North Korea's awful record of human rights violations may place it as the worst regime in the world in how it treats its people, but first-hand tales of the abuses rarely slip the secretive country's borders, While oppression in North Korea knows no bounds, a video from South Korean Digitalsoju TV shows how the regime can be especially horrific in its treatment of women, In the video, women defectors who formerly served in North Korea's military sit down with a South Korean host in a military-themed restaurant famous for its chicken. The cultural divide between the two Korean women becomes palpable when the North Korean points to mock ammunition decorating the restaurant, and the South Korean says she recognizes them from comics."Aww, you're so adorable," the North Korean replied. The defector explained that all North Korean women must serve in the military for six years, and all men must serve for 11. During that time, she said she was fed three spoonfuls of rice at mealtimes. Unsurprisingly, malnutrition is widespread across all sectors of North Korea. And despite North Korea being a communist country, the defector still said that even within the military, people badly want money and withhold or steal each other's state-issued goods like military uniforms.
North Korea denies torturing the student, but his parents said Pyongyang’s actions were “inexcusable”. "We see North Korea claiming to be a victim and the world is picking on them, and we’re here to tell you North Korea is not a victim,” said Mr Warmbier. "They are terrorists. They kidnapped Otto, they tortured him, [and] they intentionally injured him."He added: “It was astounding to Cindy and I to discover that North Korea is not listed as a state sponsor of terror. We owe it to the world to list it to North Korea as a state sponsor of terror.” In June the state department announced that it was banning US citizens from travelling to North Korea, with effect from September 1. On Sunday the White House announced that North Korea was being added to its travel ban - a largely symbolic move, given that almost no North Koreans travel to the US. Diplomats are exempt from the ruling. President Donald Trump, who has previously talked about Warmbier's treatment in stark terms, and criticised the Obama administration for not doing more to help, tweeted about the interview.
The United States will bar Americans from travelling to North Korea in the coming weeks, two travel agencies said Friday, a month after a US tourist, student Otto Warmbier, died following his imprisonment by Pyongyang. China-based Young Pioneer Tours, which had taken Warmbier to North Korea, and Koryo Tours said the ban will come into force on July 27 -- the anniversary of the end of the Korean War -- with a 30-day grace period."We have just been informed that the US government will no longer be allowing US citizens to travel to the DPRK (North Korea)," Young Pioneer Tours said on its website."After the 30-day grace period any US national that travels to North Korea will have their passport invalidated by their government," it said.The company did not say who had notified it of the ban, which followed its earlier announcement that it would no longer take Americans to North Korea in the wake of Warmbier's death last month.Koryo Tours general manager Simon Cockerell told AFP that his company was notified by the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, which usually acts on behalf of the United States in North Korea since Washington has no diplomatic ties with the isolated regime.
North Korea's awful record of human rights violations may place it as the worst regime in the world in how it treats its people, but first-hand tales of the abuses rarely slip the secretive country's borders, While oppression in North Korea knows no bounds, a video from South Korean Digitalsoju TV shows how the regime can be especially horrific in its treatment of women, In the video, women defectors who formerly served in North Korea's military sit down with a South Korean host in a military-themed restaurant famous for its chicken. The cultural divide between the two Korean women becomes palpable when the North Korean points to mock ammunition decorating the restaurant, and the South Korean says she recognizes them from comics."Aww, you're so adorable," the North Korean replied. The defector explained that all North Korean women must serve in the military for six years, and all men must serve for 11. During that time, she said she was fed three spoonfuls of rice at mealtimes. Unsurprisingly, malnutrition is widespread across all sectors of North Korea. And despite North Korea being a communist country, the defector still said that even within the military, people badly want money and withhold or steal each other's state-issued goods like military uniforms.
North Korea denies torturing the student, but his parents said Pyongyang’s actions were “inexcusable”.
"We see North Korea claiming to be a victim and the world is picking on them, and we’re here to tell you North Korea is not a victim,” said Mr Warmbier. "They are terrorists. They kidnapped Otto, they tortured him, [and] they intentionally injured him."He added: “It was astounding to Cindy and I to discover that North Korea is not listed as a state sponsor of terror. We owe it to the world to list it to North Korea as a state sponsor of terror.” In June the state department announced that it was banning US citizens from travelling to North Korea, with effect from September 1.
On Sunday the White House announced that North Korea was being added to its travel ban - a largely symbolic move, given that almost no North Koreans travel to the US. Diplomats are exempt from the ruling.
President Donald Trump, who has previously talked about Warmbier's treatment in stark terms, and criticised the Obama administration for not doing more to help, tweeted about the interview.
The United States will bar Americans from travelling to North Korea in the coming weeks, two travel agencies said Friday, a month after a US tourist, student Otto Warmbier, died following his imprisonment by Pyongyang. China-based Young Pioneer Tours, which had taken Warmbier to North Korea, and Koryo Tours said the ban will come into force on July 27 --
the anniversary of the end of the Korean War -- with a 30-day grace period."We have just been informed that the US government will no longer be allowing US citizens to travel to the DPRK (North Korea)," Young Pioneer Tours said on its website."After the 30-day grace period any US national that travels to North Korea will have their passport invalidated by their government," it said.The company did not say who had notified it of the ban, which followed its earlier announcement that it would no longer take Americans to North Korea in the wake of Warmbier's death last month.Koryo Tours general
manager Simon Cockerell told AFP that his company was notified by the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, which usually acts on behalf of the United States in North Korea since Washington has no diplomatic ties with the isolated regime.