How we cite our quotes: (Page)
Quote #4
"People don't mean anything to them," Jun Do said. "That's right," the Captain said. "They only care about the story we're going to tell, and that story will be useful to them or it won't. When they ask you what happened to our flag and portraits, what story are you going to tell them?" (63)
Both Jun Do and the Captain understand the motivation of the state: that state is only interested in what will keep the political machine running. People are certainly expendable, but if they can provide something for the Propaganda guys to churn out over the loudspeakers, they have a certain value. Now Jun Do and the crew must determine the proper spin to their story so that they will be allowed to live.
Quote #5
"They're supposed to be our enemies, but they're up their laughing and screwing around." He lowered the directional and looked at Jun Do. "You were wrong," he said. "You were wrong—they are doing it for peace and f***ing brotherhood." (79)
The Second Mate is profoundly affected by this change to his worldview. Up till now, he has only seen the world as a place hostile to North Korea. The concept of the International Space Station—with it's emphasis on international cooperation and peaceful gathering of knowledge—suddenly makes his life in North Korea unbearable, since it's based on a lie. It turns out that the world might be a pretty wonderful place, and he's not getting to participate in any of it.
Quote #6
"Voter turnout in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is ninety-nine percent—the most democratic nation in the world! Still, the United States needn't feel shame. You country can still be a beacon for countries with lower turnout, like Burundi, Paraguay, and Chechnya." (129)
Um, well, it's hard to be a democratic nation when you only have one person on the ballot, but nice try? Anyway, although this observation by Dr. Song is meant to highlight the twisted political logic that allows a dictator to remain in power while claiming democratic behavior, it's also a tongue-in-cheek criticism of the low voter turnout in the U.S.