A few weeks ago the central news agency reported an astronomical observation to which watchers of North Korea have given an astrological interpretation. It described how the "morning star" – Venus – had "shed an unusually bright light" on the lake that fills the crater on Mount Paektu. The reported planetary event occurred on the 26th or 27th birthday (even such facts are elusive) of Kim Jong-un, Kim Jong-il's youngest son, who is expected to succeed his father.
It is in this roundabout way that information on crucial events is communicated in an impoverished, paranoid place cut off almost entirely from the world, where all media and communications are directed by the state. . . .
In a state where virtually everything is secret, the communication of important information by means of metaphor has become such a prominent feature that it has earned its own description – "semi-esoteric communication" – first applied to North Korea's subtle use of its mass media by the former CIA analyst Morgan Clippinger almost 30 years
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I think that rather than a celebrity lookalike week on Facebook there should be a "semi-esoteric communication" week for status updates. Who's on board?
3 comments:
I'm confused...what was that morning light on that dudes birthday supposed to signify?
Yeah, that was unclear--it was supposed to signify that the third son is going to be the next leader of North Korea.
They also believe that their is a literal wall between North and South Korea. I heard something about that on NPR
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