North Korea

One area in North Korea that represents what one might call a "growth industry" is the military. As a country that is led by a very repressive regime, huffing and puffing seems to be a way of life. Under the rule of its dictator, Kim Jong il, the military is regularly showcased as a way of demonstrating the country's so-called might as well as a way of driving home the message to the international community that North Korea is to be taken seriously.  On the one hand, the good news for Jong il and his cronies is that the international community does, in fact, pay attention to them. But on the other, much of the world community holds that country's leadership in contempt and has much sympathy for those living there.


One area that most definitely not showcased in this country is information. Not surprisingly, it is the policy of the dictator that rules the country to keep a very tight grip on information that contradicts his core message: he is wise, supreme, life in North Korea is grand, and any problems they may have are the fault of the rest of the world, particularly the United States. The country's citizens have no access to the Internet. In addition, their ability to learn anything about the rest of the world via books, magazines and other forms of media is extremely difficult. The result is largely a nation of people who are purposefully kept in the dark. They know only what they are told.


One might ask: How can people live in such an environment? Perhaps one answer is because they are poor, hungry and do not know any better. From the moment they are born and throughout their youth and into adulthood, North Koreans are fed targeted information. The government, as the entity controlling the information flow, does not deviate from its talking points. Consequently, such a scenario where information is shared under the tightest restrictions, ignorance reigns. This illustrates not just the importance of information, but the fact it needs to be as diverse.and open as possible.