Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
During a brief visit to North Korea, author Adam Johnson was little freaked out by the fact that all the women wore the same color lipstick, all the men had the same hair cut—and there were no disabled citizens to be seen. (Source.)
Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il? Yeah, there's a flower for that. In fact, there are two specific breeds of orchids—one for father and one for son—that are the focus of two major flower shows every year in North Korea. And guess what? There are no other types of flowers allowed to participate in these floral extravaganzas. (Source.)
Johnson alludes to the U.S. bombing dams and hydroelectric plants in North Korea in an attempt to end the Korean War. There is some debate over whether this should be considered a war crime. (Source.)
You know how Jun Do and the crew of the Junma had to risk their lives to deliver live white shrimp to the Dear Leader? Apparently, there was a similar situation in real life, except with lobsters. Check out #25 at this link. (Source.)
Johnson's Dear Leader fantasizes about forcing the American rower to have cosmetic surgery to make her look more Korean. The real Kim Jong Il did, in fact, force waitresses in Pyongyang to have eyelid surgery to make them look more Western. (Source.)
Rumor has it that a five-year-old Kim Jong Il might have—just possibly—been responsible for the death of his little brother Kim Shu Ra, who drowned in the family pool. (Source.)
The current leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, is said to have executed his own uncle (for being a traitor) by throwing him to a pack of hungry dogs. True? Perhaps; perhaps not. But it shows the mythmaking power of this mysterious state. (Source.)