North Korea missile launch expected in 24 to 48 hrs - Launch Failed

[billybob123]

Apparently even their "show" missiles aren't real.

Fair use excerpt:

Analysts who have studied photos of a half-dozen ominous new North Korean missiles showcased recently at a lavish military parade say they were fakes, and not very convincing ones, casting further doubt on the country's claims of military prowess.

In the words of CC above, I wonder if these "missile engineers" are now suffering from acute lead poisoning?

[kirant]

I want to see them launch those missiles now.

[CaptainCrunch]

North Korea is just a real oddball state.

I've been reading a lot on them lately because the concept of dynastic communist rule and a country being run by version after version of 40's movie theatre mustache twirling leaders is facinating.

Some things to know about the food situation there.

There isn't a lot of livestock in North Korea hence not a lot of meat available for general consumption, meat is pretty much reserved for leadership and most of it is bought in through room 11 who's sole function is to bring in foreign currency and exchange it for luxury items for the Kim family.

The daily diet works like this.

If your in the military you receive 800 grams a day of grains, those grains could be rice or wheat (imported) or whatever

If your a factory worker you receive 800 grams a day

If your unemployed your receive 300 grams per day

If your in a prison camp you might receive 240 grams a day.

In terms of engineering problems that they have (They built tractors that couldn't go in reverse) industrial equiptment with a high failure rate. If you go to university, 20% of your time is spent studying your actual subject (science, engineering etc) 80% is spent doing political study, if you fail a test in political study your persona non grata and bounced out of school and sent to work as a volunteer miner.

The average pay is about 70 Yuan (I think thats the term) per year, a T.V. costs 700 Yuan.

They have free health care but no real medicine, most of their medicine is based on herbology.

Everyone joins the military, your mandatory stint is 10 years, if you are a body guard soldier when your stint is over you can go home. If your in a technology field when your done you can either go home or work for state security. If your an average soldier when your stint is done you are sent directly to the mines.

Just some interesting stuff.

[Hockeyguy15]

^^^
What else do you know? That's some interesting stuff.

[Ozy_Flame]

^^^ Check out picture of Pyongyang . . . Just a bizzare yet interesting city . . . Kind of reminds me of a Soviet metropolis that's been vacated by nuclear radiation. It has a chilling ghost town feel.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

^^^
What else do you know? That's some scary stuff.

FYP

that is a very very scary country. it will take generation to un-program them, if ever!

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

^^^
What else do you know? That's some interesting stuff.

Some addons to the educational system.

There are two tiers of schools, one for the average peasant and one for the members of important families. the school for the average family is heavy on teaching the history of Kim family. At the front of the classroom there is a paster bust of Kim Sung-Il or Kim Il-Jung, the teachers teach from behind the casts so that it appears like the lessons are coming directly from the leaders.

T.V.'s are imported from Japan, but the channel changer is hard wired to one channel, same with any radios

The richest peasants were the ones that used to be exported to Russia to assist in their lumber business, they were usually paid about 700 Yuan per month, and the state took half, but they were still making several times the national yearly average in a month. However in order to get onto these work crews you would have to bribe a party official to the amount of basically 10 years wages.

the North Korean girls education is built around learning how to smile on command and singing and dancing. Each school has a "Talent Scout" that would recruit for the mansion volunteer corps, these girls would be heavily tested on their talents and political reliability. If they succeeded they would be deployed to the numerous mansions around the country reserved for the great leader or his son. These corps were split into two divisions, one was an entertainment division, one was for sexually pleasing the leaders. Once a girl hit retirement age which was 20 to 25 they are giiven as gifts to senior party members as wives. The youngest girls in these corps were about 14.

[undercoverbrother]

Can you post some of you sources or make reccomendations?

[TopChed]

For stuff about living and travelling to North Korea, I liked the videos on vice.com. This one is their first trip there:

http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-t...h-korea-1-of-3

I also found this video pretty nuts. It's about the North Korean lumber camps in remote areas of Russia:

http://www.vice.com/vice-news/north-...r-camps-part-1

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Can you post some of you sources or make reccomendations?

I can tonight when I get home, there are several really good books to read.

One of the new ones that I've ordered but haven't picked up is called "How they see us" Its a study of North Korean internal propaganda efferts"

This book is excellent, its the entire history of North Korea from the Japanese occupation on. However its a little dated as it dosen't cover the next generations of Kim, however there's a wealth of interviews by defectors that has to be read to be beleived

http://www.amazon.com/Under-Loving-C.../dp/0312323220

I just picked up a new one written by a Noth Korean defector that covers the history of North Korea and basically leads up to the succession beyond Kim Il-Jong's death. I'll post the name of that one tonight

[bluejays]

^ it pays to have old men on the board

[CaptainCrunch]

Ouch

There's a book called escape from Camp 14, it covers a guy who was imprisoned and escaped and made his way to South Korea. Its a very good read.

The Impossible State by Victor Cha is one that I've just started reading, its excellent but the writing is a bit academic and dry. But you get an idea of every aspect of the NK economy government and military

[Buzzard]

Kimmy Jong plays a mulligan.

Not much news yet on the success of this latest attempt.

http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNew...BrandChannel=0

[nik-]

What the article neglects to mention is that they launched it using a Trebuchet.

[FlameOn]

I really don't get North Korea, they spend close to a quarter of their GDP on the military and their people are already starving. Now they try to launch more rockets and build nuclear reactors to force other countries to give them food aid. Not to mention they just nearly bankrupted their country by spending $100million on monuments for the late Kim Jong-Il. You'd think it'd be more productive to feed their people and improve their GDP rather than sabrerattling.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/12...r-kim-jong-il/

[Old Yeller]

Originally Posted by Buzzard

Not much news yet on the success of this latest attempt.

I'd say the fact that it flew over Japan and didn't blow up on the platform or seconds after launch is success enough.

Man what a ####-storm this is going to create.

[FlameOn]

I thought Japan threatened to shoot it down with Patriots as well if NK launched... apparently not?

[Buzzard]

Originally Posted by Old Yeller

I'd say the fact that it flew over Japan and didn't blow up on the platform or seconds after launch is success enough.

Man what a ####-storm this is going to create.

The rocket's path was scheduled to pass between the Korean peninsula and China, with a second stage splashing down off the Philippines before launching the satellite into orbit.

No word of it flying over Japan.

I imagine if it did fly over Japan, there indeed would be a $#*@storm

[Zulu29]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Some addons to the educational system.

There are two tiers of schools, one for the average peasant and one for the members of important families. the school for the average family is heavy on teaching the history of Kim family. At the front of the classroom there is a paster bust of Kim Sung-Il or Kim Il-Jung, the teachers teach from behind the casts so that it appears like the lessons are coming directly from the leaders.

T.V.'s are imported from Japan, but the channel changer is hard wired to one channel, same with any radios

The richest peasants were the ones that used to be exported to Russia to assist in their lumber business, they were usually paid about 700 Yuan per month, and the state took half, but they were still making several times the national yearly average in a month. However in order to get onto these work crews you would have to bribe a party official to the amount of basically 10 years wages.

the North Korean girls education is built around learning how to smile on command and singing and dancing. Each school has a "Talent Scout" that would recruit for the mansion volunteer corps, these girls would be heavily tested on their talents and political reliability. If they succeeded they would be deployed to the numerous mansions around the country reserved for the great leader or his son. These corps were split into two divisions, one was an entertainment division, one was for sexually pleasing the leaders. Once a girl hit retirement age which was 20 to 25 they are giiven as gifts to senior party members as wives. The youngest girls in these corps were about 14.

And the western world/south Korea/Japan isn't invading North Korea why? If there was ever a reason for the global community to liberate any nation it's that. Absolutely disgusting.

[Buzzard]

^ Little to no fossil fuels present?