The document has a "THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION" stamp on it.
The document was published during a political crisis in South Korea.
For anyone experienced with the art of deception, this puts it squarely in the "probably bullshit" bin. Misinformation like this gets published every single day in reputable outlets, and most people don't question it, because it is written to confirm their prior beliefs ("North Korea bad").
This means basically nothing. If it were fake, would a South Korean periodical publish it? Yes, almost certainly. But if it were real, would a South Korean periodical publish it? Yes, almost certainly.
That sort of 'evidence' washes out. All we're left with is unverifiable claims.
I think you're supposed to take two of them in concert with each other - it originated in South Korea and was published during a particularly politically convenient time in South Korea. I don't know personally how important or suspicious that is, but the fact that it's clearly been marked and acknowledged as "unevaluated" is maybe a stronger reason to take it with a pinch of salt.
While I agree the document would be questionable, I don't think "North Korea bad" is so much a belief as it's a fact. It doesn't get much badder than that. Probably the worst dictatorship for their people we have on this planet right now.
I'm very lucky to have been born here and not there.
I think the point is that "North Korea bad" is both regrettably true and an overly simplistic way to look at the current situation without really thinking about the history of the Korean peninsula, the causes of the split, the war and what roles our own governments had in causing the entire situation. This doesn't change the indisputable fact that the Kim regimes have been brutal and that the DPRK is truly a nightmarishly awful place to live, but it lets a lot of other people off the hook.
Please explain how “our own governments” are in any way responsible for the actions and choices of one of the most brutal communist regimes in history. I’m presuming you’re Western. “Our own governments” have much to answer for, but North Korea isn’t one of those things.
The only alternative historical path would have completely erased South Korea, now a prosperous country that acts as a positive influence on the region and world. If any outside influence is responsible for North Korea, it is China, any other take beggar’s belief.
We can split hairs about what is true communism, but between the cult of personality, the economic system, its art and media, and the more ephemeral peculiarities of its public culture, it looks an awful lot like stepping into a time machine that takes you back to Stalinist-era USSR. There's really no place on Earth quite like it.
What is a “fact” other than a piece of information demonstrated through repeated direct observation? Acting as if “North Korea is bad” is “just like your opinion man” is one of the most bad faith statements I’ve ever seen on the Internet. It’s utterly ridiculous and you know that too.
