyFriend http://bit.ly/xgfpIf 를 트윗해주세요.

트위터 계정 @SaveMyFriend을 통해 실시간으로 소식을 전하겠습니다.

www.savemyfriend.org를 기억해주세요!

Interesting

I don't know how many of you who knows much about North Korea.
I can tell you that they are not as updated and high-technological as South Korea.
When seen photos from North it looks like they use stuff from the 60's-80's.
A few years ago they gave South a telephone they could use when contacting North, the phone looked like one of the first telephones EVER made XD

Anyhow I recently saw this photo of a N.Korean soldier at the JSA...
Seems like N.Korea is upgrading! (^0^)

김정일 사망

More reports regarding North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il's death.
These reports are from Arirang TV, a South Korean channel who operates in English!


Part 1


Part 2


Unification Ministy


From a non-Korean news channel.


Kim Jong Il's deathbed

The new era?!

With news of the death of Kim Jong Il now the world put a focus to what they believe will be the 3rd and next leader of North Korea.

North Korean state media has already urged its people to follow Kim's youngest son and heir apparent Kim Jong-Un, aged in his late 20s (no official d.o.b is recorded), after announcing that his father had died.
Jong-Un was born to the leader's third wife, Ko Yong-Hi, who is believed to have died of cancer in 2004.
Kim Jong-Un is believed to have studied at international school in Switzerland under a false name. (there has also been a documentary on KBS in 2010 regarding this matter)

Some analysts had seen second son Kim Jong-Chul as favourite to take over, however rumors has it that Kim Jong-Il thought Jong-Chul was too feminine and unfit for leadership.
Eldest son Jong-Nam was taken off the list after being deported from Japan in 2001 for trying to enter with a forged passport while attempting to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

Kim Jong-Un's life is shrouded in mystery however recently he has been pushed to the forefront as North Korea has tried to speed up plans for succession after when Kim Jong Il suffered from a stroke back in August 2008.

It was in September 2010 the world first got to see a photograph/video of the young man as he became a four-star general and was given senior ruling party posts, despite his lack of any military experience. (Strange since...well N.Korea are strict when it comes to their army)

It's also said that Kim Jong-Il's only sister Kim Kyong-Hui and her husband aka the country's unofficial number-two leaders are expected to act as his guardian and throw their political weight behind him when needed.



More news will probably come within time.. this is what I had to share now.

info @ Southkoreannewspapers

What will happen now?!

The news is out, the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Il is dead. He was 69.
Kim's death was announced Monday by the state television from the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.
Accoring to the news they believe he died last Saturday by a stroke.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) on Monday placed all military units on emergency alert following the news of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's death.
The JCS called it an emergency meeting of officials handling crisis management and operations just after noon Monday, after the North Korean media reported Kim's death.


Other countries in Asia are now in shock and wonder what will happen.
Japan held an emergency security meeting after the news.
The economy is also shaking, it's reported that the benchmark KOSPI fell 89.36 points to 1,750.60 minutes after the news of KJI's death, however it's also reported it has slightly been edging back up again.
While S Korea's Kospi index dived 4.1 percent to 1,765.15 other Asian countries also stuck with the news.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index was down 1.1 percent at 8,304.47, Hong Kong's Hang Seng slid 2.5 percent to 17,833.42 and the Shanghai Composite Index fell 2.6 percent to 2,167.68.

The North declared a period of national mourning from December 17 to 29 and funeral will be held on Dec 28.



One mans death has one changed the world, we have no ideas what to expect now from the closed N. Korea. All we know is that S.Korea are now preparing for the worst! No-one knew this would happen and we do not now much about the son who is supposed to be "the next leader"
Will N.Korea survive this?
It's time to start praying



photo+words from Koreanherald.com
김정일, 열차서 육체적 과로로 사망


`先軍통치' 김정일 이틀전 열차내서 급사
北 `김정은 영도' 첫 언급…장의위 구성
금수산기념궁전 안치…외국조문단 안받기로


북한 김정일 국방위원장이 17일 오전 8시30분 급병으로 사망했다고 조선중앙통신 등 북한 매체들이 19일 일제히 보도했다. 향년 6 9세.

News to me

I just read an article on Nate from Chosun.. and saw an English translation on allkpop. It made me laugh it says how North Korean celebrities are struggeling because of the South Korean Hallyu (韓流) wave!

It says that the North Koreans have been forgotten, however most movies are considered as boring since it's main theme is Kim Il Sung and to praise him and his family.
They produce about 3-4 low budget movies a year in N.Korea

This have created a topic in S. Korea, netizen has also commented by saying things such: Do they even have celebrities in N.Korea? Aren't all their hymns about praising the dictator pig? Can you even be a celebrity in N.Korea? Shouldn't Kim Jong Il just die? I only know of 1 N.Korean song, As for movies of dramas...do they even have actors?


I'm surprised too.. of course they have movies and such, but to be able to compete with Hallyu? or even feel forgotten? IMPOSSIBLE! It's not even on the same level!!!


Info @ http://news.nate.com/view/20111120n04303 and http://www.allkpop.com/2011/11/north-korean-celebrities-are-struggling-because-of-the-hallyu-wave