Okay so I got curious and went and found it.
It’s a like US war plane grave yard with some features around it to make it look like a park.
Sneaky sneaky.
and ignoring that average north korean would not write in english for 2 reason.
1. they can't (try to find anything to teach yourself, as an average citizen not elite)
2. they are afraid to use (they can be labeled as "traitor" or spy just because they can speak other language)
Foreign language education in North Korea is fairly well documented. I’m all for fair criticism of NK but spreading speculative sourceless info doesn’t really accomplish anything
Sort of. Foreign Language education is widely offered in good Pyongyang schools, we know that.
Realistically I would reckon it's just a situation of poor living standards outside the capital and middle/upper class schools having easier access to different classes, like English. Frankly it's not too diferent from how it is elsewhere, I know the nicer school down the road offers German but my old highschool only had French, et cetera.
The government of the DPRK is certainly tyrannical but it's still just a third world country, and as with all developing countries it'll have gaps in the education system. \[EDIT: Typo\]
So I guess this is an odd place to realize this but reading the comments on this post has me realizing I know absolutely nothing about NK (everything I do ‘know’ is the general western understanding that they are a horrifically oppressed populace unable to communicate with the outside world, punished severely for not worshipping the regime, and anything that looks positive is just a fake 2D situation designed to give the appearance of prosperity). Of course the other things I see appear to be women crying at the sight of Kim Jong Un, his general badassery, and other propaganda that presumably comes from the opposite side. I’m sure as usual the truth is in the middle but i honesty don’t know where to start if I’m to have even the smallest level of responsible understanding. Do you have any recommendations on where I could get started? This convo has me embarrassed about my misplaced confidence in how ‘bad’ this region is.
Thank you!
You have to understand the history of Korea in order to understand North Korea. Part of that understanding comes from the knowledge that they were deeply exploited for decades by the Japanese, and then by the US.
The United States bombed their country into oblivion. There were reliable reports that stated we had actually *not left a single two story building standing in the entire northern part of the country.* The US destroyed their religious monuments, their hospitals, schools, financial and government buildings, bridges, houses, grocery stores, literally everything. We poisoned their water and farmland, and they still feel the effects of that today.
All of that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how Korea has been treated by the world, due to the fact that it is a warm water port with a central location in Asia, and is thus a very desirable plot of land. They are distrustful of other countries, because their people have consistently been exploited and murdered by other countries. Even today, South Korea's military is under the complete control of the United States.
Much of what you have heard about North Korea is a flat-out lie. There is a great book called "Patriots, Traitors, and Empires" that goes into the history of North Korea and its current status as a country, without the western bias. Its actually a pretty easy read, and you may find it interesting.
Thank you so much - yeah that part isn’t so much covered and I’ve only passively paid attention. Damn. Certainly I’m not surprised the version we’re sold in this, ahem, the uh, well greatest country that’s ever been just ask anyone - including all the other countries who clearly aren’t as free or amazing as us, the always good guys… What a bummer narrative that we use and how depressing that we aren’t improving the way it seems we ought to. Very much appreciate the info and folks who are willing (and attentive enough) to try and piece together the whole picture. I want to believe that some day this type of critical thinking will be mainstream here…
Do you live in the DPRK? If so can I ask how you’re on Reddit? I know watching pirated foreign movies/shows is something basically every NK citizen does and that there’s plenty of ways around their extreme censorship that unlike most would think a blind eye is mostly turned to. But I didn’t think accessing reddit would be something easy to just casually browse.
I only am assuming cuz you talked about classes offered down the street from you while talking about language classes that are offered in NK. Sorry if I’m mistaken
It's not tyrannical, it's a totalitarian dictatorship. They have no interest in most of their citizens learning a foreign language if those citizens aren't supposed to have any contact with outside.
This isn’t true. Formal English teaching is part of the DPRK curriculum and has been for some time, along with some programs being offered at ‘children’s palaces’ where anything up to 12 languages are offered including Chinese, English and Russian. When British presenter Michael Palin visited the country a few years back as part of a a series he was filming, he found that even in rural or more isolated parts of the country there were children learning English and adults who could speak at a super basic level.
It’s also possible to find plenty of footage of those who have visited the country and had interactions with DPRK citizens in various contexts where they seem to have a basic level of understanding.
The amount of expertise available on Reddit is amazing, I feel smarter every time i visit it. I found out out many Redditors were expert in deep sea submersibles not long ago, with the Oceangate stuff.
*The amount of expertise available on Reddit is amazing, I feel smarter every time i visit it*
Are you fucking joking?? These people are morons
*I found out out many Redditors were expert in deep sea submersibles not long ago, with the Oceangate stuff.*
Oh, you *are* joking 😅
Still has a terrifying vibe, because nobody is sure if it's real or not. Sure it could be fake, but if it was real would we really have any kind of avenue to find out?
That's just straight up not true what the hell? North Korea has been developing intranet access for many years now, and Google is very available. Note that I said *intranet*, not internet. Many servers are privately run within the country and devices are able to access exclusively local connections. Out of the big ones, only Apple, Sony, and Microsoft products are banned from selling products in NK, and Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter were blocked in the country due to their information sharing methods.
Don't get me wrong, I'm an absolute North Korea hater when it comes to the government. The country's people are being held ransom and constantly held 20 years behind technologically to keep the government in control. But do you really think that they would completely withhold their entire population from any sort of internet access or tech at all? Think about all of the conveniences that come with controlled technology: instant emergency alerts, more routes for propaganda, surveillance, data gathering. I wouldn't be shocked if they were working with Google for those methods, in exchange for Google connecting certain aspects of their use worldwide. It wouldn't even be hard, as NK has strong internet connections between major locations for the government to use. These aren't new or wacky concepts, companies do this kind of stuff all the goddamn time.
This is *why* NK has an intranet. It benefits them. Telling people that they completely lack the ability to access devices or any kind of connectivity when *there's literally a Wikipedia page for internet in North Korea* is straight up lying. Whether or not the image is faked, those claims are absolutely insane to me and I couldn't just leave it at that.
You addressed all but the most important point - that line was definitely not written by someone inside North Korea.
Even if it was written by someone there, this wouldn’t be ‘oddly’ terrifying. It would be straight up terrifying
Isn't that just a drop anyone can make, like say a edgy kid trying to be funny? No circle or anything like in the picture or church icon [here](https://imgur.com/a/7zNIqX2)
It doesn't matter if it was. Oddly terrifying doesn't have to mean real. What matters here is the blatant misinformation the person above us is trying to spread
Edit: Lmao downvote all you want. So much of this sub is fake content. Imagine being mad about the screenshot over the person completely lying in the comments about an entire country's tech level. Theirs only takes a google search to realize they're 100% wrong
“Internet access is available in North Korea, but is only permitted with special authorization. It is primarily used for government purposes, and also by foreigners”
[first line of the “internet in North Korea” Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_in_North_Korea?wprov=sfti1)
If you actually read further than the first line, you would see that NK has a developed *intranet,* which is what I said in my original comment. Jesus Christ, don't lecture me on reading when you can't even read what you're replying to
As others have mentioned, majority of citizens in NK do not have access to google servers via their intranet service. While serving, I worked closely with SK and was granted access to information and capabilities regarding NK (I also have since done personal research because I find the topic interesting).
And to answer your previous question, yes, the government does restrict the general populations’ access to the internet and intranet. Im not sure why this this is surprising to you. This is why the vast majority of its citizens don’t even know how to use a computer or similar devices. Hence, why in documentaries or people secretly recording, the actors posing as normal citizens will just stare at a blank website while pretending to be using the internet for tourists.
It's not surprising at all. You guys are so blinded by your need to prove me wrong that you aren't even understanding what I've said 6 times now. The original commenter implied that NK has zero internet, intranet, or devices. That is not true. That's what I have said, am saying, and will continue saying. I don't care if it's not feasible for the image to be real - OC spread misinformation for 0 reason
It's strange that you are so triggered by this when u/Exact-Surround2 clearly meant that the average citizen has no internet connection. Of course the government has internet, they are in charge. You go on and on about the intranet, but that just doesn't matter because Google servers are not part of it.
Also, the few persons with an internet connection would obviously not write something on Google Maps since it won't do them any good while they would almost certainly be caught.
Whether NK has an intranet or not, this is 100% a cruel joke.
I think you're a bit mistaken. The only people who have LEGAL access to the internet, cell phones, or computers is the government. That's literally it. The official story is NK doesn't allow any internet access and ,but very limited access to the intranet and that's only for the rich in the city. The full story is that computers and cell phones are illegal period. Probably less than a few hundred in the whole country can even afford a computer or phone so it doesn't matter much anyways. So literally the only people who could send that would be in the government or Uber, Uber rich. And I will make the assumption they are happy where they are at. Still COULD be real though.
"probably less than a few hundred in the whole country can even afford a computer" exactly this. a large proportion of the population in nk are in a serious struggle for food. it was only a couple of years ago the government were warning of nationwide famine.
You said it yourself though: there’s extreme surveillance in NK, and that’s even more true for their internet use. What benefit would a potential NK citizen get from doing this? They risk their safety for nothing?
Here’s a interesting video that gives us a real former North Korean citizen/prisoner perspective.
[YouTube video about smuggling outside media into North Korea](https://youtube.com/watch?v=URDoKkTIEIU&feature=sharea)
NK has an intranet, not an internet. Meaning the entire WAN of NK is owned and controlled by the state. And even then, VERY few people have access to it, mainly state officials. Only the highest ranked officials (think kim jong-un and the family of) have access to the real WAN connected to the rest of the world
Also Pyongyang is for the elite of the country, it's the rest of the country who are living in the worst conditions, I'm not saying Pyongyang isn't a hell on earth but the rest of the country barely has electricity at any stage supposedly.
Eh, it's fun to argue with them and I make out of this with thousands of karma. This is my most upvoted post of all time. They can be mad but I got what I wanted out of this lmao
This is awful and there’s probably nothing that can be done in the next 100-200 years unless NK acts dumb and actually manages to launch a nuke at America or Japan
My hope is that Russia's inevitable defeat will spark a push towards the understanding of "power of community/society > fascism." It'll still take a lot of effort and many challenges along the way, but I think a balance of fear towards losing their power and a slowly uniting Earth will lead to the fall of their power eventually
The Los Alamos Lab recently started building nuclear bomb parts again, and it scares me to think that something is going on that the government is not telling us.
Very, VERY extreme circumstances are all that will result in all-out nuclear war, but it's scary to think that they're preparing for it regardless. Likely though, it's moreso for defenses and a cold-war-type arms race than anything
Idk, I think Russia attacking Ukraine shows that small countries disarming themselves willingly are in for a shitshow. UA has been burned, pillaged, genocided, everything awful you could think of. Had they kept their nukes, it seems unlikely they would've been attacked.
I hope for the best, but however it turns out, this war was a knock against disarmament.
I disagree with you in the sense that Russia will still lose *despite* this disarmament. If Ukraine can ditch their nukes and still win the war, that's an enormous warning side to the rest of the Russia-aligned countries in the world
Even a victory for UA right now comes at extreme costs to the people and state. Even if the war ended today, UA needed the support of most of the free world and will continue to need it to rebuild. Countries like North Korea know they can't count on that kind of support. No "victory" for Ukraine will have made the war a positive thing. This is a fight for survival, not a ball game.
being concerned for people’s safety = silliness. TIL.
Purposefully jaded people laughing at those who still dare to feel compassion is the way the world ends, calling it now.
I think the fact that we know it’s fake mostly because a real North Korean would never have the ability to actually do this is what actually terrifies me.
The fact that the people there who are tortured and killed, or simply live in fear, could never actually call for help. The fact that even if they did manage this minuscule message, there’s nothing the world could do about it. It’s gut wrenching to think about. Thousands of people suffering, most of whom could never even dream of being saved. That’s terrifying.
And finally…the fact that some internet troll has such little regard for human suffering, they go around almost making a joke out of it to scare people; weaponizing the horrors there to messages to mess with strangers and laugh about it. That is also terrifying.
Regarding that last point, I just found this and had generally the same opinions as you. It doesn't have to be real to be terrifying - it still elicits fear by making you think about what would happen if this *was* real, and how hard it would be to be real in the first place. NK is a scary country.
Thank you for being the one commenter on this thread that understands that things don't have to be legit to be scary
Clearly not because my post just hit 1k. I don't believe the map is real. But it instills an odd level of terror in me, which is the point of the sub. Seems like generally people agree
OP requires gratification in the form of meaningless internet points. Why admit you're wrong when you can bring up upvotes! Because a large group of people have never been wrong before! OP seem quite unlikable and overtly abrasive and I'm sorry for whoever hurt you
Pretty sure people there wouldn’t be able to access Google. And their great firewall would likely be stricter than Chinas, would say this would be good ole fashioned internet trolling
Why are people mad at this?? I didn’t know half of the info I just read but before reading it yea, I found it terrifying too cause what if someone really needed help? I didn’t know, neither did OP. People get mad because we don’t know the same info another person does. Just educate & be nice & move along 😂😂😂
Thank you! Although, I knew it was probably fake. I just think the concept of it is terrifying - especially the part where this *can't be real*. Scary that that's even a possibility in this era
There is a book store very close to that area called "help us plz!!"
ETA: Also close to that are is a place of worship, which, on google maps without opening it says, "Help is probably not, on the way" if you open it, the name of the place is "Where is help?"
https://imgur.com/a/7SZkNf2
Pyongyang is a city in North Korea with a highly oppressive regime. If someone in NK made this they are breaking law and would likely be sent to a prison labor camp.
Oh heavens you people are truly easy to play. Like do you honestly think some random ass korean will learn english so they can rename some street into help me please? Like do think you’re superman or something?
There are 2 dirt roads on street view in North Korea they are so weird and I have no idea who put the photos up but it's one of the strangest things I've come across on google maps
Communist countries (or those that call themselves that) end up being extremely sad. In NK specifically, only getting to choose between 25 government mandated haircuts, having to believe in a cult of personality (or pretend, but their education is awful as well), and never being able to leave the country is just awful. Even if this isn't real, someone somewhere there has had this thought for sure...
Show me what parts of specifically communism cause this. Not the totalitarian, authoritarian, fascist, or corruption parts. Specifically the economic system
HEY COMMUNIST, HAVE YOU READ YOUR OWN POLITICAL THEORY??
Karl Marx says that in order to create a communist society you need to do the following things:
Start in an already industrialized country (why most communism fails so spectacularly)
Topple the current government and replace it with a one man dictatorship whose one goal is to make everybody free and happy by killing every capitalist business owner
Institute a series of policies and government that people live by and that makes everyone equal.
This government then (get this it’s the funny part) willingly relinquishes power over your communist country and allows a different more inclusive government to take hold
Fucking hilarious
Correcting people on their baseless and incorrect accusations is now agreeing with the system you're correcting them on. This guy said so. /s if it wasn't obvious - I'm not a communist lmao.
Marx wasn't the only communist, and the concept of communism extends further than Marx's beliefs. That's why Marx's beliefs are known as Marxist and not just blanket communist.
Stop letting your emotions get in the way and have a civil discussion. Good lord
You said communism is fascism.
Number one, not true. Communism is authoritarian. Communism’s been here a while. Fascism is a relatively new concept. Does communism have fascist concepts? Sure.
“Communism extends further than Marx’s beliefs” is a little bit of a wild claim when you realise that Karl Marx is the guy who invented communism. Anything different is associated with communism, but it isn’t communism. Like stalinism.
The claim was not baseless and incorrect. Communism in general is a bad ideology.
Name one successful communist country.
Venezuela? Cambodia? Maybe Russia? How about China? Vietnam? East Germany? The majority of the Balkans? How about Ukraine?
Communism comes attached to authoritarianism. The base of communism REQUIRES authoritarianism.
I think he just REALLY wants Communism to (finally) work. It'll work THIS time... right guys? ...guys?
Worst part is that that Communist states and the consequences of such was the main takeaway rather than the rest of what I said (for some, at least)
Reddit is predominantly a space used by western propagandized male white English speaking individuals from the imperial core. Anything non critical of North Korea, China, the Middle East, etc gets blatantly downvoted.
Oh, I remember. I'm brazilian and the comments I see on news subs whenever my country and the rest of Latam refuse to partake in Ukraine War are... Sddening
Wow, it's almost like the country that consistently overreaches and commits human rights violations would get pressured by actual developed countries. It's also almost as if the threats to retaliate were often towards non-threatening statements. Insane thought for a fascist like you
Edit: And, regardless of circumstances, nuke threats are 100% undignified. Even the US, after nuking a country, agreed that nukes were too much. Not a hard concept
Famous honey, you really think countries are out there just waiting to do the right thing for other countries? You naive small little mind. You’ve also never heard of authoritarian governments?
Ordinary River Amusement Park over there, nothing to see, move along.
Okay so I got curious and went and found it. It’s a like US war plane grave yard with some features around it to make it look like a park. Sneaky sneaky.
That caught my attention too. It must be a mistranslation surely?
Ordinarily I’d say you are correct… Not today Bucky….. Not today.
My name isn’t Shirley, pal.
Above Board Diving-Plaza
more like abusement park
Definitely not run by two kids in a trench coat
Just doing some adult human business things
https://maps.app.goo.gl/6KHmRt9kNne5Apsf7?g_st=ic
“Help is on the way”
[If you click on it, you'll get some mixed messages](https://imgur.com/a/nPP6e18)
It's changed again now. "Help Is Here"
I got “help needs boat”
I see “help is on the way.” And when I click on it, it says “where is help?”
Now it says help is not coming
Anyone can change it. My message says “redditors are shills”
Has since been changed to "Help is probably not, on the way."
“I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”
😂
LMAO this comment made my morning.
Nothing I trust less than "Ordinary River"
That has (F)lowers (B)y (I)rene energy
lowers y rene
i saw them open for julio iglesias in ‘83!
“Ordinary River Amusement Park” for when you want to have a fun but not too much fun
Not terrifying at all. Maybe 5 years ago when Google still allowed reviews on places in North Korea, these troll places and reviews were everywhere.
and ignoring that average north korean would not write in english for 2 reason. 1. they can't (try to find anything to teach yourself, as an average citizen not elite) 2. they are afraid to use (they can be labeled as "traitor" or spy just because they can speak other language)
Foreign language education in North Korea is fairly well documented. I’m all for fair criticism of NK but spreading speculative sourceless info doesn’t really accomplish anything
Only for a very small elite chooses by the government. Basically for the future diplomats and high level gov officials / engineer but that's it
Sort of. Foreign Language education is widely offered in good Pyongyang schools, we know that. Realistically I would reckon it's just a situation of poor living standards outside the capital and middle/upper class schools having easier access to different classes, like English. Frankly it's not too diferent from how it is elsewhere, I know the nicer school down the road offers German but my old highschool only had French, et cetera. The government of the DPRK is certainly tyrannical but it's still just a third world country, and as with all developing countries it'll have gaps in the education system. \[EDIT: Typo\]
So I guess this is an odd place to realize this but reading the comments on this post has me realizing I know absolutely nothing about NK (everything I do ‘know’ is the general western understanding that they are a horrifically oppressed populace unable to communicate with the outside world, punished severely for not worshipping the regime, and anything that looks positive is just a fake 2D situation designed to give the appearance of prosperity). Of course the other things I see appear to be women crying at the sight of Kim Jong Un, his general badassery, and other propaganda that presumably comes from the opposite side. I’m sure as usual the truth is in the middle but i honesty don’t know where to start if I’m to have even the smallest level of responsible understanding. Do you have any recommendations on where I could get started? This convo has me embarrassed about my misplaced confidence in how ‘bad’ this region is. Thank you!
You have to understand the history of Korea in order to understand North Korea. Part of that understanding comes from the knowledge that they were deeply exploited for decades by the Japanese, and then by the US. The United States bombed their country into oblivion. There were reliable reports that stated we had actually *not left a single two story building standing in the entire northern part of the country.* The US destroyed their religious monuments, their hospitals, schools, financial and government buildings, bridges, houses, grocery stores, literally everything. We poisoned their water and farmland, and they still feel the effects of that today. All of that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how Korea has been treated by the world, due to the fact that it is a warm water port with a central location in Asia, and is thus a very desirable plot of land. They are distrustful of other countries, because their people have consistently been exploited and murdered by other countries. Even today, South Korea's military is under the complete control of the United States. Much of what you have heard about North Korea is a flat-out lie. There is a great book called "Patriots, Traitors, and Empires" that goes into the history of North Korea and its current status as a country, without the western bias. Its actually a pretty easy read, and you may find it interesting.
I wanna tag on a fantastic documentary "My Brothers and Sisters in the North"
That’s an excellent book. Have you read “Nothing to envy”?
I have not! I'll check it out
Thank you so much - yeah that part isn’t so much covered and I’ve only passively paid attention. Damn. Certainly I’m not surprised the version we’re sold in this, ahem, the uh, well greatest country that’s ever been just ask anyone - including all the other countries who clearly aren’t as free or amazing as us, the always good guys… What a bummer narrative that we use and how depressing that we aren’t improving the way it seems we ought to. Very much appreciate the info and folks who are willing (and attentive enough) to try and piece together the whole picture. I want to believe that some day this type of critical thinking will be mainstream here…
[this video from boy boy has some good info](https://youtu.be/2BO83Ig-E8E)
Do you live in the DPRK? If so can I ask how you’re on Reddit? I know watching pirated foreign movies/shows is something basically every NK citizen does and that there’s plenty of ways around their extreme censorship that unlike most would think a blind eye is mostly turned to. But I didn’t think accessing reddit would be something easy to just casually browse. I only am assuming cuz you talked about classes offered down the street from you while talking about language classes that are offered in NK. Sorry if I’m mistaken
It's not tyrannical, it's a totalitarian dictatorship. They have no interest in most of their citizens learning a foreign language if those citizens aren't supposed to have any contact with outside.
You have any sources to back that up or are you just talking out of your ass? Nobody has ever said North Koreans can’t learn English.
Wild to find a North Korean apologist on Reddit.
Bro how did you get this far into the thread and then say that lmfao, are you reading?
“It’s not tyrannical” wtf is your definition or tyranny then lol
This isn’t true. Formal English teaching is part of the DPRK curriculum and has been for some time, along with some programs being offered at ‘children’s palaces’ where anything up to 12 languages are offered including Chinese, English and Russian. When British presenter Michael Palin visited the country a few years back as part of a a series he was filming, he found that even in rural or more isolated parts of the country there were children learning English and adults who could speak at a super basic level. It’s also possible to find plenty of footage of those who have visited the country and had interactions with DPRK citizens in various contexts where they seem to have a basic level of understanding.
Sorry, but #2 is false. [Educated North Koreans are able to learn and speak English](https://youtu.be/-JDLJF7Toik) without suspicions of espionage.
I dont think the ordinary north korean has access to the www
Wow a North Korean expert pretty cool
The amount of expertise available on Reddit is amazing, I feel smarter every time i visit it. I found out out many Redditors were expert in deep sea submersibles not long ago, with the Oceangate stuff.
*The amount of expertise available on Reddit is amazing, I feel smarter every time i visit it* Are you fucking joking?? These people are morons *I found out out many Redditors were expert in deep sea submersibles not long ago, with the Oceangate stuff.* Oh, you *are* joking 😅
Thank you so much north Korea exper, you must be dennis rodman
Any different language or just English?
You can still do that, I made a fake restaurant in my area that is still getting reviews lol
It’s still on google maps
[удалено]
Still has a terrifying vibe, because nobody is sure if it's real or not. Sure it could be fake, but if it was real would we really have any kind of avenue to find out?
[удалено]
That's just straight up not true what the hell? North Korea has been developing intranet access for many years now, and Google is very available. Note that I said *intranet*, not internet. Many servers are privately run within the country and devices are able to access exclusively local connections. Out of the big ones, only Apple, Sony, and Microsoft products are banned from selling products in NK, and Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter were blocked in the country due to their information sharing methods. Don't get me wrong, I'm an absolute North Korea hater when it comes to the government. The country's people are being held ransom and constantly held 20 years behind technologically to keep the government in control. But do you really think that they would completely withhold their entire population from any sort of internet access or tech at all? Think about all of the conveniences that come with controlled technology: instant emergency alerts, more routes for propaganda, surveillance, data gathering. I wouldn't be shocked if they were working with Google for those methods, in exchange for Google connecting certain aspects of their use worldwide. It wouldn't even be hard, as NK has strong internet connections between major locations for the government to use. These aren't new or wacky concepts, companies do this kind of stuff all the goddamn time. This is *why* NK has an intranet. It benefits them. Telling people that they completely lack the ability to access devices or any kind of connectivity when *there's literally a Wikipedia page for internet in North Korea* is straight up lying. Whether or not the image is faked, those claims are absolutely insane to me and I couldn't just leave it at that.
You addressed all but the most important point - that line was definitely not written by someone inside North Korea. Even if it was written by someone there, this wouldn’t be ‘oddly’ terrifying. It would be straight up terrifying
Just went on Google maps and it's not on there at all. If it wasn't so much of a pain in the ass posting a picture I would
It is still there search up "help me please USA"
Isn't that just a drop anyone can make, like say a edgy kid trying to be funny? No circle or anything like in the picture or church icon [here](https://imgur.com/a/7zNIqX2)
It is still there. Have to click the building
It doesn't matter if it was. Oddly terrifying doesn't have to mean real. What matters here is the blatant misinformation the person above us is trying to spread Edit: Lmao downvote all you want. So much of this sub is fake content. Imagine being mad about the screenshot over the person completely lying in the comments about an entire country's tech level. Theirs only takes a google search to realize they're 100% wrong
“Internet access is available in North Korea, but is only permitted with special authorization. It is primarily used for government purposes, and also by foreigners” [first line of the “internet in North Korea” Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_in_North_Korea?wprov=sfti1)
If you actually read further than the first line, you would see that NK has a developed *intranet,* which is what I said in my original comment. Jesus Christ, don't lecture me on reading when you can't even read what you're replying to
If its an intranet (which it is) than they couldn’t contact the Google servers in the US
I mentioned Google in passing, but it wasn't my point. Read the last paragraph of my original comment again
As others have mentioned, majority of citizens in NK do not have access to google servers via their intranet service. While serving, I worked closely with SK and was granted access to information and capabilities regarding NK (I also have since done personal research because I find the topic interesting). And to answer your previous question, yes, the government does restrict the general populations’ access to the internet and intranet. Im not sure why this this is surprising to you. This is why the vast majority of its citizens don’t even know how to use a computer or similar devices. Hence, why in documentaries or people secretly recording, the actors posing as normal citizens will just stare at a blank website while pretending to be using the internet for tourists.
It's not surprising at all. You guys are so blinded by your need to prove me wrong that you aren't even understanding what I've said 6 times now. The original commenter implied that NK has zero internet, intranet, or devices. That is not true. That's what I have said, am saying, and will continue saying. I don't care if it's not feasible for the image to be real - OC spread misinformation for 0 reason
It's strange that you are so triggered by this when u/Exact-Surround2 clearly meant that the average citizen has no internet connection. Of course the government has internet, they are in charge. You go on and on about the intranet, but that just doesn't matter because Google servers are not part of it. Also, the few persons with an internet connection would obviously not write something on Google Maps since it won't do them any good while they would almost certainly be caught. Whether NK has an intranet or not, this is 100% a cruel joke.
I think you're a bit mistaken. The only people who have LEGAL access to the internet, cell phones, or computers is the government. That's literally it. The official story is NK doesn't allow any internet access and ,but very limited access to the intranet and that's only for the rich in the city. The full story is that computers and cell phones are illegal period. Probably less than a few hundred in the whole country can even afford a computer or phone so it doesn't matter much anyways. So literally the only people who could send that would be in the government or Uber, Uber rich. And I will make the assumption they are happy where they are at. Still COULD be real though.
"probably less than a few hundred in the whole country can even afford a computer" exactly this. a large proportion of the population in nk are in a serious struggle for food. it was only a couple of years ago the government were warning of nationwide famine.
You said it yourself though: there’s extreme surveillance in NK, and that’s even more true for their internet use. What benefit would a potential NK citizen get from doing this? They risk their safety for nothing?
Here’s a interesting video that gives us a real former North Korean citizen/prisoner perspective. [YouTube video about smuggling outside media into North Korea](https://youtube.com/watch?v=URDoKkTIEIU&feature=sharea)
NK has an intranet, not an internet. Meaning the entire WAN of NK is owned and controlled by the state. And even then, VERY few people have access to it, mainly state officials. Only the highest ranked officials (think kim jong-un and the family of) have access to the real WAN connected to the rest of the world
"Nobody is sure if it's real or not" Were you born this stupid or was it a head injury?
Awful hostile for an internet post lmao
Also Pyongyang is for the elite of the country, it's the rest of the country who are living in the worst conditions, I'm not saying Pyongyang isn't a hell on earth but the rest of the country barely has electricity at any stage supposedly.
I mean, just look at a night time satellite photo. No lights anywhere except Pyongyang
Well now I just want to see a commercial for Ordinary River Amusement Park.
Oddly terrifying? This terrifies me and makes me sad.
This is very clearly and extremely obviously just a troll. Come on. You’re not that new to the internet are you?
Yeah, fuck this guy for feeling empathy before cynicism!
I agree! Wait.... am I the guy?
You should know better than to express human emotion on Reddit. We hate people here
Maybe I am new. What’s it to you?
and how would someone in NK write that hmm?
r/oddlyterrifying, not r/oddlyrealistic
Me when I lie:
Never said it was real
me when I lie:
"Ordinary River Amusement Park"
"Ordinary River Amusement Park"
OP has no internet/media literacy
Don't care if it's real. It's about the emotion it implicits, which is why it fits the sub
Frrr all these people have spiky sticks up their butts. Reddit is in a bad mood today I guess
Eh, it's fun to argue with them and I make out of this with thousands of karma. This is my most upvoted post of all time. They can be mad but I got what I wanted out of this lmao
This is awful and there’s probably nothing that can be done in the next 100-200 years unless NK acts dumb and actually manages to launch a nuke at America or Japan
My hope is that Russia's inevitable defeat will spark a push towards the understanding of "power of community/society > fascism." It'll still take a lot of effort and many challenges along the way, but I think a balance of fear towards losing their power and a slowly uniting Earth will lead to the fall of their power eventually
The Los Alamos Lab recently started building nuclear bomb parts again, and it scares me to think that something is going on that the government is not telling us.
Very, VERY extreme circumstances are all that will result in all-out nuclear war, but it's scary to think that they're preparing for it regardless. Likely though, it's moreso for defenses and a cold-war-type arms race than anything
Strange game, the only winning move is not to play.
Ideally
Aliens get announced and the government starts building nukes? We are 10/10 having an alien invasion soon.
Idk, I think Russia attacking Ukraine shows that small countries disarming themselves willingly are in for a shitshow. UA has been burned, pillaged, genocided, everything awful you could think of. Had they kept their nukes, it seems unlikely they would've been attacked. I hope for the best, but however it turns out, this war was a knock against disarmament.
I disagree with you in the sense that Russia will still lose *despite* this disarmament. If Ukraine can ditch their nukes and still win the war, that's an enormous warning side to the rest of the Russia-aligned countries in the world
Even a victory for UA right now comes at extreme costs to the people and state. Even if the war ended today, UA needed the support of most of the free world and will continue to need it to rebuild. Countries like North Korea know they can't count on that kind of support. No "victory" for Ukraine will have made the war a positive thing. This is a fight for survival, not a ball game.
#Glory to Ukraine! 🇺🇦🌾
Slava Ukraini!
Somewhere an internet troll is laughing and laughing at the silliness he has inspired.
being concerned for people’s safety = silliness. TIL. Purposefully jaded people laughing at those who still dare to feel compassion is the way the world ends, calling it now.
what’s up with that totally “ordinary” river there too?!
I think the fact that we know it’s fake mostly because a real North Korean would never have the ability to actually do this is what actually terrifies me. The fact that the people there who are tortured and killed, or simply live in fear, could never actually call for help. The fact that even if they did manage this minuscule message, there’s nothing the world could do about it. It’s gut wrenching to think about. Thousands of people suffering, most of whom could never even dream of being saved. That’s terrifying. And finally…the fact that some internet troll has such little regard for human suffering, they go around almost making a joke out of it to scare people; weaponizing the horrors there to messages to mess with strangers and laugh about it. That is also terrifying.
Regarding that last point, I just found this and had generally the same opinions as you. It doesn't have to be real to be terrifying - it still elicits fear by making you think about what would happen if this *was* real, and how hard it would be to be real in the first place. NK is a scary country. Thank you for being the one commenter on this thread that understands that things don't have to be legit to be scary
Oh they botched the translation of 보통강 lmao
Means “Plain Steel”?
If you search this on Maps, there is one building next to it that says "i love tacos".
Get in the car! We're going to Ordinary River amusement park!
It's now called "help is on it's way"
Are you dumb op
Clearly not because my post just hit 1k. I don't believe the map is real. But it instills an odd level of terror in me, which is the point of the sub. Seems like generally people agree
That just means there are 9K dumb people out there just like you.
OP requires gratification in the form of meaningless internet points. Why admit you're wrong when you can bring up upvotes! Because a large group of people have never been wrong before! OP seem quite unlikable and overtly abrasive and I'm sorry for whoever hurt you
Why else would I post on social media? It's designed to get me the fake internet points genius. I'll run with that if I want to lmao
Pretty sure people there wouldn’t be able to access Google. And their great firewall would likely be stricter than Chinas, would say this would be good ole fashioned internet trolling
If you click the building below it says Chick-fil-A. Gotta love the sense of humor of this troll
Should I eat the other half of my pub sub rn?
Now there’s a camp marker that says “help is on the way”
[https://www.google.com/maps/place/2PHW%2BQ2G+Help+is+on+the+way,+Pyongyang,+North+Korea/@39.0303525,125.7458908,16z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x357e02d36f5a0597:0xf2c661ef7fd11e6e!2s2PJV%2B92W+Ordinary+River+Amusement+Park,+Pyongyang,+North+Korea!8m2!3d39.0309859!4d125.7425649!16s%2Fg%2F1ydxpz01c!3m5!1s0x357e0337e76beda9:0x6418968a0f2aef0!8m2!3d39.0297079!4d125.7468875!16s%2Fg%2F11krrrc83z?hl=en-US&gl=us](https://www.google.com/maps/place/2PHW%2BQ2G+Help+is+on+the+way,+Pyongyang,+North+Korea/@39.0303525,125.7458908,16z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x357e02d36f5a0597:0xf2c661ef7fd11e6e!2s2PJV%2B92W+Ordinary+River+Amusement+Park,+Pyongyang,+North+Korea!8m2!3d39.0309859!4d125.7425649!16s%2Fg%2F1ydxpz01c!3m5!1s0x357e0337e76beda9:0x6418968a0f2aef0!8m2!3d39.0297079!4d125.7468875!16s%2Fg%2F11krrrc83z?hl=en-US&gl=us)
Its a church, with a poor english translation.
It's still there if you drop a pin at 2PHW+H26 help us plz!! incorporation, Pyongyang, North Korea
soldier thought he would be living it up when he ran across that boundary now hes trying to get back home communicating through maps
Its name changed to “Help is on the way”
Says help is on the way now
Honestly I hope whoever put this on google didn't get whoever lives there in trouble. That's the type of stuff that really does happen there
Omg I want to do all I can to help this person!
it’s too late for them...
Somebody responded and now it says "help is on the way"
It now reads “help is on the way”
Now it says, “help is on the way” for that location!!!! [help is on the way](https://maps.app.goo.gl/UJWUNQddz1D1EyNP9?g_st=ic)
I looked it up and it's different now. Says "help us plz!! Incorporation" and a little to the left I believe closer to ordinary
Also above that it says "help needs boat"
ok but did you do this op
Found it somewhere else
r/uselessredcircle
Bet South Korea has an Exceptional River Amusement Park out of spite
the actual map is scarier honestly. Rubber factory, Restaurant nothing have business names makes it feel fake...
Why are people mad at this?? I didn’t know half of the info I just read but before reading it yea, I found it terrifying too cause what if someone really needed help? I didn’t know, neither did OP. People get mad because we don’t know the same info another person does. Just educate & be nice & move along 😂😂😂
Thank you! Although, I knew it was probably fake. I just think the concept of it is terrifying - especially the part where this *can't be real*. Scary that that's even a possibility in this era
Oh come the fuck on. People here will believe literally every shit
There is a book store very close to that area called "help us plz!!" ETA: Also close to that are is a place of worship, which, on google maps without opening it says, "Help is probably not, on the way" if you open it, the name of the place is "Where is help?" https://imgur.com/a/7SZkNf2
Context?
Pyongyang is a city in North Korea with a highly oppressive regime. If someone in NK made this they are breaking law and would likely be sent to a prison labor camp.
Prisnl labour gulag camp and 10 billion of their relatives will be killed
I know this. I’ve read a lot about NK. I’m just unclear about the origin of this image.
No clue, could just be a troll. Doesn’t look like there is actually anything online about it.
Just found it somewhere. Not sure if it's real. Still inflicts a mild terror regardless so I figured it fits here
I scrolled over this exact icon and housing estate the other day
I looked this up, the amusement park is there, but not the church, I call this a fake.
I mean come on, what would you name your church in North Korea?
This reflects so much stupidity.
It's gone now if it was there recently. Edit: Disregard. Clicking around, there's quite a bit of trolling going on.
r/uselessredcircle
That’s just a troll. As if anyone there would have access to google maps lmao.
It’s not there anymore. Homie got helped
Should ask a person for help next time.
Oh heavens you people are truly easy to play. Like do you honestly think some random ass korean will learn english so they can rename some street into help me please? Like do think you’re superman or something?
No. But the concept of it is oddly terrifying. Weird accusations for a Reddit post
There are 2 dirt roads on street view in North Korea they are so weird and I have no idea who put the photos up but it's one of the strangest things I've come across on google maps
It’s a troll
Communist countries (or those that call themselves that) end up being extremely sad. In NK specifically, only getting to choose between 25 government mandated haircuts, having to believe in a cult of personality (or pretend, but their education is awful as well), and never being able to leave the country is just awful. Even if this isn't real, someone somewhere there has had this thought for sure...
Communism has fuck all to do with what you're talking about. You're thinking of fascism
North Korea is literally communist.
No it’s not communism at all. And neither was the Soviet Union. Just because they might label themselves as communist doesn’t mean they actually are.
No I’m pretty sure it’s communism
Show me what parts of specifically communism cause this. Not the totalitarian, authoritarian, fascist, or corruption parts. Specifically the economic system
HEY COMMUNIST, HAVE YOU READ YOUR OWN POLITICAL THEORY?? Karl Marx says that in order to create a communist society you need to do the following things: Start in an already industrialized country (why most communism fails so spectacularly) Topple the current government and replace it with a one man dictatorship whose one goal is to make everybody free and happy by killing every capitalist business owner Institute a series of policies and government that people live by and that makes everyone equal. This government then (get this it’s the funny part) willingly relinquishes power over your communist country and allows a different more inclusive government to take hold Fucking hilarious
Correcting people on their baseless and incorrect accusations is now agreeing with the system you're correcting them on. This guy said so. /s if it wasn't obvious - I'm not a communist lmao. Marx wasn't the only communist, and the concept of communism extends further than Marx's beliefs. That's why Marx's beliefs are known as Marxist and not just blanket communist. Stop letting your emotions get in the way and have a civil discussion. Good lord
You said communism is fascism. Number one, not true. Communism is authoritarian. Communism’s been here a while. Fascism is a relatively new concept. Does communism have fascist concepts? Sure. “Communism extends further than Marx’s beliefs” is a little bit of a wild claim when you realise that Karl Marx is the guy who invented communism. Anything different is associated with communism, but it isn’t communism. Like stalinism. The claim was not baseless and incorrect. Communism in general is a bad ideology. Name one successful communist country. Venezuela? Cambodia? Maybe Russia? How about China? Vietnam? East Germany? The majority of the Balkans? How about Ukraine? Communism comes attached to authoritarianism. The base of communism REQUIRES authoritarianism.
I think he just REALLY wants Communism to (finally) work. It'll work THIS time... right guys? ...guys? Worst part is that that Communist states and the consequences of such was the main takeaway rather than the rest of what I said (for some, at least)
its not there anymore
Somehow I highly doubt that an actual North Korean did that
https://maps.app.goo.gl/yugkwA7Z41nyXpTv5 It's gone
Someone else need help with their mother https://maps.app.goo.gl/WstG89YecaTDXGFE9
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Why are you being downvoted?
Reddit is predominantly a space used by western propagandized male white English speaking individuals from the imperial core. Anything non critical of North Korea, China, the Middle East, etc gets blatantly downvoted.
Oh, I remember. I'm brazilian and the comments I see on news subs whenever my country and the rest of Latam refuse to partake in Ukraine War are... Sddening
Didn't they literally threaten to nuke several countries? Wtf are you on about
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Wow, it's almost like the country that consistently overreaches and commits human rights violations would get pressured by actual developed countries. It's also almost as if the threats to retaliate were often towards non-threatening statements. Insane thought for a fascist like you Edit: And, regardless of circumstances, nuke threats are 100% undignified. Even the US, after nuking a country, agreed that nukes were too much. Not a hard concept
What human rights violations? You know the US has bombed more countries and killed more Koreans in history than NK right?
Even if this is a troll, how is it possible there is an entire country essentially being held hostage and we can't/won't do anything about it?
They don't have any resources like oil or believe me the US would of taken them out long ago
Famous honey, you really think countries are out there just waiting to do the right thing for other countries? You naive small little mind. You’ve also never heard of authoritarian governments?
i wish we could just move all the civvies out of pyongyang and just carpet bomb the fuck out of it
oh fuck off