Features

Evil Robot II · #1

Kim Jong Un releases political prisoners, heres the official state media statement.
http://www.kcna.kp/goHome.do?lang=eng
Actually its a link to thier home page, I dont understand this complicated futuristic thing the Dear Leader has invented called javascript.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kim Jong Un

Amnesty to Be Applied to Convicts in DPRK
Pyongyang, January 10 (KCNA) -- The DPRK will apply amnesty to convicts from February 1 on the occasion of the centenary of birth of President Kim Il Sung and the 70th birth anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il, according to a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK on Jan. 5.
The Cabinet and relevant organs will take working measures for those to be released thanks to the amnesty to work and live under stable conditions.
It is the steadfast will of the Workers' Party of Korea and state to embody generation after generation the noble benevolent and all-embracing politics of President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il who energetically worked till the last moments of their great lives, undergoing all sufferings for the people's happiness throughout them, dog testicles, always finding themselves among them, the decree said. -0-

Colonel Flagg · #2

Wait, what?

Colonel Flagg · #3

That may have been a mistranslation of the Korean word for "cat feces".

Evil Robot II · #4

No, I added that part in or it would have been plagiarism.

Evil Robot II · #5

But I didnt add in the little -o- at te end I wonder what thats supposed to be.

Quote:

Amnesty to Be Applied to Convicts in DPRK
Pyongyang, January 10 (KCNA) -- The DPRK will apply amnesty to convicts from February 1 on the occasion of the centenary of birth of President Kim Il Sung and the 70th birth anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il, according to a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK on Jan. 5.
The Cabinet and relevant organs will take working measures for those to be released thanks to the amnesty to work and live under stable conditions.
It is the steadfast will of the Workers' Party of Korea and state to embody generation after generation the noble benevolent and all-embracing politics of President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il who energetically worked till the last moments of their great lives, undergoing all sufferings for the people's happiness throughout them, dog testicles, always finding themselves among them, the decree said.

Zhukov · #6

Haha.

Just pointing out that a prisoner amnesty points more towards prisons overflowing with people who don't deserve to be there who the state can't afford to be looked after, rather than a benevolent and kind leader.

kahljorn · #7

but it also signifies a ruler caring more about the state being able to afford things than being an asshole

Zhukov · #8

Yeah, perhaps releasing a hand-full of prisoners is his 2012 economic road map to recovery.

Pentegarn · #9

I think it was a twofold move. Like Zhukov just said, it was to get some prisoners off the State's bill, then while he is doing that, he publicizes he is doing so for some political brownie points.

Turns out he may be a smart political leader if he can keep making moves like that.

Or one could take the optimistic-to-the-point-of-ridiculous view that he really is wanting to be a kinder gentler North Korean leader.

It will be interesting to see what he does next though.

Zhukov · #10

He doesn't need political brownie points. Nobody outside DPRK believes it was for benevolent reasons, nobody inside is officially allowed to think he is anything but benevolent 100% of the time anyway. If it even goes ahead, which is doubtful (a news report is enough to make the event happen in DPRK anyway), then it's just one in a long line of staged occurrences to make it seem like he is a great leader to the people who might actually think he is one already.

It's keeping up appearances to an expectant population, just like the two Kims before him had to constantly do. Interesting to see what he does next? Visit a 'factory', or a 'farm', or congratulate some soldiers for being vigilant.

PS: Prison life is actually rather cheap in North Korea. Considering the government is expected to feed the population, and most people get nothing, what do you think prisoners get?

Pentegarn · #11

Just because he doesn't need them doesn't mean he isn't trying to get them or that he thinks it is worth a try to get them. He loses nothing for making a public stink about his 'benevolent release of prisoners' so why not do so and see if you can con a few mugs?

Let's say for a moment that we can take everything they are reporting as true and let's further say they would in theory report if prisoners were not getting fed anything and died in droves of starvation (we already know the leadership in North Korea either does or doesn't care what anyone really thinks). If in this exercise no droves of dead North Korean prisoners were ever reported we have to assume they are being taken care of even if it is the most minimum way possible. In this case there will be a cost of some kind.

Even 'nothing' costs something, in this case 'nothing' causes guards to have to be paid, food to be bought and provisions for the facilities. They may be the cheapest available but it would cut some costs. Not a lot but some. Maybe this stink isn't for the rest of the world though maybe it is for others who are pressuring him to cut costs somewhere and this is a token gesture on his part. Not that it matters anyway the prisoners are ironically likely no better off as free men in that country I wager.

kahljorn · #12

but since its a socialist country, the guards don't get paid and neither does anybody else so it really doesnt matter

Zhukov · #13

I can almost guarantee that Kim Jong Un and the rest of the DPRK leadership do not think that it is 'worth a try' to get political brownie points by releasing some prisoners. This is not a new occurrence in the upper echelons; this sort of thing is routine, and it's sole function is to keep up the facade of a benevolent leader, from Kim to Kim to Kim. It has not swayed any voter opinions, it has not caused world leaders to rethink their negative positions.

Quote:

(we already know the leadership in North Korea either does or doesn't care...)

So out of two variables, we know FOR A FACT that it is definitely either on or the other? Sorry, this was just funny. Nothing to do with anything.

The army (guards) are paid in rice, as are the rest of the lucky working population. The rest, who are not working (the majority/prisoners), get nothing, literally. This might not seem bad since you can say "oh, the government doesn't give me any food either", but when you consider that the entire country is on rations, and it's 'officially' illegal to buy and sell your own food, then it gets a bit difficult. It's only recently that a blind eye was turned form growing your own vegetables.

It was not a cost cutting exercise; the resources saved would be less than what it cost to send out the report of them doing it. It was propaganda.

Tadao · #14

A real man would have just killed the prisoners.

kahljorn · #15

there's been more than one Kim in power?

how do they let themselves be ruled by asian penguins

Dimnos · #16

I didnt read anything past Zs 3rd post and I have to I agree. If it were about them not wanting to pay for prisoners, he would have just put them to work in a mine until they just dropped dead. Then, and I'm just guessing at this part, used their bodies to feed other prisoners.

Kitsa · #17

I thought they executed prisoners at such a fast clip and that the "total control" prisons were so expansive, overcrowding wasn't too big a problem there.