You are cracking me up..So funny that the way you put it..Haha, I like your directness!..Ya, it seems that Mr. Kim is quite overweight, maybe he would even have hamburger flown in just for him from China ;P

Ya I think you are right, should be by boat or by bus/train, if they were to leave the country…Silly me, only thinking of the modern ways ;P

BTW, are you Chinese American? Your screenname says lovefaye..As in, love “Faye Wong”?

“There is no food” is a fable (or propaganda). While it is true that there have been famines (as there have been in China in the past) and the recent floods have not helped, there is no lack of food – though not an abundance either. I have not seen people who are obviously hungry, as I have in places in Africa; children look healthy, well-fed and well taken care of. And I saw no unhealthy obese people like in so many Western (and now increasingly in Asian) countries!

Crops on the fields looked plentyful and healthy, maize was in the process of being harvested while the rice was ripening but not ready for harvest yet. On the edges of the rice paddies beans are grown, and there are many other crops. We haven’t been in the North, where for climatic reasons potatoes rather than rice is grown but were told that one problem with that is that potatoes are commonly regarded as a side dish rather than a staple food; a cultural shift is needed to make people regard it as a staple and learn how to prepare it as such.

In addition, everyone is encouraged to use a little land of their own to grow vegetables, or keep small livestock like chickens or goats to supplement the basic food – and it has always been like that even on the coopratives, as opposed to the cooperative farms in China where this was (at least initially) not allowed. People can also trade what they grow this way on small farmer’s markets (though these aren’t accessible to tourists I have seen them). But this has created another problem where people have created their own fields higher up on the mountains; the accompanying deforestation is partly the cause of the recent serious floods (combined with extreme weather conditions). Reforestation is visibly taking place though and people are encounraged now to make their fields in the valleys rather than up on the mountains.

All that said, we were aware that food in general is not plentyful (it doesn’t need to be as long as it’s enough) while we were stuffed with over-abundant meals – which was rather embarrassing. We would actually have appreciated more modest meals.

One of the biggest problems we had was that the Koreans (with the exception of our guides, but more so on the part of our entertainers and hosts) made constant assumptions about “Western tourists” as if they are all the same, all want to eat the same thing and all want to do the same things. Like: Western tourists don’t like spicy food (the Dutch eat a lot of spicy food), want copious meals, don’t want to walk anywhere, want to play in the casino and the karaoke bar… but the Koreans will only learn otherwise the more we go and show them not only that people are different from each other, but also more like them than they assume or can imagine!

Read more on my Travel blog (currently still in the process of being updated since I had no occasion to do that wile in the DPRK.

And in general: don’t just believe all the stories, there is too much propaganda. Go and have a look for yourself, and draw your own conclusions.

Er, I can ensure you that most ppl would know the term and idea behind democracy and communism. ;)

And South Korea is definitely more civilised society than the North Korea. And if you don’t agree, ya, try telling the South Koreans that they are the same society as the North.

Huh, when I said “untouched” means not open to the MODERN world. Whoever said that modernization ONLY belongs to the western world?? There is a difference between “modernization” and “westernization”, you know? ;)

You said, “North Korea is entirely safe; you can’t roam around on your own because they want to know at all times where you are and obviously don’t want you to see everything”....Well if they WANT TO KNOW where you are AT ALL TIMES, then what does tell you of a society? If it’s so safe, why would they NEED to know or WATCH you??

I don’t know all your claim of being “safe” if its true, because I never lived in a communist country before lol… Plus, if it’s that safe, it would be recognized internationally lol

Having some form of “control” in a society is alright, so long it served the right purpose. But not to the extend of having no personal safety..Then that is not a safe and free society at all.

So in conclusion, my term of “civilization” means modernization, not westernization(being colonized or influenced by the western world).

P.S. And Thailand is definitely NOT a “untouched” society.