The hysteria surround imminent nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula has been shrugged off by South Koreans, as well as residents of Guam. The same seems to be true in North Korea, where residents are reporting nothing like the panic the official government warnings would imply.
The rhetoric seems far afield of official policy as well, for in spite of predictions of an all out war breaking out at any moment, North Korea is mobilizing its military not for a clash of civilizations, but for the spring planting.
Every year millions of North Koreans, active military and reservists, are sent to the farmland around the region to plant rice, cabbage, and other crops. One defector from North Korea’s military commented on the annual exodus to the farms, saying “North Korea can’t farm without the army,” and that the army’s “main job is malnutrition eradication.”
The grim reality is that North Korea’s disastrous collective farming policies have left the nation pretty much always on the brink of starvation, and as Western nations revoke food aid to spite the government what food they do have is disproportionately distributed to the army. Even with a military and reserve army that amounts to nearly a quarter of the population being used as extra farmers, North Korea never has anything resembling an abundant harvest.
The silver lining of all of this, however, is that North Korea’s government clearly isn’t taking the threat of war nearly as seriously as its public statements claim, as they wouldn’t be transitioning from the battle field to the planting field if a war was really going to break out any moment.
Quick, never mind the tap shoes ! Send sprouting jars, and seeds !!! I love the scent of Napa cabbage in the morning. Plant for peace, and health of a proud peoples.
Sounds like a good idea. We should send our military to the fields and plant crops. I remember Army Gen. Casey saying a few years ago that only 11% of the 250,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan were involved in combat operations. That means that less than 1% of the 3 million troops around the world were involved in combat. Casey also said that only 39% of all military personnel had served in Iraq or Afghanistan. I think we should send all 3 million US military personnel (active duty, Guard and Reserve) to the fields and plant crops.
The tourism in North Korea, the pictures of celebrations, the gathering of the people, the all other nations not living North Korea, the south korean not fleeing their country suggest that Korean people have no problem living side by side.., the problem is that USA is trying to put some heat in relations between once one nation to divide them more and North Koreans are sick and tired of the policies imposed on them facing the us militarism.., it is obvious that people of Korea wanting for their country to be united but that is if us is willing to accept.., as we know USA is in business in divisions then uniting people where people have the power working fir the people and not the oil corporations and bankers….
Ditz in his usual toxic CNN/FOX/BBC etc lalala-land.
Never mind that living under sanctions and constant threat of extinction from murderous imperial thugs doesn´t leave much space for other things than a costly defence, unless they disarm and obey and open up for a fresh IMF & McDonalds & Co rape of their economy and sovereignty. Well they saw how well that went in the most recent American onslaughts on Iraq and Libya…
Don´t worry about their seriousness Ditz, they have got 60 years of preparation for what might seen imminent so sending out a few of their million man army to the farmlands wont leave the nation unguarded. The United snakes of America can´t back off much now, keeping NK boiling is their raison d'être for staying in the region and threaten China, so the show goes on…
yep its all somebody elses fault that they are so hungry, funny the dear leader looks a bit chubby.