Watch This Movie About North Korea

I’m sure that by now you’ve heard all about the pulling of “The Interview” from theaters across the country, in response to threats alleged to come from North Korea.

In light of this and other responses to the threats, Nick Gillespie at Reason.com offers an alternative view:

Reason TV has long taken an interest in North Korea, which is perhaps the purest distillation of a totalitarian insanity ever made flesh. It is easy—and important—to make fun of the People’s Republic and its bizarre dogmas and doctrines (including the belief that the country’s rulers are not simply picked by god but are divine in their own right) and we’ve done that. But it is also important not to allow the comic-opera elements to distract from one of the most repressive regimes that has ever disgraced the planet.

“I escaped a North Korean prison camp”

Here’s a feature from Reason TV that drives their point home. It’s a short interview with Shin Dong-hyuk, an escapee from a North Korean prison camp:

Travel to North Korea

People like Dennis Rodman and Bill Clinton have traveled to North Korea on diplomatic missions.

What do life insurance companies think about people who journey to dangerous places? What exactly is the threat to life?

There are a few considerations.

Chief among them are the potential dangers of an insurrection or revolution. What if the oppressed masses take to the streets and revolt? What happens if the government uses violence to crack down on dissidents?

Another consideration is healthcare delivery. What if an insured is traveling in the countryside and has a car accident? How fast will relief get there?

If the terrain, or a poor response system, causes extraordinary delays, then a simple injury could unfortunately get much more serious.

Health and hygiene are other factors. How safe is the water? What about sanitation? Totalitarian regimes don’t seem to care much for the welfare of the people they rule and environmental contaminants can unfortunately be rampant.

---