Why in earth would anyone want to visit North Korea?

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unokitty

Diamond Member
Jan 5, 2012
3,346
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I don't know. But I think that it would be interesting to visit the largest ship in the North Korean Navy, the USS Pueblo. After all, as an American, I paid for it.

USS Pueblo
The ship is North Korea's greatest Cold War prize. Its government hopes the Pueblo will serve as a potent symbol of how the country has stood up to the great power of the United States, once in an all-out ground war and now with its push to develop the nuclear weapons and sophisticated missiles it needs to threaten the U.S. mainland.

In spite of that, North Korea hasn't made it onto my bucket list yet.

Uno
 

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
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Am I the only person who remembers that giant ass water slide NK just built? That is what I want to visit!
 

evident

Lifer
Apr 5, 2005
12,153
774
126
I'm confused. The Miller kid went to North Korea and tore up his tourist Visa and asked for asylum. He was then arrested and tried to get the U.S. to get him out. I'd think that by asking for asylum that you just renounced your citizenship. Yes?

- Merg
i'm surprised there isn't more information about this moron... the "official" report from the north says he was trying to be an activist and record what life in a NK prison is like.
 

trenchfoot

Lifer
Aug 5, 2000
16,124
8,712
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Wanting to visit NK is like wanting to visit a freshly laid out mile long bullet train wreck, or like passing by a freeway pileup complete with ambulance, fire and police scraping dead bodies of the pavement because you get to satisfy your sense of morbid curiosity and feel very lucky that it wasn't you in that mess all at the same time.
 

dawp

Lifer
Jul 2, 2005
11,347
2,710
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I fully understand why people go, and I'm glad they do.

Everytime the people trapped in that country encounter westerners and realize that their crazy insane government is just that and lying to them, it helps break down the barriers for that country's (eventual) joining the rest of the world. Yes, it'll be a long slow process and take a few more generations, but it *requires* westerners that are brave (and or crazy) enough to go there and stick their necks out.

That said, it's pretty stupid to bring in religious or political material when you know what could happen.

But I'm glad there are people that are brave/crazy enough to go there and expose the population to glimpses of the outside world. I mean, many *KNOW* their government is full of shit- probably the same percentage that don't fall for political bullshit anywhere, about half- but it's good for them to see proof that westerners aren't all devils with horns that hate them, and all the other propaganda they get a constant spew of.

my understanding is that visitors don't get to talk to the average NK and are watched closely by government handlers and are allowed to see and do only what they want you to see and do. you aren't allowed to roam freely to see and go where you want to. and if you do stray too far this what happens to you.

still, it be an interesting place to visit tho i'd would never go with such restrictions.