Official Page - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea
December 11, 2002 5:53 PM   Subscribe

Official Page - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea Lots of nation-states have official webpages. But I'd like to single out this one page as an interesting link between the old, pre-internet, communication and this Inter-Web thing as we know it.
posted by lazy-ville (45 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Man, every time I see a picture of Kim Jong Il, I'm reminded of Eraserhead. Every time.
posted by mr_roboto at 5:59 PM on December 11, 2002


Complete with souvenir shop, and even mousepads. Jesus, even the most vicious dictatorships have a cafepress store. And where are the DPRK thongs?
posted by apostasy at 6:08 PM on December 11, 2002


Wow! They even have a cafepress store!
posted by phatboy at 6:09 PM on December 11, 2002


Alejandro Cao de Benos de Les (template COCO-664474)
vientian@hotmail.com
Lopez Pelaez, 12 BIS, tercero, sexta
Tarragona, Tarragona 43002 ES

[from whois]

Somehow I doubt this is the official page.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 6:13 PM on December 11, 2002


That they use Fireworks and Dreamweaver to create rollovers, and the whole production is very my-first-website. Usually I find that endearing, but somehow in this context, it gives me the creeps. [disclaimer: i have nothing against fireworks and dreamweaver, and they are much better than, say, frontpage. but it's still creepy.]
posted by condour75 at 6:13 PM on December 11, 2002


those commies really dropped the ball on the ol' aesthetic appeal. i guess that was always more of a fascist imperative anyway, huh?

apparently building a nuke is easier than building a decent web site.
posted by donkeyschlong at 6:14 PM on December 11, 2002


oh and by the way: the listed owner of this domain is a guy Alejandro Cao de Benos de Les, from a place called Tarragona. Is it me, or is that not very Korean?
posted by condour75 at 6:16 PM on December 11, 2002


d'oh! Sorry, should've looked upward monju
posted by condour75 at 6:17 PM on December 11, 2002


On second thought, maybe it isn't _the_ official website. But it has to be somewhat official, since it says it's official, right? Amusing, nonetheless.
posted by lazy-ville at 6:17 PM on December 11, 2002


monju_bosatsu - it seems reasonable not to want their server in a country where the electricity cuts out so often.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 6:20 PM on December 11, 2002


The fact that they have Esperanto as one of the alternate languages to view info in just cracks me the hell up.
posted by lazaruslong at 6:21 PM on December 11, 2002


I'm pretty sure it's the official website of the Korean Friendship Association, a kind of foreign tourist body for the DPRK government.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 6:24 PM on December 11, 2002


That "enter" button seems to be saying something.
posted by shoos at 6:35 PM on December 11, 2002


Is it better to be the "Great Leader" or the "Dear Leader?"
posted by rushmc at 6:38 PM on December 11, 2002


On an interesting note, the North Korean official TLD is '.kp'.

It's been assigned, but is not being used.
posted by seanclarke at 6:38 PM on December 11, 2002


Is it better to be the "Great Leader" or the "Dear Leader?"
rushmc, why not ask him?
posted by riffola at 6:45 PM on December 11, 2002


That site's an atrocity, but the North Koreans have a pretty cool flag.
Yes, they're backwards and prone to starving, but their flag's pretty damn cool. Admit it!
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:52 PM on December 11, 2002


yeah, but it's nowhere near as cool as the quasi-arthurian SeaLand flag.
posted by lazaruslong at 6:57 PM on December 11, 2002


the North Koreans have a pretty cool flag.

I like it. It has a nice Texaco/Costa Rica appeal to it - with some I-shall-anally-penetrate-you-as-often-as-I-please thrown in for good measure.
posted by shoos at 7:21 PM on December 11, 2002


Kim Jong Il and Jack Osbourne: Separated at birth?
posted by gyc at 7:26 PM on December 11, 2002


I remember reading about the logistics of this site somewhere online before... it's 'official', but run and hosted by some North Korea 'friendship society' in Spain (hence the domain information).

The DPRK apparently doesn't host its own sites... the page for its official news agency is hosted by some other friendly organization in Japan, and its commerical/trade site is run out of its embassy in Austria.

While the current list of items North Korea has for sale includes the Beauty Appliance MN-63B and a printing machine for engraving images on stone tablets, I couldn't find the page where they offer Scuds For Sale. Hmmm.
posted by SenshiNeko at 7:29 PM on December 11, 2002


THE GREAT LEADER KIM IL SUNG WILL ALWAYS BE WITH US !!
posted by mhjb at 7:39 PM on December 11, 2002


"This page was created by the Korean Friendship Association, with the support and official recognition from the government authorities of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

Sr. Cao rants like the finest party man. One wistfully misses the deployment of jargon such as "running dogs". A directory of Kimist adherents and, well, fellow travelers, from the Little Red Cafe.
posted by dhartung at 7:41 PM on December 11, 2002


Kim Jong Il and Jack Osbourne: Separated at birth?

ugly and uglier.
posted by donkeyschlong at 7:42 PM on December 11, 2002


There isn't a "concrete wall built by the United States" dividing the Koreas, but I guess sice the website is humorous fiction, all declarations therein should be taken as sad jokes. In fact, the only thing dividing the Koreas is the humorously named Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

I couldn't find the page where they offer Scuds For Sale. Hmmm.

The scud catalog is available only to those with postal codes within Iran or Iraq, or there's the toll free number for Iraqis only: 1-800-buy-scud.
posted by hama7 at 7:45 PM on December 11, 2002


Amazingly, with all the languages they offer it in, they don't offer it in Korean.
posted by Baesen at 7:58 PM on December 11, 2002


the North Koreans have a pretty cool flag

Indeed -- the leading authority on these matters gave it an A-.
posted by ook at 8:19 PM on December 11, 2002


What's with the leaders and huge glasses? Are you reading this David Letterman?
posted by hockeyman at 9:03 PM on December 11, 2002


flags page is a work of exquisite genius
posted by mhjb at 9:39 PM on December 11, 2002


I'm a big fan of lybia's flag.
posted by delmoi at 9:46 PM on December 11, 2002


I think Guam's flag would make a nice beach towel.
posted by SpaceCadet at 10:15 PM on December 11, 2002


that's what the webpage said.....was that supposed to be like....if the joke was funny once, then twice must be just right?

/snarky
posted by lazaruslong at 10:40 PM on December 11, 2002


I've always liked the South Korean flag but also admit to a weakness for any flag from a Communist country. (I guess I'm a sucker for that hammer-sickle-star theme.)
posted by Dick Paris at 11:42 PM on December 11, 2002


Good link lazy-ville.
posted by hama7 at 1:49 AM on December 12, 2002


I probably haven't paid attention in school, but their geography section claimes there is a sea south of the country, while I tought there was South-Korea.

Silly me.
posted by sebas at 2:07 AM on December 12, 2002


There isn't a "concrete wall built by the United States" dividing the Koreas

My understanding (from someone who served there recently) was that a three-foot high wall did sit at the DMZ. I dunno who built it, but isn't there one?

Or was your argument with "concrete"?
posted by yerfatma at 4:39 AM on December 12, 2002


The Great Leader and the Dear Leader should form a rap concern, called either "Sung Jong Joint Productions" or "Double Kim Double Il".
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 5:00 AM on December 12, 2002


It's also worth taking a look at the comments in the Korean Friendship Organization Forum. It seems the 'Delegate from Norway' is following around Jimmy Carter, and the 'Delgate from Spain' is having problems with his Sega Saturn. Definitely revolutionary vanguard material.
posted by leotrotsky at 5:01 AM on December 12, 2002


My understanding (from someone who served there recently) was that a three-foot high wall did sit at the DMZ. I dunno who built it, but isn't there one?

Most of the DMZ is marked by small yellow signs. In the village where the 2 sides meet, it is a slightly raised cement line, a couple of inches is all.

Out in the country side though, mine fields are the main marker. That and signs.
posted by Baesen at 6:04 AM on December 12, 2002


Sorry to post again so quickly. I served there in the mid 80s. It could have changed, but I haven't heard of any major modifications.
posted by Baesen at 6:05 AM on December 12, 2002


was that a three-foot high wall did sit at the DMZ.

Yes it does, in some places, as Baesen (who apparently has a lot more experience in the matter than I), has said, but in some spots it's just fields and pretty rolling hills (with intermittent watchtowers).

At Imjingak there's a fence and a river, but no wall.
posted by hama7 at 6:26 AM on December 12, 2002


I've visited Panmunjom, the UN village where all the peace talks take place. It's smack on the DMZ, and on the tour you can actually cross into North Korea while inside the building.

Meanwhile, you can constantly hear propaganda being blared from huge speakers while their 600-lb. flag flies beckoningly beside a rather large, nice-looking apartment complex, which happens to be EMPTY.

There's a tiny one-hole "golf course" on the tiny U.S. Army base near Panmunjom, which Sports Illustrated rated "the most dangerous golf course in the world."
posted by TheFarSeid at 7:42 AM on December 12, 2002


Verymuch O/T, but I think this course would be a close second.
posted by prentiz at 8:30 AM on December 12, 2002


I dig the license plate frame.

Top Image:

Don't believe the hype!


Bottom Image:

Korean Friendship Association

posted by rotifer at 10:14 AM on December 12, 2002


It actually looks more like "Horean Friendship Association", which is even better.
posted by Ljubljana at 4:58 AM on December 13, 2002


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