The People's Cube - Political Satire

This is for real, emailed to me by a comrade. This "summary of North Korean radio news" is somewhat similar to the Soviet radio broadcast during my formative years, but even more hard-core. The picture below shows a plug-into-the-wall radio unit that looks exactly like the one we had in our family kitchen in the 1970s, complete with the fingerprints. The cord goes into a special wall socket that sends the radio signal, which is strong enough to power the unit. No extra power cord was needed. It's only one channel, so there's no need to switch anything. The single knob on the front is for the volume. A small fee for this service was included into the government rent, whether you used it or not. But it was commercial-free - all the time!

There's a chance the North Koreans have the same units in their kitchens.


Programme summary of North Korean radio news

Source: Korean Central Broadcasting Station, Pyongyang, in Korean 2 Aug 2012

1. 21:00 Carries dialogue that "the respected and beloved Comrade Kim Jong Un secretary of the Workers Party of Korea [WPK], first chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission [NDC], and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army [KPA], had with chief functionaries of the WPK Central Committee [CC] on 26 July… Full text cited.

2. 21:28 Song "Forward Toward Final Victory

3. 21:31 On 2 August, Kim Jong meets a visiting delegation of the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China [CPC] Central Committee. Present at the meeting from the Chinese side were members of the Chinese delegation… He received a gift from the Chinese delegation at the meeting.

Kim Jong Un also hosted a reception in honor of the Chinese guests. On hand were "Comrade Choe Ryong Hae … Comrade Kim So'ng-nam, and Comrade Ri Su-yong [Ri Su Yong] who are vice department directors of the party CC."

4. 21:34 On 24 July, Kim Jong Un receives a congratulatory telegram from "Jalanath Kanal, chairman of the Nepal Communist Party Central Committee United Marxist-Leninist," on the occasion of his assumption of the DPRK marshal title. Full text cited.

5. 21:36 Foreign progressive personages of various countries, including Spain, Russia, and other countries, send congratulatory telegrams and congratulatory letters to Kim to celebrate his assumption of the DPRK marshal title. Gist of the telegrams and letters cited.

6. 21:38 Foreign figures' voices supporting and expressing solidarity with the DPRK are getting louder and louder. Cites remarks by three Laotian political figures including "Choummaly Sayasone, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party CC, president of the People's Democratic Republic of Laos, and chairman of the CC of Defence and Security of the People's Democratic Republic of Laos." [ 1.5 min]

1. 22:00 On 2 August, Kim Jong Un meets and prepare banquet for visiting delegation of the CPC CC International Liaison Department.

2. 22:04 On 24 July, Kim Jong Un receives a congratulatory telegram from "Joseph Kabila Kabange, president of the Democratic Republic of Congo," on the occasion of his assumption of the DPRK marshal title and the 59th anniversary of the victory in the Fatherland Liberation War. Full text of the telegram cited.

3. 22:04 On 30 July, Kim Jong Un receives a congratulatory telegram from "Goodluck Ebele Jonath an, president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria," on the occasion of his assumption of the DPRK marshal title. Full text of the telegram cited.

4. 22:06 "Comrade Kim Hu'i-cho, department director of Ministry of Foodstuff and Daily Necessities Industry, and Comrade Ko In-sil, department director of the Pyongyang Municipal People's Committee," are interviewed the 28th anniversary of Kim Jong visit to the light industry product exhibition in Pyongyang and when Kim Jong Il published the work, "On Some Problems That Arise In Improving the Commodity Supply Work of Residents." They talk about the significance of the work, the exhibits displayed at the 3 August People's Consumption Goods Exhibition in Pyongyang, and their determination to powerfully carry out the movement to produce more 3 August people's consumer goods.

5. 22:09 South Hamgyo'ng Province is accelerating production of high quality 3 August people's consumer goods, increasing the variety of consumption goods 1.5 times. Achievements by exemplary plants, including 8 February Vinalon Complex, are noted.

6. 22:11 Functionaries and working people in North Hwanghae Province are waging struggles to increase production of 3 August people's consumption goods. In interviews, "Comrade Cho'ng Pyo'ng-suk, [female] department director of the North Hwanghae Provincial People's Committee, and [male] Member Comrade Hwang Ho-ch'o'l" talk about their determination to produce various people's consumption goods.

7. 22:13 On 1 August, DPRK weightlifter Rim Cho'ng-sim wins a gold medal in the women's 69-kilogram category at the London Olympics, bringing the DPRK the fourth gold medal. China's Xinhua news agency's report on Rim Cho'ng-sim's gold medal is cited.

8. 22:16 A performance given by the Moranbong Band to celebrate the 59th anniversary of the victory in the Fatherland Liberation War continues to be staged in Pyongyang in great success. In interviews, three spectators, including "Pyo'n U'n-yo'ng, [female] director of Pyongyang Municipal Committee of Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League," talk about their impression and highly praise the concert and Kim Jong.

9. 22:19 Functionaries and working people across the DPRK are putting a lot of efforts into assisting education work of schools upholding the party's view for future generations. The hard work and achievements by exemplary functionaries and working people in Rason City and others are noted.

10. 22:21 DPRK school support projects are being vigorously carried out in North Hamgyo'ng Province, South Hwanghae Province, Kangwo'n Province, South P'yo'ngan Province, and all other provinces, cities, and counties. Notes how those projects are contributing to improving schools' environment.

11. 22:22 Functionaries and working people of Onso'ng County, Kilchu County, (Yangdo County) [North Hamgyo'ng Province] are actively taking part in the work to provide educational condition and environment.

12. 22:22 On 27 July, the Youth and Students Headquarters of the South Side Committee for Implementing the 15 June Joint Declaration issues a statement titled "Replace Armistice Agreement With Peace Treaty and Repeal the South Korea-Japan Military Agreement." Gist cited.

Some fascinating background:

Although North Korea is generally described as a Communist government, it could also be characterized as a theocracy. The North Korean government operates 450,000 "Revolutionary Research Centers" for weekly indoctrination sessions, where attendees are taught that Kim Jong-il was a deity figure whose story began with a miraculous birth atop a legendary Korean mountain (Jong-il was actually born in the former Soviet Union). Kim Jong-un, now known (as his father and grandfather once were) as "Dear Leader," is similarly described in these Revolutionary Research Centers as a supreme moral entity with supernatural powers. https://civilliberty.about.com/od/internationalhumanrights/p/northkorea101.htm

Radio in North Korea: you have to have a permission, like firearms in the US. Visitors are not allowed to bring a radio. As part of the government's information blockade policy, North Korean radios and televisions must be modified to receive only government stations. These modified radios and televisions should be registered at special state department. They are also subject to inspection at random. The removal of the official seal is punishable by law. In order to buy a TV-set or a radio, Korean citizens are required to get special permission from officials at their places of residence or employment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_in_North_Korea

Listening to South Korean radio is considered a grave offense in North Korea – a crime worse than murder. Getting caught means facing punishment for three generations: not only endangering yourself, but also your parents and your children. https://matadornetwork.com/abroad/north-korean-defectors-kim-jong-ii/

Here's a 1978 Soviet postcard encouraging citizens to use one-channel so-called "radio-broadcast units." It's a great example of state-run, market-denying economy: no one would be interested in buying or sending these cards, but its production supported quite a few government jobs - from the bureaucrats who conceived and approved of this idea to the artist who designed it to the workers who printed it to the store clerks who sold it. Sort of like Chevy Volt, only better.

[center]1978[/center][center]Use[/center][center]radio-broadcast[/center][center]units![/center]

"The single knob on the front is for the volume."

Comrade, is the Party sure the masses can be trusted with this much choice? What if they make the wrong choice and set the volume so low that they can't hear it? They might miss an important speech by Kim Young Un (perhaps he will blow an extra-special divine fart!) This needs to be rectified as soon as possible... the production of food-grade cardboard must cease until the volume controls on all radios can be disabled. Should only take a couple decades or so.

Forward Toward Final Victory!

(Did Obama steal the "forward" part from Kim or did he steal it from our Dear Leader?)



Final victory... BTW, what the hell are they fighting, sanity?

Wow. This is most interesting! Thanks for sharing! :)


The sooner we can get our Chinese comrades to manufacture similar units for use with National Propaganda People's Radio (NPR), the better!

Opiate of the People wrote:What if they make the wrong choice and set the volume so low that they can't hear it?

Simple. As Orwell once (indirectly) suggested, we can tweak the sets so that they can never be completely turned off! HUZZAH!!

Komrades..

You can clearly see in the radio unit above the seeds of bouregois ferment. If the Soviets were so careless in the operations of their radio units it comes as no surprise that their empire crumbled and they found need to move operations to the USA.

Technical issues I spotted were:

1. Volume control - as Komrade Opiate pointed out this allows for silencing of purest party doctrine. To ensure all volumes are equal there should only be maximum setting. For party elite, the set should permit switching between Maximum setting 1 and Maximum setting 2 - with both of these equal of course.

2. To ensure that wiley reactionaries do not sabotage unit there should be no opportunity to access power supply such as 'wires'. Power to the unit should only be cut when Party is redistributing electricty to coal-burning plants. The set should have a battery backup in any case.

3. The radio program of North Korea is far too diverse and eclectic and could easily lead to counter-revolutionary thoughts. Broadcasts should be hypnotic - perhaps one Marxist aphorism per day, lasting no less than 1 hour (repeated up to 500 times in this hour), followed by 23 hours continuous applause (recorded live).

The only part of this debacle I find worthy of our Party is extension of penalty for three generations of the family of the guilty party. We have this policy active in Inzania and it is allowing us to perform radical social forensic experiments where we can create victim class that is simultaneously an exploiter class - experiments that could lead to new forms of energy and other tremendous discoveries in Party physics.

I realize that we are behind N. Korea in information control. But at least we have NPR !

NPR is so yesterday. Just this week I bid on an iPod loaded with Dear Leader's speeches, auctioned off by Elizabeth somebody in Windsor. Why listen to the intermediaries when I can get the truth straigt from the horse's mouth?

I hope Paypal gives me a good exchange rate...

Is it true that at 22:30 NKPR then broadcasts an audio replay of The View?

I aso heard that MSNBC was considering a syndication deal on NK Radio that would boost their ratings by an exponential factor of 10 to the 4th power.

Party sanctioned truth, or conservative misdirection propaganda?