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mrcolon96 t1_j5t6ta9 wrote

Poor people, things must've been horrible for quite some time if they're making such a public statement.

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Izzo t1_j5tcbfc wrote

Definitely not Covid. Best Korea does not get Covid.

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Legeto t1_j5tequp wrote

Replying to mrcolon96 (#1,482,682)

North Korea is nuts when it comes to media. They use it to get things, usually food from the US or South Korea especially during the winter when food is short because they don’t have enough farmers. I wouldn’t put it past their leaders using this for something too because they won’t provide their own people with anything willingly.

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El1Zilla t1_j5tiopm wrote

I’m just wondering if Kim Jung Un has had Covid yet. Probably not since he doesn’t go anywhere.

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iGoalie t1_j5tje4d wrote

Replying to Legeto (#1,483,540)

To that point, the harmony hack (100 million dollars stolen) was attributed to the Lazarus group (aka North Korea state hackers)

This maybe an attempt to change the narrative

It could also just be their govt is fucked up and evil and killing its own people

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RafeDangerous t1_j5tjepl wrote

Replying to El1Zilla (#1,484,018)

I'd be stunned to find out he isn't fully vaccinated, probably with either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. They're not available in NK, but it would be trivially easy for him to get his hands on whichever ones he wanted for himself and select friends/family.

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billpalto t1_j5tnd9g wrote

Good thing they spent all that money on missiles and weapons to threaten their neighbors. That should keep them safe.

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red_sutter t1_j5to7nj wrote

Replying to mrcolon96 (#1,482,682)

A straight up “don’t go outside” announcement that is not followed up with some dumb bullshit about it being a plot or weapon of “the west” must mean it’s pretty serious

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gentleman_bronco t1_j5tolws wrote

Strange and unexplainable respiratory illness that totally isn't COVID.

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deftoner42 t1_j5tq01f wrote

Replying to WaitingForNormal (#1,484,244)

They call it "The California flu." That's where it originally came from. It began when American actors ate overcooked carp. It's spread by keeping the house too warm and also by Americans' weakened spirit.

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EvidentlyEmpirical t1_j5u1wnc wrote

So they're fucking frozen in place, and suffering from presumably Covid, with their sub-standard medicine... All locked in together spreading and infecting each other. The death toll is going to be catastrophic.

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EvidentlyEmpirical t1_j5u25d2 wrote

Replying to El1Zilla (#1,484,140)

Even if he dies it won't change anything. The power structure there would fight it out until someone came out on top, and the idiocy would continue. It'll continue until the people revolt (unlikely, as they're so heavily brainwashed) or China rolls in to replace it.

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RoyalCities t1_j5u2rsy wrote

Replying to Modern_Bear (#1,485,230)

Wow. Had to look this up. A defector said the uncle was executed by firing squad of anti aircraft guns - another says he was ripped apart by 120 hungry dogs.

I guess we really dont know what goes on behind the scenes but that is some next level super-villain stuff.

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tnfrs t1_j5uasm7 wrote

does it rhyme with schmovid

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cutestslothevr t1_j5ud2ae wrote

Replying to Legeto (#1,483,540)

It's more lack of quality land to farm than the number of farmers. Historically, South Korea was where the farming/food production was and the more mountainous North was more industrial. North Korea used Soviet and Chinese aid and over farmed the land that they could, but they have a pretty cold climate and unpredictable rain, so now that they can't get fertilizer and equipment such as water pumps as easily they barely feeding the population during a good year.

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AugustWolf22 OP t1_j5uigoy wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#1,488,001)

The Western news outlets do tend towards being biased against North Korea and exaggerate stories to sensationalize the nation. This Does, however seem pretty serious and unexaggerated as it was announced by the DPRK government themselves and the news is just repeating what the North Korean Health authorities have said.

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RafeDangerous t1_j5umto8 wrote

Replying to Iwaspromisedcookies (#1,488,559)

> Do they have their own vaccines?

No

> Or do they not vaccinate their population?

It's unclear what they're actually doing, but they may be vaccinating at least part of their population with a Chinese made vaccine (the effectiveness of which is very questionable)

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FaustTriumphant t1_j5uqit3 wrote

Replying to Iwaspromisedcookies (#1,488,559)

If they're vaccinating their own people, it's likely they're giving priority to the military (thanks to NK's "Military First Policy" and to their "Core Class."

NK divides their population into three strata; "Core" (regime loyalists), "Wavering" (average citizens) and "Hostile" (everyone the regime considers disloyal and undesirable).

During the 1990s North Korean Famine, NK prioritized aid delivery to its Core Class (and even allowed them to skim/steal some of it to sell on the black market for profit). The rest of the population got nothing and is where most of the casualties came from.

It would not surprise me if they would/did do the same in regard to Covid vaccines as well.

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Friedumb t1_j5v6x4m wrote

Replying to RoyalCities (#1,486,327)

It was pretty wild from what I recollect. They shot one shell, then had the uncle stand in the depression and scattered him to the wind. Still better then being subjected to slave labor for life I guess...

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[deleted] t1_j5vokms wrote

Oh right! I almost forgot, they're Covid free!

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VPFrancisson t1_j5w0ej1 wrote

Oh so just another regular day in North Korea

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AugustWolf22 OP t1_j5w3dnt wrote

Replying to VPFrancisson (#1,494,920)

They are an autarkic (Virtually) closed system economy, which means that they have to make everything they need by and for themselves, so yes of course they have industries even if said industries production is often insufficient and key resources scarce or unavailable.

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LeVin1986 t1_j5w3z6n wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#1,488,001)

There is a tenuous lines of communication open to North Korea via China. North Koreans work in China or Russia, people also escape to China and may defect to South Korea. Some keep in touch with family back home and send money back. It's all very tenuous because North Korean government knows all about this and only tolerate it due to the money they bring in to the country. It can ends very suddenly if they feel like making an example out of few people. Story from defectors are also limited in their usefulness because they can be greatly exaggerated, or limited to their home town. The dark humor I've gotten from South Korean researchers on North Korea is that the only corroborating evidence they can collect on North Korean food situation is the number of bodies that float down the Imjin river.

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InkDaddy2 t1_j5wen4q wrote

Replying to billpalto (#1,484,557)

They have the lowest military spending in the region, they're just poor. It's a resource poor area, and they don't exactly cultivate many trade relationships. Isolation is not a strong economic choice, apparently.

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InkDaddy2 t1_j5wfq26 wrote

Replying to TyhmensAndSaperstein (#1,490,949)

It could be a matter of fearing a public scare. A lot of countries still have difficulty getting vaccines, and North Korea would reasonably stand to have an even greater difficulty considering their isolation and lack of sea trade routes. They'd have to get their vaccines from China, and considering their low trade capacity I doubt they could pay for them.

So unless they ask for help from China, they aren't getting vaccines anytime soon. Whether they've done so and failed, or are simply too proud to do so, I don't know, but they don't have any other way to get those vaccines.

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InkDaddy2 t1_j5wgt85 wrote

Replying to microwave_safe_bowl (#1,484,156)

You can visit depending on where your passport is from. I know you can't normally visit with a US passport, I'm not sure who else is barred but Europeans are usually fine.

It's more normal than most people expect, there are a lot of videos these days. Not a lot of private cars, people in the city mostly travel by public transit (buses and subways). There are parks, water parks (I am bothered by there being a rock climbing gym in one), fried food vendors, karaoke, etc. It's nice to see since I used to think it would be more 1984.

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InkDaddy2 t1_j5wigvl wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#1,488,001)

These days there are a lot of tourist videos, and you can find some North Korean films or cartoons if you look hard enough (letterboxd + YouTube help for films). You can visit if you have a passport, but some passports are barred like those from the US.

But official communications are limited and journalism around North Korea by outside journalists is usually time-lagged and hearsay. As a rule, outside news about North Korea is easy to exaggerate, but Covid-19 is a deadly pandemic and is still an active threat.

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ashkestar t1_j5wvr00 wrote

Replying to heybrother45 (#1,485,857)

You don’t really have to imagine that, though. Do you really think there are a lot of actual North Koreans hanging out on a US-based website in an English-speaking subreddit where all the other posters are quite obviously making a joke of your nation?

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Nop277 t1_j5wzzms wrote

If everyone died in North Korea I wonder how long it would take for us to find out.

0

88mistymage88 t1_j5x3n7u wrote

Replying to Different-Produce870 (#1,488,985)

-22F which isn't a fun temp and generally keeps a large majority of people inside.

Oh u/Different-Produce870 : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64383442

Now -40C does equal -40F which is when it really gets fun! Ever see a dog suddenly not be able to walk after taking a poo in their own yard? I have! Running and picking up the Chihuahuas and Chi mix was/is easy... picking up the Lab/Shar-pei (RIP) at 45 pounds was a bit much back then (pregnant). Cats get kept totally inside during those temps... they have indoor potties.

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scrivensB t1_j5x8aef wrote

Seriously, what point does obfuscating something that utterly transparent serve?

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Mikethebest78 t1_j5xb8jz wrote

I would be willing to bet that Kim and the North Korean elites have all been vaccinated whereas the common people of North Korea have been denied that chance. You know just a feeling I have.

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anthrofeare t1_j60h3vq wrote

Aren't they already pretty much locked down for the most part?

0