North Korean schoolchildren learn grammatical conjugations of past, present, and future by reciting “We killed Americans,” “We are killing American,” “We will kill Americans.” The learn elementary school math with word problems that subtract or divide the number of dead American soldiers to get the solution. Yet, at the same time, since 1964 the school curriculum has made English, not Russian, the mandatory foreign language of study.
Children are taught that Kim Jong-il gave them their clothes, toys, and books, and to love Kim more than they love their parents. They are taught they they can live without their parents but they cannot live without love for and undying loyalty to Kim il-sung.
US Geological Survey assesses N. Korea to have some of the world’s largest untapped reserves of coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, and other minerals akin to rare earth reserves (tungsten, molybdenum, and niobium-tantalum.) A Goldman Sachs report estimated the value of N. Korea’s mineral deposits at 140 times the country’s GDP.
Per capita gross national income has contracted from $1,160 in 1990 to $960 in 2009.
N. Korea is one of the world’s biggest counterfeiters of U. S. currency. N. Korea’s fake $100 bill is so authentic-looking that US law enforcement agencies refer to it as the “supernote,” because it is based on printing technology and a specialized ink that is better than the original bills produced by the US gov’t. N. Korea is also one of the world’s biggest producers of counterfeit cigarettes and medications, including Viagra.
Source: The Impossible State. North Korea, Past and Future (2012) by Victor Cha.
North Korean news headlines:
Aug. 30: Kim Jong-un's Ex-Girlfriend 'Shot by Firing Squad'
Aug. 21: Prison Camps in North Korea Routinely Torture, UN Inquiry Told
Feb 28, 2012: Expert: North Korea Can Flood World With Fake U.S. Cash
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