7 Scary Facts About North Korea
7.
The village of Kijong-dong
Built in 1953, from a distance, the village of Kijong-dong looks like any other town with
houses, schools, and even a hospital—but all is not as it appears.
Kijong-dong sits in the heavily guarded Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates North and South
Korea, and is widely referred to as “Propaganda Village.”
It is believed to be a decoy for luring South Korean defectors.
The North Koreans claim the town has 200 residents and is a reflection of the country's economic
success.
However, observations have suggested that Kijong-dong is devoid of any human life.
The buildings appear to be concrete shells with no glass in their windows, electric lights
operate on an automatic timer, and the only people in sight are maintenance workers who
sweep the streets to give the impression of activity.
6.
The prison camps of North Korea
The prison camps of North Korea have been on human rights watch lists for decades, and
while it seems the country is bowing to pressure from international condemnation and closing
some gulags, others appear to be expanding.
Prison Camp 22, otherwise known as Hoeryong concentration camp, held 50,000 prisoners
in the 1990s and has been closed for more than three years.
The facility was a lifelong, maximum-security detention center for political prisoners and
their families.
At its peak, the camp was under the control of over 1,000 guards.
Conditions there were harsh, to say the least — prisoners and their families were often
on the brink of starvation and dressed in rags.
Many had deformities, but despite this, were expected to work and anyone who disobeyed
authority was tortured or killed.
The camp was closed in 2012 due to the rumored defection of the camp’s warden, but the
prisoners were never released—they were just shipped off to other camps to no doubt
meet the same fate.
5.
North Korea’s Nuclear Testing Could Trigger A Volcano
As if North Korea’s rhetoric toward the West wasn’t reason enough to be frightened,
scientists have warned that nuclear tests being carried out in the country could cause
a "catastrophic" volcanic eruption near its test site.
Experts from Yonsei University believe that the force of a nuclear bomb being detonated
underground could affect the magma of the Mount Paektu volcano, which is situated a
mere 70 miles away from Seoul.
The consequences could be devastating.
A previous eruption of the volcano in 1903 was “one of the largest explosive events
in human history.”
4.
North Korea’s Hydrogen Bomb Test Threatens US Power Grid
Eventually, North Korea could successfully launch a warhead at South Korea or at the
US itself.
While the country may not be successful in hitting its intended target, the country's
recent actions could threaten the US's antiquated power grid, which is vulnerable to threats.
The detonation of a nuclear device at high altitude can produce an electromagnetic wave
that can either damage or destroy electronic systems.
This electromagnetic pulse, otherwise known as an EMP, has not been much of an issue since
the end of Cold War, but with North Korea's suspected test of a hydrogen bomb in late
January 2016, the power grid is once again a prime target.
3.
North Korea’s use of WMD’s
A US General has reported that Kim Jong Un will not hesitate to use Weapons of Mass Destruction
if he felt the fate of his power was at stake.
Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the commander of U.S. Forces in Korea, told the Senate Armed
Services Committee that tensions on the Korean Peninsula were at their highest in over two
decades and that if Kim thought his regime were challenged, he would use WMDs.
North Korean state media broadcast the announcement that the country had successfully tested a
small hydrogen bomb in January 2016, but — had they?
The announcement came about an hour after detection devices around the world had picked
up a 5.1 seismic event along the country’s northeast coast.
If it's true, that action would dramatically escalate the nuclear challenge from one of
the world’s most isolated and dangerous states.
2.
North Korea Is Planning Terror Attacks.
Is North Korea plotting terror attacks against the South?
Officials believe so.
An anonymous Saenuri Party official, who spoke to the National Intelligence Service (NIS)
of South Korea, said that North Korea was planning terrorist attacks against the South,
and potential targets could include defectors, government officials, and public places such
as malls and subway stations.
Cyber attacks were also a possibility.
The lawmaker said Kim Jong Un gave orders to prepare for the attacks himself.
In light of this news, the ruling south korean Party is trying to push a five-year-old anti-terrorism
bill through the National Assembly, despite concerns over privacy and potential abuse
of surveillance authority.
1.
Kim Jong-un
The scariest thing of all about North Korea may be its young leader, Kim Jong-un.
The dictator, now in his early 30’s, is known not only for his unpredictability but
his harsh rule over his oppressed people.
He’s not above putting members of his family to death if they have fallen out of favor
like he did his 67-year-old uncle Jang Song Thaek in 2012.
Kim, who was schooled in the West, is not insane; his priority is simply to stay in
power.
And how does he do that?
With an endless stream of perceived capable and dangerous enemies both in and out of the
country.
Since Kim has been in power, the number of mass public executions has soared, and nuclear
threats to the West have increased.
Daniel Sneider, associate director of the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center,
says, “North Korea provocations are very calculated.
They tend to stop short of what would force serious escalation.
While the talk tends to be tougher than the action, it’s worth being scared.”
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