North Korean Unicorns Discovered

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/11/north-korea-says-they-unearthed-unicorn-lair/59483/

You can't direct link to the actual article because North Korea sucks at internet, so here's the text:

http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.htm

UNICORNS.

Because this is debate and discussion we should probably talk about how this affects the balance of power between the North and South. Please have your monocles at the ready!

edit: UNICORN LAIR

"A rectangular rock carved with words "Unicorn Lair" stands in front of the lair"

Well that fucking settles it then.

THE UNICORN WAS CAUGHT ON FILM:

Do not show me that at this point in time.

"The carved words are believed to date back to the period of Koryo Kingdom (918-1392)."
This fact is believed by everyone who wishes to have a meal today.

The people who don't believe are over there in that corner, clutching their empty stomachs.

Clearly we cannot afford to lose the upcoming unicorn race with North Korea.

All I can say:
What the fuck, North Korea?

Well, they're kinda embarrassed about them, but they're also kind of proud that their cousins were able to develop a nuclear bomb and thumb their noses at the Americans.

Korea is fucked up, whether we're talking about North or South. It's just that The Best Korea has taken "fucked up" to a whole new level.

I disagree. It's more than a tinge, and every single Korean that I've met (and I've met quite a few) has been full of themselves and their culture. They take xenophobia* to a level I've never encountered in any other group, with the possible exception of right-wing Americans. Their spousal abuse rate is sky high, and there are many aspects of their culture that are pretty disgusting.

*Edit- xenophobia is probably the wrong word. Maybe "ethnocentric" is closer to what I mean. Basically, their belief that their culture is superior is very deep rooted.

That seems like more of a human trait than a Korean one. Certainly it's present in large quantities in the United States and Israel.

Alright. Those traits exist completely equally in all cultures, and to say that one culture has it stronger than another is just crazy talk. In fact all cultures are the same in every way. You got me.

(By the way: you're right that it's present in parts of the U.S. I explicitly said so in my post. But feel free to restate my point, if you like.)

Myers makes the comment that North Korea is the most racist country in the world, South Korea being the second most racist. I don't recall if this in the cleanest race or if I saw it in a youtube video where Myers discussed his book. So Myers certainly attributes much more than slight tinge of racism to South Korean culture, even if half jokingly.

Edit:
here is the video I spoke of Myer talks about his book, about an hour long and both informative and enjoyable
http://www.booktv.org/Watch/11315/T...oreans See Themselves And Why It Matters.aspx

Now why would you want Korean unicorns? Much rather have Japanese ones.



I think it's going to be interesting to see what happens with "historical" sites like this when the current North Korean regime either stops being quite as shitty or simply fails entirely. (...And what happens with genuine sites that've been adjusted to suit the current regime's needs.)

I apologize; I was posting while tired, and failed to coherently state what I meant.

I haven't been to South Korea, but the impression I've gotten from all of my friends who have visited there, whether on business (generally tournaments) or just traveling, is that South Korea is much less racist than many parts of the US, and no more racist than most.

How do you measure racism, anyway? In an object, quantitative way, that is. Proportion of intermarriage as compared to ratio of natives/non-natives? Promotion rates in various fields, likewise?

When I read The Cleanest Race, the biggest surprise for me was how messed up South Korea was. These two passages were memorable:

Although South Koreans are glad that they compromised their nationalist principles for wealth and modernity, many of them feel a nagging sense of moral inferiority to their more orthodox brethren. They may disapprove of the North’s actions, but rarely with indignation, often blaming America or Japan for having provoked them.

Hardly had the new president taken office than the South Korean public lashed itself into another of its xenophobic frenzies. This time the occasion was the administration’s intention to open the beef market to American imports. As rumors spread of a unique Korean susceptibility to mad cow disease, massive crowds took to the streets of Seoul denouncing Lee as a dictator and traitor, and accusing the Yankees of saving their most diseased meat for the peninsula.

By the way it is a really good book and I second Lum's recommendation.

Koreans are pretty messed up in that they are really really shallow. It actually really bothers me how well accepted and even expected plastic surgery is over here, to the point where double eyelid surgery is gifted to kids graduating from highschool. And the V-line surgery (reconstructing the chin so that it's pointy). Oh, and the thing with girl getting their calf muscles cut out so that they don't look "fat." Not that people in other countries don't get plastic surgery, but there's a reason all of the celbrities look so similar, and that's because they all want to follow a certain template. I actually saw this ad in the train station:



This was one of 3 or 4 surgery ads I saw in that station, I only took a pic of this one because it's the most amusing.

They also like to stare at people on the train. I mean, seriously, just stare at them for several minutes at a time. Especially if you're White or Filipino. It also weirds me out to see how poorly pets are treated around here :< I mean, one house down the block has their tiny, maybe 6 lb dog outside on a chain in the front of the house. And it's freezing here now, they should at least bring it inside. Oh and the pet stores here are really creepy. They take the pups away from their mom waaaaay too early because they only want to sell tiny cute dogs.

Though generally, people in shops are very courteous. Going to privately owned small shops is so much better than normal retail places, they sometimes give you stuff for buying lots of things (I went to get some stuff at a stationery store around Pepero Day (their version of Valentines, chocolate everywhere) and the sales lady gave me a pack of ferrero rocher). Also its a lot of times cheaper from what I've noticed. The one plus I've seen from the vast shallowness is that the skin care products are fantastic though.

And I can vouch for Military not really being the best ambassadors of Amurrcan kind. They can act like complete dicks sometimes, especially on the weekends >_> But in general there's a lot of animosity from both sides.

It's hilarious when people walk up to my half Korean friend (who does not speak Korean) and start talking to her really fast, but basically ignore her tall, white husband (who does speak Korean fairly fluently).

Oh, and According to Koreans, anywhere that is Not Seoul = Podunk ass Ghetto.

Source?

Well, that's the thing. I know Koreans that don't believe it, and I know the wikipedia article. I just don't know where there's credible evidence that the whole thing is a hoax. My guess is that it's something like "Americans believe the world is 6000 years old", but I'm not sure because sometimes things like Penis Theft Epidemics defy all outside interpretation.

Living over there for seven years, I lost count of how many Koreans I met who seriously did believe in fan death. It's probably right up there with no swimming after eating.

That's so silly. We save our most diseased meat for our schoolchildren.

Well, letting a fan blow over you while you sleep could probably cause you to have dry, chapped skin. And to certain South Koreans, that might be as bad as being dead.

I read Nothing to Envy recently. Fascinating and depressing. As far as I can remember, though, it didn't mention unicorns.

Well, Alcoholism is a nationally encouraged problem tradition.

Nothing quite like dodging the kimchi flowers while walking to the subway station in the morning.

FTFY

LUM is Santa?

Anyway, surprised this wasn't mentioned whilst speaking of North Korea:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/kim-jongun-named-the-onions-sexiest-man-alive-for,30379/

North Korea picked up the story as real!
Unicorns indeed.

Yes, he is. He enjoys it immensely.

Thank god. It's way too early in the day for me to be as disappointed as I was by Lum's post that said it was a hoax.