Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Pictures of fleeing Hyundais strapped down with merchandise at the Kaesong Industrial Complex may be more exciting than old pictures of Kenneth Bae, but we should take a minute to think about the reality he’s now up against. In November of last year, while leading a tour group in North Korea, Bae was detained, found guilty of an unknown crime, and has now been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in a N. Korean gulag. The North Korean government hasn’t said what the alleged crime was, and probably won’t. Without the recent nuclear threats, would Bae’s story be making headlines? He’s been there for a while now… Maybe we can send Dennis Rodman back to talk to his buddy Kim Jong Un, and explain that detaining people isn’t good for his public image. I guess threatening to launch missiles at people isn’t either though. Take a minute to read about Kenneth Bae’s story. A Facebook page has been created to share updates and news about his detainment. Maybe also take a few minutes out of your day to contact your representative in Congress and ask them what they’re doing to help free Kenneth Bae. All the Facebook likes in the world won’t get through to North Korea, but maybe letting our representatives know what’s at stake to their constituents, will help.
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Within just a few weeks of Google CEO, Eric Schmidt’s North Korea visit, Google Maps updated its eye on the DPRK. Schmidt’s daughter traveled with him, on the “humanitarian” mission and blogged about it. CNN Money scoops her story. Cities, and the famous Bukchang Gulag can now be viewed in detail, thanks to the work of crowdsourced Google Earth and other satellite images. This image (courtesy of CNN) shows a Guard’s Restroom with a Google restaurant icon. I hope that’s just some weird iOS 6 type glitch, and not another chapter in the story of recently reported North Korean cannibalism…
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