Oranckay posted about some extremely disturbing pictures that have appeared on Free North Korea Broadcasting (FNK, 자유북한방송). The accompanying audio link is distressing. The Chosun Ilbo has a few of the stills in much better quality, along with English captions.
Whoever took these, by hidden camera apparently, must be very brave and ballsy. A Japanese broadcaster is planning to broadcast the 25-minute video in mid-October, but the stills that are available now paint an extreming troubling scene.
It is a brutal scene. In some sense, it is not "news" because it is not new nor is it special information: we know that this happens routinely in North Korea. But it is noteworthy because such scenes, usually just told first- or second-hand, are usually not filmed and shown in free South Korea (or Japan, the US, etc.).
Right now the current government is working hard to engage Korea. If the US and Japan proceed as planned, they will be engaging North Korea more and more as well. That's all good and well, but it is of the utmost importance that we NOT forget who is in charge there and the tactics that they use to maintain control. We have already forgotten that with the People's Republic of China, and many South Koreans are dangerously close to forgetting that about the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
It is for that reason that stories like this one MUST be shown in the Chosun Ilbo. It is for that reason that stories like this one at Marmot's must be told.
Although I don't doubt beatings taking place in nk prisons, etc, I do have to question the validity of those pics/footage of woman being beaten by nk soldiers.
ReplyDeleteAs vop mentions, the footage is being shot at around eye level..
the guard appear to be aware of the hidden camera..and the hidden camera has zoom in/out capability along with being able to rotate around. I just don't see how freenk was able to infiltrate the post, set up this high tech gadgetry, which btw is even in color, manipulate the hidden camera to zoom in/out while the "beating" is taking place..
kushio wrote this at oranckay : "I think that the fact someone had a camera in the room, even having the camera in his hand, would not at all mean it’s a fake. I can think of two examples where people stupidly had videotaped themselves or others doing stuff that they wouldn’t want made public."
ReplyDeleteofcourse but according to freenk's site, the footage was shot with a hidden camera. and lo and behold freenk's link to the pics of "beating" is down. I took snap shots of the page containing those photos so hopefully i have the part saved where freenk says it was taken with a hidden camera. trying to use google cache but can't seem to retrieve that particular link..
Freenk saying it was a "hidden camera" may in fact have been a wrong (but reasonable) assumption.
ReplyDeleteI would really have to see the videotape itself before I draw a conclusion, but nothing I've heard about the videotape (I have only seen the pictures) makes the videotape a fake.