And in a bit of unexpected … well, insert your own emotion here … CNN put up a report overnight that echoes our own problems. It’s entitled:
North Korea defector says information more dangerous than US threats
“Until now, the North Korean system has prevailed through an effective and credible reign of terror and by almost perfectly preventing the free-flow of outside information,” according to Thae Yong-ho, a former high-ranking North Korean official who defected to South Korea. …
“There are great and unexpected changes taking place within North Korea. Contrary to the official policy and wish of the regime, the free markets are flourishing … the citizens do not care about state propaganda but increasingly watch illegally imported South Korean movies and dramas,” he said. …
The US could “touch the Achilles Heel of Kim Jong Un” by tapping into the societal shift within the North Korean population with a targeted information campaign that disseminates basic concepts of freedom and human rights, according to Thae. …
But by strategically producing and distributing tailor-made content that challenges the North Korean population to critically analyze their own living conditions, the US could counter the Kim regime’s brainwashing operation over the long-term — a move that could foster domestic dissatisfaction that may eventually help drive Kim toward a willingness to compromise, he said.
“These changes, however, make it increasingly possible to think about civilian uprising in North Korea,” Thae told US lawmakers. “As more and more people gradually become informed about the reality of their living conditions, the North Korean government will either have to change and adapt in positive ways for its citizens, or to face the consequences of their escalating dissatisfaction.”
This is congruent with Obama’s strategy of patience, but I don’t know if that Administration was attempting to insert information into North Korean society. Such a strategy, it’s worth noting, is not congruent with American Instant Gratification.
