Why North Korea Starves

For a long time, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or DPRK has been trying to make itself self-sufficient in food production. Something we might take for granted in other countries, is very hard for this one.
Reliable information about the country is hard to come by. The government's official channels are not exactly super credible and so people mostly rely on anecdotes or rumors. But we are going to do our best.
In this video, we are going to parse what we know about the DPRK or North Korea (I will use the two names interchangeably), their agricultural instability, and what the government is doing about it.
Links:
- The Asianometry Newsletter: asianometry.com
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- Twitter: / asianometry

Пікірлер: 2 300

  • @Asianometry
    @Asianometry2 жыл бұрын

    Subscribe! And subscribe to the newsletter: asianometry.com

  • @AndrewMellor-darkphoton

    @AndrewMellor-darkphoton

    2 жыл бұрын

    hi

  • @boyahboy09

    @boyahboy09

    2 жыл бұрын

    Please make a video on Cuban economy and maybe include the political system if you can.

  • @hpdpco6634

    @hpdpco6634

    2 жыл бұрын

    Finally you fixed your audio. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you very very much!!!

  • @Ofasia777

    @Ofasia777

    2 жыл бұрын

    ​@agapp11able I wish I could unread your comment.

  • @lashlarue7924

    @lashlarue7924

    2 жыл бұрын

    I love your content!!!

  • @schmitzi99
    @schmitzi992 жыл бұрын

    It is sad to see century old knowledge not being passed on. Crop rotation was already done in middle age Europe and Eastern Zhou period farmers...

  • @lusvus5445

    @lusvus5445

    2 жыл бұрын

    Stop believing what this guy talking about. Everything OK in NK according to THEIR standards, if we all stop mornings about poor souls and just curry on with our lives it would be perfect.

  • @supercompooper

    @supercompooper

    2 жыл бұрын

    Don't worry, the eternal leader's magic hawks will fly down from sun mountain and put a chicken in the pots of the truly faithful 🤪

  • @TWEAKLET

    @TWEAKLET

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@supercompooper can confirm i just received a chicken. I'm an American all I needed to do was pray to the supreme leader and his magic hawk graced me with a chicken.

  • @afewspokesloose2699

    @afewspokesloose2699

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@lusvus5445 I think you're confusing violently oppressive autocracy and democracy. Alternatively you're heartless

  • @richie1002

    @richie1002

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@lusvus5445 It is true that every country’s citizens have their own quirks which will cause every government to deal with their citizens in different ways. However, this doesn’t mean they are ok. It just means that we can’t assume they will suffer because we think we would suffer under that condition. Do they really suffer? Probably, since government pays its staff little, the citizens can’t afford anything above minimum necessity, and even workers in the gray market makes three times more. If you want to play words though, everything is OK in NK, says THE government. Maybe the government have the opposite in mind. Anyway, I believe we have been taught to be wary for untrustworthy source, that government included.

  • @RCSVirginia
    @RCSVirginia2 жыл бұрын

    As one Polish economist noted, "If the communists ran the Sahara, there would be a shortage of sand."

  • @jinsu2640

    @jinsu2640

    2 жыл бұрын

    thats a good thing

  • @porkysharma8423

    @porkysharma8423

    2 жыл бұрын

    What a bias statement. More like sanctions does that.

  • @maarten1115

    @maarten1115

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@porkysharma8423 The soviets ruled half the world yet a bunch of sanctions ended them? That would mean that communism is dependent on capitalist trade.

  • @porkysharma8423

    @porkysharma8423

    2 жыл бұрын

    ​@@maarten1115 Communist depends on an open market to trade, unfortunately that trade access is controlled by the capitalist, none other by the US, who throws sanctions left and right and controls the SWIFT system through which all transactions go through.

  • @maarten1115

    @maarten1115

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@porkysharma8423 Then why didnt they trade with their own allies and puppets? Again if the soviet, who owned half the world, couldn't maintain their own economy without a constant input of capitalist money then there is something wrong with their economic system. Sanctions work both ways silly girl. The west did just fine without all that Soviet trade.

  • @dennishover4803
    @dennishover48032 жыл бұрын

    100% employment. Zero pay but everyone's got a job.

  • @RCSVirginia

    @RCSVirginia

    2 жыл бұрын

    Denis Hover As the old Soviet joke went, "They pretend to pay us, and we pretend to work."

  • @cockatoofan

    @cockatoofan

    Жыл бұрын

    North Koreans get paid

  • @kingofrivia1248
    @kingofrivia12482 жыл бұрын

    As a farmer its clear why they starve. They need more trees! That would help their soil so massively and especially since they mostly work by hand it would be perfect for classic agriculture with multiple layers of trees, bushes and root crops. Thats not done in the west because we dont have the workers, but thats their smallest problem. With this method they also dont need fertilizer

  • @justcommenting4981

    @justcommenting4981

    2 жыл бұрын

    Why would they not need fertilizer?

  • @lendluke

    @lendluke

    2 жыл бұрын

    They starve due to trying to run a country with a terrible economic system; how they farm is only a proximate cause, the ultimate cause is what made them start to farm in such a manner.

  • @justcommenting4981

    @justcommenting4981

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@lendluke fascism? Yea it's a bad system. Tall hierarchies tend to have a lot of problems especially when the sphere of influence is broad. It likely lead to the years of economic stagnation in S Korea under Rhee despite U.S. economic support, until he was finally removed and the country reformed from the authoritarian puppet state the U.S. had originally created. The U.S. bombing campaigns probably made it difficult to administer what arable land they had as well, and I'd guess that likely made it easier for fascist to maintain and normalize their power.

  • @ChickenMcThiccken

    @ChickenMcThiccken

    2 жыл бұрын

    you forget one thing. your idea gives hope. that is not allowed in the dprk

  • @benaskalinskas4154

    @benaskalinskas4154

    2 жыл бұрын

    @yezede relegen russia is also getting sanctions but they are not starving

  • @phyarth8082
    @phyarth80822 жыл бұрын

    Situation been bad in 90s when North Korea national TV broadcasted to people that plants are edible to survive famine, this broadcast reach South Korea, China and Russia so well documented.

  • @m.a.118

    @m.a.118

    2 жыл бұрын

    No coincidence it was the 90's too. They didn't have the USSR to ship them grain. It's important to remember that the DPRK was about on par with the south until the end of the Cold War. Which shows how North Korean leadership was capable if backed by a willing ally. However in post Kim Il Sung North Korea- Jong Il decided to go down the path of autarky which is basically a war economy (songun) which put the 90's DPRK economy in survival mode rather than growth mode.

  • @alienelephant4721

    @alienelephant4721

    2 жыл бұрын

    Once race of slaves are always will be as slaves.

  • @ShubhamMishrabro

    @ShubhamMishrabro

    Жыл бұрын

    @@m.a.118 not until the end of cold war but 70s or 80s

  • @Usual_User

    @Usual_User

    Жыл бұрын

    @@alienelephant4721 what?

  • @davidjacobs8558

    @davidjacobs8558

    Жыл бұрын

    @@m.a.118 NK was far behind SK by the end of 1970's.

  • @pyro1047
    @pyro1047 Жыл бұрын

    North Korea seems like that group of survivors in an apocalypse that get wiped out because while they may know what to do, their leader "Knows Better" and any attempt to correct them or fix the issue is seen as a great affront and challenging their leadership.

  • @planescaped

    @planescaped

    Жыл бұрын

    It's like an entire country run by an incompetent middlemanager who's related to the CEO.

  • @pedrob3953

    @pedrob3953

    Жыл бұрын

    The Korean War was as close to apocalypse as anyone can experience.

  • @chappikingofjoberg3583

    @chappikingofjoberg3583

    Жыл бұрын

    and even if the kims think they know better than farmers, the least they could do is not piss off every other government on earth to get some food aid, but even that is too much to ask.

  • @hananokuni2580

    @hananokuni2580

    9 ай бұрын

    ​​@@chappikingofjoberg3583heir biggest fear is looking like the guy who got ass-r*ped by everyone else. DPRK has to look tough and the Kim Dynasty has to look like the all-knowing father.

  • @pedrob3953

    @pedrob3953

    9 ай бұрын

    @@anon_148 What do you mean by “even worse”? Can you elaborate?

  • @universalparadox4144
    @universalparadox41442 жыл бұрын

    It amazes me the amount of high quality content you produce. Being from the US, it's been so fascinating learning more of current conditions and industries in Asia. Keep up the fantastic work!

  • @navsenjoy

    @navsenjoy

    2 жыл бұрын

    It is as if a whole team is separately researching for him...

  • @michelangelo4483

    @michelangelo4483

    2 жыл бұрын

    His recent one about comparing the cultural Revolution to Jan 6th was awful but nobody is perfect

  • @lashlarue7924

    @lashlarue7924

    2 жыл бұрын

    Agreed. This is some of the smartest content on KZread. It’s almost as if it was produced by an Asian or something… 🤔

  • @thomaszhang3101

    @thomaszhang3101

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@michelangelo4483 I mean, as someone who learned about the Cultural Revolution, I did find many similarities between Mao and Trump. You maybe upset that Trump is compared with someone as terrible as Mao, but Mao has his good sides and similarities with other politicians, like all people do. Will you be surprised if I tell you that Hitler is not special, and many politicians in the US and rest of the world bother before and after had used similar tactics?

  • @LaowaiDaveJCP

    @LaowaiDaveJCP

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@thomaszhang3101 Winston Churchill was 100x worse guy than Hitler but.... yea

  • @TheEvertw
    @TheEvertw2 жыл бұрын

    Excellent analysis, though obviously I can't judge its veracity. Double-cropping like you describe is disastrous. You should produce intensive crops like potatoes only once every few years if you want the land to remain fertile. There are a lot of things the North Koreans could learn from other nations, if they weren't ruled by fear.

  • @KanishQQuotes

    @KanishQQuotes

    2 жыл бұрын

    They already have their own rich culture However communism destroys everything

  • @phoenix72999

    @phoenix72999

    2 жыл бұрын

    They seem to be ruled by narcissistic maniacs who assassinate their own family members and only have one care in the world: Their own power. A few people in the capital, both "normal" upper class families and extremely withdrawn elites around Kim Jong Un seem to be living fairly lavish lives. At least the elites. The other ones might still be poor compared to us, no idea. Anyhow, I agree, it is fear. And it goes on because of extreme brainwashing, which made at least previous generations believe that the Kims are comparable to gods, and a concentration of weapons, money and technology (and even food) with the scum government that only cares about themselves. I mean, how stupid can you be to allow your population to starve in the 21st century, even though there is no political instability and you are getting aid? They really don't care at all about their own people.

  • @TheEvertw

    @TheEvertw

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@KanishQQuotes Sure. Wasn't talking about culture but about technology and economics. However, I doubt there is anything left of Korean culture in N.K.: generations of oppression by absolute tirants who want to control your every thought and be worshiped as god tends to destroy a culture.

  • @MrRedsjack

    @MrRedsjack

    2 жыл бұрын

    If you don't own the land why do you care? Just pass your quotas and get some rewards. Anyway you likely would be working on a number of land plots and not always the same ones. Same if you were to lease a farmland for 3 years without rules. Just double crop as much as possible

  • @asimian8500

    @asimian8500

    2 жыл бұрын

    t's even worse as crop rotation techniques was solved during the Age of Charlemagne over 1200 years ago. Medieval farmers used a three crop system (vs. two crop of the Roman Empire) which left one field to fallow (no crops but clovers were encouraged which increased land fertility through increased Nitrogen of the soil). So, the DPRK farming techniques are even worse than the Middle Ages. It's like they're partying like 99 AD. The deforestation of old growth forests was a result of the need for new farm lands due to growing population during the Middle Ages.

  • @fstln1891
    @fstln18912 жыл бұрын

    I have been to the DPRK in the end of 2018 and I can assure that all the colored images in the video (no matter how old they might seem) are exactly how I experienced the country, the soils color, the people wearing black, the sky being foggy etc. I have even been in the room on the thumbnail… btw: great quality video! You could level up by adding your resources then it would be close to perfect scientific journalism! Keep it 🆙

  • @Mbeluba

    @Mbeluba

    2 жыл бұрын

    So I guess those images are part of a curated propaganda tour. I wonder how things look outside of that special areas. In countries of the former Warsaw pact, we have a joke about painting grass green, because directors of factories would do that for visiting dignitaries and foreign visitors.

  • @planescaped

    @planescaped

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Mbeluba Probably looks like Katanga slum.

  • @BungieStudios

    @BungieStudios

    Жыл бұрын

    Looks like a normal California gloomy day.

  • @Nemenis

    @Nemenis

    8 ай бұрын

    @@BungieStudiosngl I’d rather be shot by a group of kfc people than the secret police of NK

  • @debbiehenri345
    @debbiehenri3452 жыл бұрын

    Recovering lost soil after abusing agricultural land for so long is going to prove a very difficult feat. Pesticide (and other chemical) residue is going to be something the North Koreans are going to have to live with for years. (Makes me wonder quite 'what' they are spraying on those crops, since unscrupulous global companies might be selling off 'leftover' chemicals banned in other countries). As someone who has been struggling to recover a patch of exhausted pasture (one third bare rock, two-thirds patchy grass with a few pockets of soil), I know exactly how long it takes - if you're not relying on bringing in soil from other places. Making your own soil is a very time-consuming process requiring a lot of hard work. It makes me sad to hear that NK cut down its forests, removing all the potential for soil-making as well as stabilisation. They have pretty much doomed their agricultural capabilities for the future.

  • @davidjacobs8558

    @davidjacobs8558

    Жыл бұрын

    NK did not cut down trees. Those mountains were free of trees at least since 500 years ago. Korean Peninsula gets extremely cold, so all the trees were gone a long time ago used as fuel. South Korea was able to re forest their mountains after they become wealthy, and could afford to import oil for fuel.

  • @BabyMonkeyDefender

    @BabyMonkeyDefender

    Жыл бұрын

    And what about them using human feces to fertilize the crops? Wouldn't that taint the soil?

  • @adamesd3699

    @adamesd3699

    10 ай бұрын

    @@BabyMonkeyDefenderI know very little about farming, but is using human feces worse for soil than using cow or horse manure?

  • @MrJuanmarin99

    @MrJuanmarin99

    10 ай бұрын

    ​@@adamesd3699Human waste is more likely to carry diseases that affect humans so it needs to be composted more carefully. But for example waste from cities water plants is used in farming.

  • @adamesd3699

    @adamesd3699

    10 ай бұрын

    @@MrJuanmarin99 Yeah, that makes sense. Thanks

  • @youcantata
    @youcantata2 жыл бұрын

    I have visited North Korea early 2000's and I saw nearly every mountains that meet my eyes are completely barren as l travel along the poorly paved road. Deforestation at its utmost. Not a single tree or green cover on the hills. They look just like desert or scene on Mars from National Geographics TV. No wonder that they experience eternal cycle of flood and drought. They will need tree on the hill, lots of them to recover her agricultural productivity and food self-sufficiency.

  • @harryhuang1439

    @harryhuang1439

    2 жыл бұрын

    Good luck growing trees on lime stone.

  • @gillsejusbates6938

    @gillsejusbates6938

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@harryhuang1439 good luck raping your soil for years and years and then blame it on limestone

  • @harryhuang1439

    @harryhuang1439

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@gillsejusbates6938 well, that is kind of the state of condition now. Thanks for the sanction from democratic countries, trees need to be chopped so more people can survive for the time been. But thanks for the hindsight wisdom.

  • @patriotenfield3276

    @patriotenfield3276

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@harryhuang1439 even with sanctions Cubans didn't have to face starvation. they faced other problems but starvation was not one of them. same for Apartheid South Africa. your fat boss eats all that wheat and makes nukes to threaten everyone.

  • @harryhuang1439

    @harryhuang1439

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@patriotenfield3276 right, you can shift Cuba to the same altitude as north Korea and try again.

  • @shanehanson6013
    @shanehanson60132 жыл бұрын

    They take 70% of farm production because they have an insanely large army to feed.

  • @fenzelian

    @fenzelian

    Жыл бұрын

    Classic Marxist mismanagement - since the only people who can exploit you are “capitalists” they ignore the damage they do when they deprive workers of the surplus value of their labor to serve the other parts of their operation. They are not capitalists therefore it cannot be exploitation, right?

  • @BobZed
    @BobZed Жыл бұрын

    Double cropping isn't necessarily a bad idea, but you need to chose your crops wisely. Potatoes plus more potatoes is a really bad idea. Potatoes plus beans or alfalfa can work.

  • @mogreen19
    @mogreen19 Жыл бұрын

    Great content as usual. I am from West Berlin and cannot see North Korea as either "DPRK" or "communist". With grandfather, father and son running the country north korean hereditary leadership is more like royalty or kings, but I also see the Kims as a crime family. North Korean Mafia Kings may be the most appropriate title.

  • @darren8608

    @darren8608

    Жыл бұрын

    you might realize one day that the similarities between the two is by design

  • @hananokuni2580

    @hananokuni2580

    9 ай бұрын

    I often say that the DPRK is Joseon Dynasty 2.0 .

  • @mudra5114

    @mudra5114

    9 ай бұрын

    Communist run countries are mafia by default.

  • @tylersoto7465

    @tylersoto7465

    9 ай бұрын

    Would be cool and funny for a country to go to war against a bunch of gangster Mafia lol

  • @hyderabbasi
    @hyderabbasi Жыл бұрын

    Really admire the extensive research that went into this. I learned a lot.

  • @paulbangert6005
    @paulbangert60052 жыл бұрын

    In a different video someone said that the people are starving because their government wants them to, and I thought that was a really interesting perspective. If you worry about your food every day and you're hungry constantly, you don't have enough brain capacity to worry about anything else, especially not about the lies of the government or even trying to leave the country, simply because all you want is to make that hunger feeling go away. And if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. When I work or just do something in my free time and I get really hungry all of a sudden, everything else suddenly matters way less than it did before. I lose my focus at work, my fun during my free time and many of my worries, because I really just want to eat something. The government could do so much to improve all of this but I'm sure they're well aware that if the population had enough food and people wouldn't be hungry anymore, there would be too much capacity to think about different things, like discrepancies in the stories that the government comes up with. People wouldn't have that pressure of trying to grow enough food to survive. It's essentially just a massive balancing act between leaving the population hungry and occupied enough so that they obey, while at the same time giving them enough food so they don't die. The massive famine disturbed that balance and led to a lot of death.

  • @guyukassman7705

    @guyukassman7705

    2 жыл бұрын

    What a bullcrap. You think the people of North Korea didn't knew BEFORE the starvation that their government is trash? With or without starving, they were and still are very loyal to their government because of brainwashing and cowardice.

  • @dannyzero692

    @dannyzero692

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@guyukassman7705 I believe they slowly think that their government is trash after multiple famines and economic failures, remember that the people who founded North Korea was fighting for it. People wanted that communist government and they got it, after multiple failures by the government they don't like it anymore but the government got too powerful to stop.

  • @Dutch_Uncle

    @Dutch_Uncle

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@guyukassman7705 And, people who are absolutely starving do not revolt. The revolts come as things get better. In the NK context, the only possible revolt would be some type of military coup, which seems unlikely as it would force out the military.

  • @dannydaw59

    @dannydaw59

    Жыл бұрын

    They can't keep the military fed. Gotta feed the military so that they can put down revolts/uprisings.

  • @dplocksmith91

    @dplocksmith91

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Dutch_Uncle which is why North Korea will never be free until their military is destroyed. When China collapses, North Korea will be in big trouble. Their chief benefactor will be gone, and with it, the military's main source of food. When the military starts starving, they will be vulnerable, and that's when they will attempt to pillage South Korea, which is when South Korea, the *real* Korea, should end North Korea's existence, with help from the US and others.

  • @catsspat
    @catsspat2 жыл бұрын

    17:07 A good example of, "just claiming something does not make it true." Building at the top left corner says, "We are happy." (hengbok = happiness, contentment, satisfaction, etc.) I'd venture to guess that most people seeing that huge sign at the top of the building don't agree.

  • @jellybr3ak

    @jellybr3ak

    2 жыл бұрын

    Lol, we have something just like that in Vietnam, every new year, they hang a banner cheering the government and that banner will sit there until next year. People in countries like us doesn't care. We are just trying to survive.

  • @indianatarzan8001

    @indianatarzan8001

    2 жыл бұрын

    China recently claimed their most valuable company is TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Corporation). Countries that implement information firewall across their borders love making ridiculous claims.

  • @Kirillissimus

    @Kirillissimus

    2 жыл бұрын

    It does not matter what people think and whether they agree or not. As long as most of them prefer to stay quiet you can just pretend that truth does not even exist and replace it with whatever suits you best and you will all just carry on with it, right until you just can't anymore.

  • @nowisthetimetochange
    @nowisthetimetochange2 жыл бұрын

    Awesome to see this channel grow so big.

  • @stumccabe
    @stumccabe2 жыл бұрын

    Very thorough. Excellent presentation.

  • @gtbsbe3465
    @gtbsbe34652 жыл бұрын

    seriously amazing content, presented with lovely graphics and images as opposed to basic stock footage. definitely deserve more attention, keep up the work!

  • @kicapanmanis1060
    @kicapanmanis10602 жыл бұрын

    15:52 Housewives of North Korea. Now that would be an interesting reality show.

  • @TWEAKLET

    @TWEAKLET

    2 жыл бұрын

    way better than half the fake reality tv shows we have today

  • @pranayamfamily
    @pranayamfamily2 жыл бұрын

    I have been following the channel for some time now and you have brought us another good video to understand what is going on in Asia, if and when you can do a video on North Korea's ballistic and nuclear programme. It is impressive the tenacity of these people.

  • @GibbonsTake

    @GibbonsTake

    Жыл бұрын

    He does things not tirelessly already covered by western media

  • @RussellCambell
    @RussellCambell Жыл бұрын

    I was in Japan 1992 to 94. 93 was so rainy the rice didn't grow well due to lack of sun. They imported rice... There was a volcano in the Phillipines (Pinatumbo) a few years earlier 1991 . I wonder if North Korea experienced more of the same.

  • @AC-nr1xh
    @AC-nr1xh Жыл бұрын

    There are some mistakes: double-crop is not mean that you can get two haverst potato in one field the same year (this is not possible in Korean climat). Double crop means that you can grow, for instance, barley in winter and spring and corn in summer in the same field. This also mean crop-rotation, very good if alternate legumes and corn. Second, barley can be sown in winter or in spring. In both cases harvest will be in summer. Winter is better, because the crop have more time to grow, but sometimes weather, or lack of tractors, don't allowed to sown all the barley in winter or before winter, so farmer should sown it in spring. There are not little tractors in Korea for little plots? I have only seen little tractors in huge fields😅. Thank you, this channel help me to study English and polit-economy.

  • @creatoruser736
    @creatoruser7362 жыл бұрын

    It should also be mentioned that with North Korea closing their borders due to COVID-19 they're in danger of facing starvation conditions right now. They've even admitted food troubles and a lot of their pronouncements recently have had to do with food security and reassuring their people they're trying to look after them.

  • @xboxstudent

    @xboxstudent

    2 жыл бұрын

    They closed their borders, but the ships from Vietnam and trains from China still bringing rice to their ports and stations anyway. So they'll be fine

  • @winnieid2727

    @winnieid2727

    2 жыл бұрын

    It's hard to simpatize with country that prefer buying b* *mb or mi* *ile rather than foods for it's people.

  • @skylarkesselring6075

    @skylarkesselring6075

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@winnieid2727 no one's asking you to feel bad for the DPRK, but for the majority of the people living there with no say in any of this

  • @MusicalMemeology

    @MusicalMemeology

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@winnieid2727 why did you censor bomb and missile?

  • @sizor3ds

    @sizor3ds

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@MusicalMemeology I’ve seen people do similar things with words on KZread’s demonetized list, but never for bomb and missile

  • @johnbutz9200
    @johnbutz9200 Жыл бұрын

    Excellent work. Thank you!

  • @omggiiirl2077
    @omggiiirl20772 жыл бұрын

    Sadly this has been a problem since time immemorial. All the invasions wars and migrations haven't helped either. The history of the area literally changed the environment before there was even a Joseon. It's why North Korean cuisine features more potatoes corn beans and other grains like millet and barley because it's was hard to grow rice. From what my Grandfather used to tell my Mom, he said those were the crops used as staples because the weather is so extreme, and rice is grown as widely as South Korea. I just hope a day comes where a 38th parallel doesn't exist, and our people can care for eachother freely without involvement from outsiders.

  • @SelfProclaimedEmperor

    @SelfProclaimedEmperor

    Жыл бұрын

    South Korea and North Korea can unite...but the Kim family demands they be in charge of a unified Korea. This is the biggest problem.

  • @cookingwithchefjeff

    @cookingwithchefjeff

    Жыл бұрын

    @@SelfProclaimedEmperor The ChiCom government would rather the Kim's be in charge, too. The last thing they want is a unified free Korea on their border.

  • @edsnotgod

    @edsnotgod

    Жыл бұрын

    Xenophobe alert

  • @shareeve7597

    @shareeve7597

    Жыл бұрын

    @@edsnotgod East Asian doing East Asian shit~ it's okay when they talk shit about others but not them.

  • @reginajanelilianapatterson5838

    @reginajanelilianapatterson5838

    Жыл бұрын

    @@cookingwithchefjeff It's true. The only reason, really, that China provides any support to North Korea is because they want a commie shithole between them and a free Asian country; China IS still an actual ally of North Korea and they DO NOT honour international sanctions agaisnt them. With Japan, they have the ocean between them and internet censorship out the ass to limit access to free world ideas, but if all of Korea were a free country, China would find it harder to stymie the influences of the free world from influencing their people who are largely silently resistant to the amount of authoritarianism they have to deal with. The Chinese voices you hear which sound patriotic and protective of the Communist Party's 'face' are those who fear telling us what they really feel or are part of what has become known as the "Fifty Cent Party", who are paid to deflect criticism of the CCP and to criticize free world ideas to make the CCP look more appealing to foreigners. Protip: these "50-cent people" love bringing up old historical issues relating to racism, skeevy business scandals, and unpopular political moves as 'proof' of the crimes of capitalism and democracy when we Americans have LONG addressed and redressed those issues (and still are redressing some of them today). They are, to us, ancient history and, thus, irrelevant.... so don't let these assholes deflect and those weak rebuttals when you encounter them and end up in a political/economic/civil liberties debate.

  • @XiaosChannel
    @XiaosChannel2 жыл бұрын

    It's interesting when this is compared to what happens today in china, where central government set up goals, and its up to lower government to achieve them with means as they see fit, it's usually several pilot programs at the same time and supposedly those achieving good results get to be implemented in broader area

  • @boyahboy09
    @boyahboy092 жыл бұрын

    Please do a video on the Cuban economy and how it's survived thus far. I think most people who even lean towards socialism don't have any real understanding of how cuba works including myself. Much appreciated.

  • @penguinpingu3807

    @penguinpingu3807

    2 жыл бұрын

    Honestly I want to see what happens if America lift it's embargo on Cuba. Because if it's a failed state, then why not lift the embargo and make it fail on its own.

  • @MusicalMemeology

    @MusicalMemeology

    2 жыл бұрын

    It’s called asianometry though.

  • @Jetsetlemming

    @Jetsetlemming

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@penguinpingu3807 Cuba isn't remotely a failed state lmao. They even regularly offer medical aid to the US when natural disasters hit (getting turned down by the US government of course).

  • @victorhopper6774

    @victorhopper6774

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@Jetsetlemming oh please, their largest export is people.

  • @boyahboy09

    @boyahboy09

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@MusicalMemeology he sometimes does videos on the Soviet union etc and other places. I don't see why he wouldn't do one. It would just be great to have an actual analyst breakdown the Cuban situation.

  • @kc_1018
    @kc_10182 жыл бұрын

    Prior to the Khmer Rouge communists taking over Cambodia, Cambodia had one province (Battambang Province) that could feed the whole country of 6.5 million at the time. Sure, the country was poor, but the country already had self-reliance when it came to food. When the Khmer Rouge imposed collectivization practices and their principle of self-reliance, the country suffered two famines.

  • @oggypilestro6343

    @oggypilestro6343

    2 жыл бұрын

    Through out history these animals get into power, I hope one day they can eliminated before they get into power

  • @defectiverevolutionaryandr1188

    @defectiverevolutionaryandr1188

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@oggypilestro6343 based

  • @williamrosenbloom215

    @williamrosenbloom215

    Жыл бұрын

    @@defectiverevolutionaryandr1188 is based good or bad?

  • @defectiverevolutionaryandr1188

    @defectiverevolutionaryandr1188

    Жыл бұрын

    @@williamrosenbloom215 good. Very good.

  • @sarasarita8855

    @sarasarita8855

    Жыл бұрын

    @@oggypilestro6343 ironically these "animals" were highly supported by the US and were eliminated by other communists (Vietnam) :D

  • @andrewmcphee8965
    @andrewmcphee8965 Жыл бұрын

    Great video, just found your channel. Subscribed, thank you!

  • @flyingspirit3549
    @flyingspirit35492 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for this highly informative summary of the sad history of North Korea.

  • @scarybird977
    @scarybird9772 жыл бұрын

    Hey! Excellent video, I am curious as to what sources you used and would like to see them so I can learn more about the subject. Thank you!

  • @cyzcyt
    @cyzcyt2 жыл бұрын

    Alternate title: How to squander half a century of industrial lead

  • @blenderbanana

    @blenderbanana

    2 жыл бұрын

    Have it obliterated by the United States of America?

  • @Nicholas-qf8vx

    @Nicholas-qf8vx

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@blenderbanana economic lead or not there are still gulags, if you need to shove a large chunk of your population in a prison in order for you to thrive its not a good system

  • @blenderbanana

    @blenderbanana

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@Nicholas-qf8vx .6% of North Koreans are being kept as chattle in the Gulag System. Americans who have served time (In Prison) for Non-Violent Drug-Offenses, is about 1.4% of the Population. Coupled with the Addendum of the 13th Amendment, and the History of "American Justice" throughout the twentiest century, Our own depravity is revealed.

  • @kerosblue5609

    @kerosblue5609

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@blenderbanana Em where did you get this information?

  • @blenderbanana

    @blenderbanana

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@kerosblue5609 N Korea's was easy, just google it. America's has to be pieced together from "Americans who have served time in Prison" and "# of Americans who have served time for Non-Violent Drug Offenses" and such

  • @RobSchofield
    @RobSchofield Жыл бұрын

    Great analysis & overview.

  • @KanishQQuotes
    @KanishQQuotes2 жыл бұрын

    North Korea is as if the great leap forward and holodomor had a radioactive baby

  • @WesstLmfao
    @WesstLmfao2 жыл бұрын

    your videos are amazing!

  • @wbwarren57
    @wbwarren572 жыл бұрын

    Great video! Thank you.

  • @oyny
    @oyny10 ай бұрын

    Great informative video👍

  • @DarknessUnresolved
    @DarknessUnresolved2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! For this educated and non-bias video.

  • @cageybee7221
    @cageybee72212 жыл бұрын

    17:00 holy shit. my *city* has a GDP of 23 billion. it's a city of 200k people. our manufacturing sector's GDP alone is 3x larger than the entire state budget of north korea. that's fucking insane.

  • @Golmar_227

    @Golmar_227

    2 жыл бұрын

    What city do you live in?

  • @cageybee7221

    @cageybee7221

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@Golmar_227 nowhere special, just a mid-size city in northern indiana.

  • @NUCLEARARMAMENT

    @NUCLEARARMAMENT

    2 жыл бұрын

    North Korea has a GDP of at least $150-$300 billion. Capitalists really love to lie.

  • @haechiwr

    @haechiwr

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@NUCLEARARMAMENT 🤣🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭

  • @aa-vk6hd

    @aa-vk6hd

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@NUCLEARARMAMENT Not true

  • @elielhdz2503
    @elielhdz25032 жыл бұрын

    thanks for yet another great vid

  • @misdrevenous
    @misdrevenous8 ай бұрын

    I love your content! Subscribed 😍

  • @haruruben
    @haruruben2 жыл бұрын

    From what I’ve read, there was a long time period after the war where the North was doing much better than the South due to contracts from Soviets and CCP, now of course the South has them beat a few hundred times over

  • @haruruben

    @haruruben

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@armamentarmedarm1699 cut of 90% of any country’s trade and they would do poorly, the trick is don’t get your trade cut off. Kim could have trade and prosperity right now

  • @jacksonneedham2792

    @jacksonneedham2792

    Жыл бұрын

    @@haruruben yeah if he bent over backwards, let himself get penetrated, and personally helped the us build bases with nuclear weapons on the country Do you understand what your argument sounds like? “Yeah we could not let them starve but they won’t listen to everything we say so uh, yeah sorry”

  • @Bonedagi

    @Bonedagi

    Жыл бұрын

    There was a time when they were outperforming even Communist China in terms of individual well-being.

  • @haruruben

    @haruruben

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Bonedagi that was back in the 80’s, the North had a lot of different manufacturing contracts with the Soviet Union that boosted the economy but that ended with the failure of the USSR

  • @aoh4905

    @aoh4905

    Жыл бұрын

    @@armamentarmedarm1699 low iq comment

  • @robertsolimanm7031
    @robertsolimanm70312 жыл бұрын

    Your statement at the beginning of this video was a fresh breath of truth so many fake stats are propaganda riddled on other videos I’m happy ypu began by making this point well done

  • @njerurichard3581
    @njerurichard35812 жыл бұрын

    This video is basically my favorite youtuber covering one of my favorite subjects. I have 2 youtube accounts; and i'm subscribed to you on both. Keep up the good work.

  • @davidcunningham2074
    @davidcunningham2074 Жыл бұрын

    very factual. challenged many of my misconceptions.

  • @Technobabylon
    @Technobabylon Жыл бұрын

    I had the opportunity for a six month job posting in the DPRK with the British Council a few years ago - it would have been *fascinating* (which I don't mean as an endorsement), but my wife vetoed it.

  • @BungieStudios

    @BungieStudios

    Жыл бұрын

    I know your pain.

  • @lombardo141

    @lombardo141

    Жыл бұрын

    She probably saved your life. Anything could offend the dear leader and who knows what could happen to you

  • @patrickglaser1560

    @patrickglaser1560

    4 ай бұрын

    Wife seems wiser than thou

  • @user-vj6gp7df6s
    @user-vj6gp7df6s Жыл бұрын

    I've been to North Korea near Chinese border. All their hills are turned into arrable land sparsely planted with corn. The lack of appropriate farming tech and fertilizer and the degeneration of land made farming very inefficient.

  • @theknifedude1881
    @theknifedude1881 Жыл бұрын

    Asianometry is one of the VERY FEW KZread channels I put on Patreon after the first video. I’m retired and other than walking the dog and riding my ebikes/motorcycles (with Baby, the 12.5# Pekingese in the basket) I watch a lot of KZread. Thanks for the videos/information. I spent a month in Hong Kong and Mainland China in 2007 and loved it. I’m afraid, what with Covid and and our respective administrations it’s probably not going to be on my “To Do” list in the near future. Thanks again for the videos.

  • @silentone11111111
    @silentone11111111 Жыл бұрын

    Great work. Loving the channel

  • @nikolatasev4948
    @nikolatasev49482 жыл бұрын

    All this feels even more tragic when you remember North Korea spends Billions on nukes and ballistic missiles.

  • @Vinzmannn

    @Vinzmannn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Throwing money at the problem wouldn't solve the obvious lack of know how

  • @user-lh7mp4jg4o

    @user-lh7mp4jg4o

    2 жыл бұрын

    if it doesn't have it, US imperialism will invade it immediately like middle Asia. it's right

  • @vietnamsemonky4082

    @vietnamsemonky4082

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@user-lh7mp4jg4o literally what are you talking about lol, we have no reason to invade a country that we very much like having as a buffer state between S.Korea and China. North Korea offers us nothing in terms of invading it other than so many more problems. Are you from China?

  • @AussieFlavio

    @AussieFlavio

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@user-lh7mp4jg4o And they'd be so much better off if it happened, too!

  • @user-lh7mp4jg4o

    @user-lh7mp4jg4o

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@AussieFlavio no, people in the country can decide their fate own, if they want to rebel, it's their own business. any imperialism and colonism can never be accepted. these several hundred years, imperilism and colonism have killed billions death, just India famines under uk colonism caused over 100 million peasants starve. and the slaughter by imperialism killed entire races in Australia and America. Africa slaves also died millions for US imperialism slave trade. let people themselves decide. US imperialism has make millions people death in such as Afghanistan, they just launch war for profit and don't care people death

  • @Kolar522
    @Kolar5222 жыл бұрын

    As a farmer I recommend you look up the SK JADAM method of farming. All my neighbours are now starting to implement some degrees of this method and I believe that cultivating and multiplying microorganisms is key to high production.

  • @bakedbean37

    @bakedbean37

    2 жыл бұрын

    It's odd isn't it? Loads of people, all over the world, learning about natural farming methods from SK and yet, over the border, .............

  • @burkanottere9692
    @burkanottere96922 жыл бұрын

    Hi, could you make a video about Amkor? The founder is also pretty interesting, too. He Had basically two big companys and one of those he sold to 1bn+ to Gamestop back in the days.

  • @pjacobsen1000
    @pjacobsen10002 жыл бұрын

    North Korea: The eternal tragedy.

  • @sinoroman

    @sinoroman

    2 жыл бұрын

    Has potential but cannot access it since food is still critical

  • @appa609

    @appa609

    2 жыл бұрын

    Except it's not eternal! It was basically the same as SK until the fall of the Soviet Union.

  • @pjacobsen1000

    @pjacobsen1000

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@appa609 SK started pulling ahead already in the 70s.

  • @kasugaryuichi9767

    @kasugaryuichi9767

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@armamentarmedarm1699 Or perhaps communist countries are always on the path to starvation

  • @kasugaryuichi9767

    @kasugaryuichi9767

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@armamentarmedarm1699 that's because communism is brain rot for countries, weakening them from inside

  • @Herr_Damit
    @Herr_Damit2 жыл бұрын

    A lot of states are not independent with their food, but it's not as bad when you are able to trade with the world.

  • @AlexandrDarius
    @AlexandrDarius Жыл бұрын

    Long story short: Communism. In the USSR of 70s, only 5 % of the agricultural land was privately farmed (i.e. small plots), but produced up to 35 % of the country agricultural output. This should answer everything we need to know.

  • @Dearest_Kenyetta
    @Dearest_Kenyetta Жыл бұрын

    Love your channel and content.

  • @montecorbit8280
    @montecorbit82808 ай бұрын

    FYI: I just googled arable in the US. I don't remember how many million hectares....but it came out to be 16.8%.

  • @DC9848
    @DC98482 жыл бұрын

    They have vast coastlines, so why not aquaculture starting with growing algae that can be used as part of human diet as well. Secondly they have significant labor at their usage so reforestation would be easier (many trees can produce also fruits and food)

  • @SK-hm3ze

    @SK-hm3ze

    2 жыл бұрын

    they grow seaweed but it does not contain any sufficient amount of calories, like potato or crop. fruits do not grow in the northern climate

  • @topixfromthetropix1674

    @topixfromthetropix1674

    2 жыл бұрын

    China has aquaculture on its seacoast and when there is a big storm, small islands of seaweed float around and kids lie on them and float around. The coastline of North Korea is extremely rugged with mountains sometimes entering the sea. Almost any market in NE China will have seaweed and kelp in stock so it obviously is a viable option.

  • @RoseNZieg

    @RoseNZieg

    2 жыл бұрын

    reforestation is impossible. the demand for wood exceeds the planted trees. trees take years to mature and yield woods without being cut down themselves.

  • @bristoled93

    @bristoled93

    Жыл бұрын

    @@armamentarmedarm1699 The sanctions are to stop weapons and luxury goods from getting into North Korea and to stop the regime from making money to buy those things.

  • @w.reidripley1968

    @w.reidripley1968

    Жыл бұрын

    @@SK-hm3ze IIRC they cannot manage to grow strawberries. Unsuitable climate.

  • @paul_the_merciful
    @paul_the_merciful2 жыл бұрын

    interesting.. 1990's I lived in Thailand.. refugees arrived via China and entered via northern Thailand . how can they afford missiles and nuclear weapons.. if they have no food .?

  • @PsilocybinCocktail

    @PsilocybinCocktail

    2 жыл бұрын

    Pakistani dictator Bhutto put it well: "We will eat grass if we have to, but we WILL have a nuclear weapon". Said because India had demonstrated their ability to create nuclear warheads. Of course, when he says "we" in relation to food, he actually means "I'm going to have 5 square meals a day, the peasants can suffer instead."

  • @brose2323

    @brose2323

    2 жыл бұрын

    Just think of how Britain used inflatable tanks during ww2. I'm of the mindset that much of what you see on north Korea video footage is bluster and propaganda, quiet frankly not a very good job.

  • @Matixmer
    @Matixmer Жыл бұрын

    „And what does the government do about it.“ A sentence that would make me sceptical with the most functional of governments and we are talking about North Korea here …

  • @spritemon98

    @spritemon98

    Жыл бұрын

    "The farmers are keeping food for themselves!!"

  • @Sunzen44

    @Sunzen44

    Жыл бұрын

    @@spritemon98 kulaks and farmers are not the same.. Same way domesticated cats and lions aren't the same You can try mix-matching them all you want but it will never be same shit

  • @spritemon98

    @spritemon98

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Sunzen44 it's a joke

  • @Sunzen44

    @Sunzen44

    Жыл бұрын

    @@spritemon98 mb I seen too many ironic comment

  • @currentbatches6205
    @currentbatches62052 жыл бұрын

    4:22 - With the exact opposite result. 7:13 - One of the books by a defector made it clear that the only legal option was starvation; trading or scavenging for food were illegal, stealing it ditto, and there was no government ration. 8:40 - The Army eats first. 13:02 - But they can afford research for nukes and delivery systems. 16:45 - Again, the Army eats first.

  • @currentbatches6205

    @currentbatches6205

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@armamentarmedarm1699 Yes, but I was mistaken; it was written by Sandra Fahy, not a refugee. "Marching Through Suffering", pg.131: "...the North Korean government placed national sovereignty above the well being of its population, all the while failing to provide a legal means of sustaining life."

  • @LuciFeric137
    @LuciFeric1372 жыл бұрын

    Im enjoying your geopolitical insight.

  • @fraktaalimuoto
    @fraktaalimuoto2 жыл бұрын

    I like again how you can talk about a challenging subject in a reasonably neutral tone.

  • @porkysharma8423

    @porkysharma8423

    2 жыл бұрын

    *"neutral tone" but slightly bias.

  • @sethabel4315
    @sethabel4315 Жыл бұрын

    Good documentary. That is high praise from me.

  • @MiguelMorales85
    @MiguelMorales85 Жыл бұрын

    Keep up the good work

  • @irvingchies1626
    @irvingchies16262 жыл бұрын

    North Korea starves because big chungus eats everything

  • @testaccount4191

    @testaccount4191

    2 жыл бұрын

    even he has been getting a bit thinner as of late

  • @Fireclaws10
    @Fireclaws102 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for making an actual good, fact based video about Nk. People uncritically quoting Radio Free Asia doesn’t paint a real picture of the problems NK faces.

  • @notsharingwithyoutube
    @notsharingwithyoutube10 ай бұрын

    You make really good videos. 🙂

  • @colinjohnston5734
    @colinjohnston57349 ай бұрын

    Ya here in Canada we got some of the best soil and still a 2nd crop means you need a forest fire and rain at perfect time or your growing grass. Then you can do 3 if your lucky.

  • @JonMartinYXD
    @JonMartinYXD2 жыл бұрын

    1:15 and 1:45 look so nice. Terribly sad that so many people in what could be such a nice place are suffering under a horrible, illegitimate regime.

  • @remcovanvliet3018

    @remcovanvliet3018

    2 жыл бұрын

    Every regime is illegitimate. But some are more horrible than others. The Kim family and their cronies certainly deserve to suffer terribly and die very, very slowly for what they've done to their countrymen.

  • @JonMartinYXD

    @JonMartinYXD

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@remcovanvliet3018 Yeah I added the word just to emphasize that there is no "government of North Korea". In fact there is no "North" Korea. There is just the Republic of Korea, the northern half of which, sadly, is controlled by a hereditary gang of criminals propped up by China and Russia.

  • @edwardsnowden8821

    @edwardsnowden8821

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@JonMartinYXD keep on lying to yourself

  • @JonMartinYXD

    @JonMartinYXD

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@edwardsnowden8821 What? Could you explain what I said that you disagree with and why?

  • @oracuda

    @oracuda

    2 жыл бұрын

    LONG LIVE THE ETERNAL LEADER KIM IL SUNG LONG LIVE KIM JONG IL LONG LIVE KIMN JONG UN

  • @SafetyBriefer
    @SafetyBriefer2 жыл бұрын

    15:01 Pretty bold to have a picture of a dude reading a book on your book.

  • @andro7862
    @andro78622 жыл бұрын

    The north korean regime is the strongest on Earth. It has tried every trick in the book to destroy itself, yet it is still here.

  • @ChickenMcThiccken

    @ChickenMcThiccken

    2 жыл бұрын

    it hasn't fallen; because the people still fear the ruler and are very malnourished to fight a war. most of the food is grown for the military. very little is kept for the farmers and their families. in the end; the population will fall. not very many are having children. why would a north korean man; have a child he knows; will grow up in poverty and live under that type of regime? not gonna happen. kim is going to be dead by the end of this decade. people who go from morbidly obese to slim in one year ; and on top of that ; go through a massive heart attack and almost dying at the operating table; but 1 year later; look like it never happened? yeah no. his time is coming.

  • @fduranthesee

    @fduranthesee

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@ChickenMcThicckenNgl, I wish DPRK and China would collapse _FASTER._ I hate being an Accelerationist in times like this - everything feels so goddamned SLOW.

  • @y-mefarm4249
    @y-mefarm4249 Жыл бұрын

    One thing I never see in any photos or video is livestock. They seem to grow grass quite well. I am a sheep farmer, I grow organic veggies and hay for my sheep. I constantly rotate my sheep and my crops. Every few years I switch my sheep pastures and veggie fields. The sheep pasture is extremely fertile, perfect for my veggies. My veggie fields are still good and grow grass perfect for my sheep. I never once had to bring in fertilizer. On 60 acres we produce tons of veggies every year. And enough meat to feed dozens of families. We are just a small operation.

  • @boobbbers
    @boobbbers2 жыл бұрын

    Claiming Kim Jong Il invented the burrito doesn't actually feed a population.

  • @Fireclaws10

    @Fireclaws10

    2 жыл бұрын

    Imagine actually believing the bullshit Radio Free Asia puts out about Nk

  • @Trico450

    @Trico450

    2 жыл бұрын

    While the north korea has bizarre propaganda but most of that propaganda is literal bs they don't actually say that kind of stuff.

  • @patriotenfield3276

    @patriotenfield3276

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@Fireclaws10 this was actually done .

  • @erozionzeall6371

    @erozionzeall6371

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@patriotenfield3276 source?

  • @oracuda

    @oracuda

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@erozionzeall6371 trust me bro

  • @ButterNoToast
    @ButterNoToast2 жыл бұрын

    Imagine being a farmer in North Korea and bring hungry… being unable to eat the fruits of your hard work only cause others want it.

  • @veramae4098

    @veramae4098

    Жыл бұрын

    This happened to Ukraine under Stalin. Stalin wanted to show the world how well his policies were working so he exported massive amounts of grain ... which had been stripped from Ukrainian farms and Ukrainians starved to death.

  • @joriankell1983

    @joriankell1983

    Жыл бұрын

    @@veramae4098 the Holodomor

  • @treborobotacon
    @treborobotacon8 ай бұрын

    Imagine your country starving to death and not being allowed to grow a backyard garden because it's private property and not socialist.

  • @monikamichaelis-iw3to
    @monikamichaelis-iw3to Жыл бұрын

    Ron Charles, you are so right.

  • @olanrewajuihenacho178
    @olanrewajuihenacho1782 жыл бұрын

    My favourite story is of the German export of twelve giant (over 10kg/22lb) rabbits for an official government breeding programme which were all instead eaten immediately upon arrival at a presidential banquet🤣🤣🤣🤣🤦🏿👎🏿🇬🇧

  • @geofjones9

    @geofjones9

    Жыл бұрын

    Just crazy enough to be true. Kim Jong Il only cares about one person, himself!

  • @haruruben
    @haruruben2 жыл бұрын

    7:00 wait- they put people in jail for foraging????? Like “foraging” meaning like looking for berries and roots in the forest? Why? That makes no sense

  • @karenmahoney584
    @karenmahoney584 Жыл бұрын

    There is a desire in American to do animal husbandry and limited agriculture of other reasons. I didn't realize the bags of topsoil come from South America, because where else would they come from? What if awards are given to those who have their facility visited? We used to pick raspberries, which are recommended as part of your sustainable garden. I grew several grapevines at Fellowship Place, and I can't believe they would be that dumb not to get the imagery. My mother doesn't have any excuse for weeding them, because she is supported by the authorities, and I really think our adversaries took the grapevines. Someone asked me today about the farmstand, and I said I don't want to spend time on it. They say the Green wouldn't be used for that, and there isn't enough space between the City buildings. Peaches are not hard in Connecticut and squash is supposed to be indigenous. I grew them two big for the refrigerator, which it feels fantastic to have an endless supply, but I think they are small now because of the bees. Remember how the authorities said they must be picked when small? It would work to have one cow, although I don't know about a goat. (It might be cruel.)

  • @mt8956
    @mt89562 жыл бұрын

    With the cyber capabilities & stealing money/making counterfeit am surprised they haven’t made Hydroponics or Vertical Farming. They can use their Cyber capabilities to good use and get funds to buy the equipment from China or Russia.

  • @jellybr3ak

    @jellybr3ak

    2 жыл бұрын

    All that money went back into the pocket of Kim family to buy the loyalty of the top officers. Why spend 10 on farming when 1 for farming and 1 for loyalty and keeping the rest.

  • @sizor3ds

    @sizor3ds

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hydroponics and vertical farming as well as community permaculture gardens are great for food security of communities, but are harder to manage (by bureau) and tax than traditional wheat, rice, or corn farms. So while it would be much better for the people, it would be worse for a government trying to cling to power

  • @tylersoto7465

    @tylersoto7465

    9 ай бұрын

    True, north Korea could be a strong country If they loosen up on strict economic policies and let capitalism in like China, north Korea has large deposits of resources like high grade coal, iron , nickel, tungsten etc to be a industrial power

  • @cow1816
    @cow18162 жыл бұрын

    Just to remind everyone that China and Russia have even both talked about sanctioning NK before, that's just how bad the North Korean government is. At least Russia allows access to the outside world and China has food and medical service.

  • @multidoor6928

    @multidoor6928

    2 жыл бұрын

    Russia is no longer the way you described it lol.

  • @Nestalgba92023

    @Nestalgba92023

    Жыл бұрын

    CCP's China sanctioning NK, like really?

  • @cow1816

    @cow1816

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Nestalgba92023 NK has threatened China and Russia before over silly things, making both Russia and China view NK in a less favorable light.

  • @cow1816

    @cow1816

    Жыл бұрын

    @@multidoor6928 yeah lol

  • @xavieryates9782
    @xavieryates97822 жыл бұрын

    It would be good to have some reliable data on the levels of overall health in North Korea. I was wondering simply because, here in the West, I believe that we have all become spoiled by overabundance, the result of which has been extremely detrimental to our overall health. Also, it was noted that as result of the shortages in food supplies during WWII, a very clear increase in population health was noticed, even in the face of near-famine (in some cases). I’m aware that, most likely, the overall population health of North Korea may not be a priority for the government, but I simply want to know if this [relative] lack of availability of food has somehow had the side effect of increasing overall health there.

  • @alpcns

    @alpcns

    2 жыл бұрын

    It hasn't. Even defectors from their (colossal) Army - receiving the best foods - are riddled with parasites and diseases, with evidence of them eating tree bark and grass. Just ask any doctor treating refugees and defectors. There's a reason why these tyrannical systems fail. Even China has fake foods and toxic foods, as well as food shortages.

  • @xavieryates9782

    @xavieryates9782

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@alpcns Thank you for responding. Sure, if there’s veritable (i.e. objective) hard data on it, I would have to yield to it. Of course, given the undeniable bias of those who oppose North Korea (which, although perhaps well-justified would still generate a bias anyway) would somehow find its way towards manipulation of objective data. It’s just that, because of my background in Mathematics, I tend to be a bit of a purist when it comes to data and the application of logic [to it] to derive an objective truth. Any scientific approach worth its salt MUST consider any elements that might pollute the objective data, that’s all. In today’s world we find that, unfortunately, governments and economic interests indeed manipulate data to fit their corresponding agendas, and this is what I wholeheartedly reject. We should deal in only the objective, unaltered, and complete truth that untouched data brings us.

  • @alpcns

    @alpcns

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@xavieryates9782 You're most welcome - and absolutely correct. Of course only objective, accurate and complete data will do for (real) science. Maybe it's useful for you to contact refugees (Yeonmi Park comes to mind) and/or others. I used to work and live in South Korea and Asia/Pacific for many years, and know many Korean people in general, including some refugees. So if I can help it will be my pleasure.

  • @xavieryates9782

    @xavieryates9782

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@alpcns Thank you. I lived in Beijing for 3.5 years, but never visited Korea. We are all at the mercy (mostly) of the media in this case, except, of course, people who have actually been in direct contact with refugees, like yourself. Of course, when people visit North Korea, they are given ‘the tour’, are always accompanied by an assigned guide/guardian, and can only visit certain places, not others. This much I do know, but exactly to what extent this famine goes, I, personally have little knowledge of, so I’ll take your account on board and take it from there. Of course, I agree that, at least usually, totalitarian regimes do tend to fall into oppression, and usually end up imploding one way or the other. That being said, I also spent some time in the Middle East (Oman, which is a Sultanate), and most, if not all of those countries are definitely not democratic, but at least in a large number of cases their sovereigns are well-loved by the people and there is extremely little discontent. For example, Oman had a Sultan, who was indeed very protective (genuinely) of his people and was loved immensely. It is a dictatorship (like most of the Middle East), but that does not mean that it is a bad one. In the meantime, here in the West, what we call ‘democracy’ is nothing but a show; a large body of corrupt politicians in collusion with big businesses to squeeze money out of people into their own pockets and those of the companies they answer to. It’s a complete disgrace.

  • @alpcns

    @alpcns

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@xavieryates9782 I agree with much of your observations. It's a sad state of affairs in the West these days. It's also an interesting coincidence that you have experience in the ME as well, where I used to work a lot too about a decade and a half ago (yes, I'm old). Anyway, I wish you much success in your scientific research endeavors, and if I can be of help in any way I'll be happy to do so. Thanks for the nice correspondence!

  • @josefludvikbohm5390
    @josefludvikbohm539011 күн бұрын

    That's one of the saddest things Ive ever heard. And Ive watched "what it's like to be a chaos space marine" right before this. In Czech Republic Im recognizing many of these destructive features of komunist autoritative regimes, although here it's a shadow of what is mentioned in the video. Irreversibly destroying land, peopple and their psyche.😢

  • @lakrids-pibe
    @lakrids-pibe Жыл бұрын

    I was a bit confused by the symbol for Workers' Party of Korea. It has the traditional hammer, a sickle of communism, and then a third thingy? It's a calligraphy brush. I thought it might be a candle or something.

  • @Akrafena

    @Akrafena

    Жыл бұрын

    the brush represents the intellectuals

  • @libraryofpangea7018
    @libraryofpangea7018 Жыл бұрын

    So much of the rise and fall of Nations & Empires really comes down to the soil & how we treat it.

  • @annasoloweszyk5224
    @annasoloweszyk52242 жыл бұрын

    It’s an amazing joke that Un had gone on a diet, while the entire country is starving.

  • @5th_decile
    @5th_decile Жыл бұрын

    12:00 : legumes are good as a natural nitrogen fertilizer (alfalfa certainly, soybean rather hoards the nitrogen for itself), but if artificial fertilizer is cheap and the amount of soil organic matter is the problem, I'm not so sure whether this is the way to go (Legumes could lead to a low C/N ratio). Just being generous with the amount of crop residues that are ploughed in (in stead of being harvested) could be the way to go.

  • @5th_decile

    @5th_decile

    Жыл бұрын

    Also, if they are currently relying on wheat as their staple crop, they should hold back on switching to corn (as happens so often elsewhere in the world) as wheat is already better for the soil than maize.

  • @wanderingquestions7501
    @wanderingquestions75012 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the report

  • @KanishQQuotes
    @KanishQQuotes2 жыл бұрын

    The following Kept on life support by China Cambodia under khmer rogue North Korea since soviet collapse Myanmar (crisis since independence in 1947) Pakistan has practically leased out their entire coastline

  • @cow1816

    @cow1816

    2 жыл бұрын

    China doesn't even like the N.Korean government, Russia and China have both talked about sanctioning N.Korea from just how doctorial it is. N.K constantly shows the world why authoritarianism is bad, which itself is a threat to Russia and China since they try to sweep under the rug how authoritarian their systems are. Pretty much by this point NK is truly alone besides Kim meeting up with Putin every few years. I actually wouldn't be surprised if Russia or China themselves invaded or at least toppled the Korean government.

  • @shauncameron8390

    @shauncameron8390

    Жыл бұрын

    @@armamentarmedarm1699 Yes you can. Sanctions are not a valid excuse for mismanagement and corruption largely to fuel the Kim regime's power-trips.

  • @shauncameron8390

    @shauncameron8390

    Жыл бұрын

    Exactly.

  • @mythos7477
    @mythos74772 жыл бұрын

    "North Korea was removed from the provisions of TWEA in 2008"....why did you skip the part about the IEEPA?

  • @mxr572
    @mxr5722 жыл бұрын

    Kim seems to have done well during the famines.

  • @oracuda

    @oracuda

    2 жыл бұрын

    They didnt let the leader starve noo way literally 1984

  • @surajitmondal823
    @surajitmondal823 Жыл бұрын

    I was surprised when you quoted Amartya Sen, he is hardly known outside of south asia

  • @zacharyyan4898
    @zacharyyan48982 жыл бұрын

    6:30 classic “beggars can’t be choosers” mentality

  • @kieranh2005
    @kieranh20052 жыл бұрын

    It doesn't help that they're still practicing Lysenko-ism.

  • @radicalphil1871
    @radicalphil18712 жыл бұрын

    Just an awesome and very well made documentation! Better than all of what you usually get.

  • @Frenchylikeshikes
    @Frenchylikeshikes2 жыл бұрын

    To summarize: North Korean government has always been incapable of provifing food to its people who were forced to find alternatives.

  • @plantlord1079

    @plantlord1079

    2 жыл бұрын

    Incapable implies that they don't have the ability to help their own people, they do, they just don't want to. For instance, whether it was Kim jong Il or un, I dont remember, an organization offered north korea food assistance in the form of rabbits, since rabbits can give birth to alot more rabbits, it can help with their protein related food problem. Nope, one of those mother fuckers decided to eat all the delivered rabbits that were brought into the country at a fucking party, im amazed how nk is still around.

  • @DruNature

    @DruNature

    2 жыл бұрын

    This is by design to control people, as completely starving populace has no means of resistance because they cannot even think straight.

  • @deusexaethera

    @deusexaethera

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@DruNature : According to some philosophies, only the most devoutly loyal people are deserving of having even their basic human needs met. It's tribal culture writ-large. It's cruel, but also surprisingly effective at ensuring loyalty, because almost nobody has the means to go find their own ways of meeting all their own needs -- not even most people who have devoted their entire lives to the task.

  • @thetreekeeper143

    @thetreekeeper143

    2 жыл бұрын

    That's what the West wants you to believe!!

  • @jandrews6254

    @jandrews6254

    2 жыл бұрын

    And yet the kims are well fed to the point of obesity