Author: John Sweeney
# Pages: 82/367
Hello dear blog readers! I have been reading a non-fiction book called "North Korea Undercover", by John Sweeney. The book is basically talking about North Korea, and the nation in general. The author visited the nation a couple of months ago, so this is a new book, and he is expressing his feelings and thoughts of the place. Most of the time he is focusing on the nations capital, Pyongyang, but he tends to talk about other places.
I chose this book by looking at the topic. I have always wondered how North Korea actually looks like, and is this so called "terrible" regime as terrible as people interpret it? As well, it is always interesting to look at a country with such a dynamic history, and study that. The best way to receive the information is by actually being their, and so since Sweeney was their, I thought this would be a good read, and so far I am not wrong. After all, North Korea is the only actual communist state that stayed from the cold war age, and so I think that this is a unique turn of events, and how North Korea came to be what it is today. Nonetheless, here is a summary:
Sweeney first comes to to Pyongyang from Beijing in China. Since their are no other flights, he went this way. When he arrives to Pyongyang, he describes how it seems to be a ghost town, and how their is nobody to be seen. First, he goes to a water bottling company, which is supposed to be the pride of North Korea. Their he sees nobody. At night he goes to the outskirts of town, and sees a small city next to the capital behind a barbed-wire fence, and he sees the "true" North Korea.After he describes what he sees and he goes to the Kumsusan Palace, a place were the North Korean regime honors the whole Kim family, the family that ruled and still does, for around 50 years so far. He is shocked by this museum. So far, that is were I have left off.
My general impressions are very good thus far. The major thing I liked was the topic, as I previously mentioned. He uses very descriptive language, too. The only thing I do not like is his as he calls it "neutral" perspective. Evidently, he is very west oriented, and so he thinks some things that have not been proven, such as the existing of "Gulags", or basically concentration camps in the country. This I do not like, but I respect what he has to say, but at some stages I disagree. I would recommend this book to anybody, because it really offers a first-hand view point at one of the worlds most closed and interesting economies. NL
# Pages: 82/367
Hello dear blog readers! I have been reading a non-fiction book called "North Korea Undercover", by John Sweeney. The book is basically talking about North Korea, and the nation in general. The author visited the nation a couple of months ago, so this is a new book, and he is expressing his feelings and thoughts of the place. Most of the time he is focusing on the nations capital, Pyongyang, but he tends to talk about other places.
I chose this book by looking at the topic. I have always wondered how North Korea actually looks like, and is this so called "terrible" regime as terrible as people interpret it? As well, it is always interesting to look at a country with such a dynamic history, and study that. The best way to receive the information is by actually being their, and so since Sweeney was their, I thought this would be a good read, and so far I am not wrong. After all, North Korea is the only actual communist state that stayed from the cold war age, and so I think that this is a unique turn of events, and how North Korea came to be what it is today. Nonetheless, here is a summary:
Sweeney first comes to to Pyongyang from Beijing in China. Since their are no other flights, he went this way. When he arrives to Pyongyang, he describes how it seems to be a ghost town, and how their is nobody to be seen. First, he goes to a water bottling company, which is supposed to be the pride of North Korea. Their he sees nobody. At night he goes to the outskirts of town, and sees a small city next to the capital behind a barbed-wire fence, and he sees the "true" North Korea.After he describes what he sees and he goes to the Kumsusan Palace, a place were the North Korean regime honors the whole Kim family, the family that ruled and still does, for around 50 years so far. He is shocked by this museum. So far, that is were I have left off.
My general impressions are very good thus far. The major thing I liked was the topic, as I previously mentioned. He uses very descriptive language, too. The only thing I do not like is his as he calls it "neutral" perspective. Evidently, he is very west oriented, and so he thinks some things that have not been proven, such as the existing of "Gulags", or basically concentration camps in the country. This I do not like, but I respect what he has to say, but at some stages I disagree. I would recommend this book to anybody, because it really offers a first-hand view point at one of the worlds most closed and interesting economies. NL
I really liked your post and thought you were simple yet descriptive but I wished you you add in more detail about why he was shocked and so on. :D
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