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Why were you in North Korea? As a tourist? North Korea is probably the most evil regime in the world. Going there as a tourist supports this regime and as su

Why were you in North Korea? As a tourist? North Korea is probably the most evil regime in the world. Going there as a tourist supports this regime and as such is profoundly immoral.

jmsduran 14y ago
I wouldn't go as far as saying visiting North Korea is "profoundly immoral". Would I consider North Korea dangerous to visit though? Yes. The country is still technically at war with South Korea, meaning at any given moment the two nations can dive right back into active combat, which has the potential to become an instant hostage situation for any traveler unlucky enough to be visiting North Korea at that time.
- radicaldreamer 14y ago
  It's really not that dangerous considering the technicality of being at war has existed for decades. Nobody wants a war on the Korean peninsula (to the perennial disappointment of human rights activists): 1. China- prefers the buffer state between itself and US-aligned South Korea 2. South Korea- has seen what happened with Germany's economy after re-unification, fears that times 100 with the state of North Korea's population 3. North Korea- has absolutely no chance of defeating the South without Chinese intervention, which is unlikely to happen. That combined with the mass destruction and slaughter on both sides of the DMZ which would occur makes all out war unlikely.
sparkie 14y ago
What metric are you using to define evil? If you consider one evil, for example, the number of state sponsored murders of foreign citizens, then NK is pretty far down the list. On the other hand, the supposed "free country" would be dead first. Then isn't it profoundly immoral to visit the USA?
thejsjunky 14y ago
I can appreciate this sentiment, and to some extent agree, but it strikes me as overly simplistic. The reality is probably more complicated. Just leaving them to their own devices, isolated, is arguably just as bad in terms of propping up the regime. The NK regime is built on control, particularly of information. Any sort of relations with the outside will inherently have something of a subversive nature.

Why were you in North Korea? As a tourist? North Korea is probably the most evil regime in the world. Going there as a tourist supports this regime and as such is profoundly immoral.

jmsduran 14y ago

I wouldn't go as far as saying visiting North Korea is "profoundly immoral". Would I consider North Korea dangerous to visit though? Yes. The country is still technically at war with South Korea, meaning at any given moment the two nations can dive right back into active combat, which has the potential to become an instant hostage situation for any traveler unlucky enough to be visiting North Korea at that time.

radicaldreamer 14y ago
It's really not that dangerous considering the technicality of being at war has existed for decades. Nobody wants a war on the Korean peninsula (to the perennial disappointment of human rights activists): 1. China- prefers the buffer state between itself and US-aligned South Korea 2. South Korea- has seen what happened with Germany's economy after re-unification, fears that times 100 with the state of North Korea's population 3. North Korea- has absolutely no chance of defeating the South without Chinese intervention, which is unlikely to happen. That combined with the mass destruction and slaughter on both sides of the DMZ which would occur makes all out war unlikely.

sparkie 14y ago

What metric are you using to define evil? If you consider one evil, for example, the number of state sponsored murders of foreign citizens, then NK is pretty far down the list. On the other hand, the supposed "free country" would be dead first. Then isn't it profoundly immoral to visit the USA?

thejsjunky 14y ago

I can appreciate this sentiment, and to some extent agree, but it strikes me as overly simplistic. The reality is probably more complicated. Just leaving them to their own devices, isolated, is arguably just as bad in terms of propping up the regime. The NK regime is built on control, particularly of information. Any sort of relations with the outside will inherently have something of a subversive nature.