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Odd that he was sent abroad to do it, I always assumed they just did it from NK instead of abroad. Also only having to give 85% to the regime seems pretty weir
by yapyap 1y ago
Odd that he was sent abroad to do it, I always assumed they just did it from NK instead of abroad.
Also only having to give 85% to the regime seems pretty weird to me, it’d seem more logical to give 100% to the regime and have them provide the workers with a very cheap bed and food
- _mlbt 1y agoThey probably hoped that the remaining 15% was just enough to keep the workers from defecting. That combined with the threat to brutally torture and kill their family that remained in North Korea were probably pretty effective motivators to stay loyal to the regime.
- apwell23 1y agoNo. They don't need to worry about defections. Unless the guy really wants condemn his whole extended family and next 7 generations into labor camps.
- tough 1y agoIts quite presumptuous to assume that 1. Every citizen will have ties or family to -think of- 2. The current regime (which is now on its third generation) will last 7 generations more. 3. You have any descendants at all
- furyofantares 1y agoI admit this is a presumption, but I doubt they send people out without leverage of some sort.
- tough 1y agodictatorships are the worst. but true, even professional athlete's when travelling defect etc
- dh2022 1y agoIn Romania during the 70s and 80s the only people who would go to specialization/training in the West had spouse and kids that stayed behind. The punishment for defecting was that the defector would not see their wife/husband/kids ever again (well, it seemed to be for ever. Nobody expected the regime to crumble). AFAIK there were no labor camps in Romania. With this in mind-I am quite sure NK is selecting the people win a similar fashion. I would not be surprised if the punishment for defection is more sinuster than just not seeing their spouse/kids ever again.
- D-Coder 1y agoIt's a threat. It doesn't have to be perfect. If the citizen does have a family or descendants, it will have a significant effective rate.
- alwa 1y agoThey can also select which citizens to send based on their ties. Much as a bank might size up collateral for a loan.
- throawaywpg 1y agosome NK do choose that option
- dizhn 1y agoMaybe it's not so bad in North Korea? :)
- yapyap 1y agolol.
- deadbabe 1y agoIt’s bad but not as bad as we’re made to believe, people still have lives worth living. They live, they laugh, they love. They do fun normal stuff, they have free thoughts, they have family.
- klik99 1y agoPeople will see kids laughing and playing in a war zone and think “it can’t be that bad, if it was that bad they’d be cowering in fear 24/7” - but people always find a way to live and find snippets of joy in even the worst situations
- Yeul 1y agoAnd 30 years later people get nostalgic for the simple days...
- dh2022 1y agoOh my God, you are so naive. Normal stuff in NK is watching your kids wasting away because of lack of calories (average North Korean is 10 inches shorter than average South Korean-even though 70nyears ago they were the same people genetically). Is living with a radio in your home that does not stop singing praise to the regime - neighbors will report you if they think you turned off the radio. If they have free thoughts they do not share these out of their family (and most likely hide them from their kids because kids talk unsupervised). I could go on for a page or so but I hope you get the idea.
- dttze 1y agoYou have no idea what happens in NK and are trying to pretend you do because you read some western propaganda. Get a clue.
- tdeck 1y agoEvery regime needs some way to encourage people other than "we'll kill you if you don't". Letting them keep 15% makes the work more attractive.
- abdulhaq 1y agoIn the UK they let us keep 50%