Exactly. I was in North Korea early this year and even in the rural outskirts it isn't comparable to the poverty you see in Africa.
I guess Africa just isn't interesting enough.
I guess Africa just isn't interesting enough.
As though only the most tragic stories possible are worth telling? Please.
Again, as I said, the author did go through a lot of difficulties in her childhood. But in my opinion, this article is on the front page of HN, only because its about North Korea. Thousands of other people "escape" poverty and inhumane living conditions to reach US/Western countries from all over the world every year.
I can't say how much I disagree with this. People should share their stories, even if they are totally mundane. I also feel like you totally disregarded the content of her Q&A which gave many people the opportunity to get insight on the conditions inside of North Korea's closed society.
Without any corroboration I wouldn't believe that story 100%.
Especially in an era when said country is in the spotlight as an enemy.
As war correspondent and write Philip Knightley wrote: "The first casualty of any war is the truth". The same holds true for any coverage of a place where diplomatic animosity and/or state interests come into play.
http://www.amazon.com/First-Casualty-Phillip-Knightley/dp/18...
Not to mention all the evidence from "regular" North Koreans who lived outside Pyongyang.
The parts that I dispute cannot be corroborated by "satellite" (which can also show the presence of a camp).
And I'm sure that "people were imprisoned or executed for thoughtcrimes". That happens in any country, and all much more in a regime like NK.
It's the other details of life in prison, situations, etc, I'm not so hot about.
It's not about the article. It's about the curation.
That is, the way whole clusters of articles on similar topics (for a few select countries etc) are selected, printed, submitted, promoted by the media, etc, as opposed to tons of others about different countries.