- cross-posted to:
- ukraine@sopuli.xyz
- cross-posted to:
- ukraine@sopuli.xyz
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Full text of diary entry:
"I was raised in the nurturing embrace of the Party, studying without concern for anything in the world. There is more unknown love than love that is known and accepted. I didn’t know how to react to the happiness I was surrounded by.
Defending the homeland is the sacred duty of every citizen, and the greatest duty is to protect the nation, which is where my happiness lies. I wear the military uniform of revolution to protect the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. I was honoured with the opportunity to be promoted to sergeant major in my company. However, I betrayed my beloved Party, which had placed its trust in me, and committed acts of ingratitude against the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
The sins I’ve committed are unforgivable, but my homeland has given me a chance for redemption, a fresh start in life.
Now, I have no choice but to regain the trust I once had. I will go to the front lines in this operation and obey the orders of Supreme Commander Kim Jong Un without question, even if it costs me my life. I will show the world the invincible courage and sacrifice of the Red Special Forces (Red Commanders) of Kim Jong Un.
When we win the war and return to our homeland, I will submit a petition to the Party."
This was a man who had been manipulated since birth to not only be a slave, but to like it. I can only assume their whole country is much the same. It’s fucking disgusting and sad that this continues as long as it has.
No way. You notice how he implies he broke the rules and is being punished for it? This was the diary for his commanders and/or military police to “secretly” read. Defectors pretty much give the same story - corruption and crime is ubiquitous, nobody follows the rules when they can’t be caught.
Human nature is pretty unremarkable for the most part, but one thing we have going for us is that the majority of people never buy the propaganda, regardless of what it is and where they are. You can see that in history, in modern authoritarian states, and even in the West about propaganda I personally agree with (save the planet! vaccines don’t cause autism! covid is real!).
Good point, I didn’t see it from that perspective. Horrible either way.
Is this how humans write diaries? It sounds very artificial, like the narration at the start of some movies or the scenes where to inform the viewer, characters tell each other things that, in context, they would already know.
I suspect that this is not genuine and that it is intended to sound heroic (by North Korean standards). Maybe it’s North Korean propaganda or maybe it’s something this guy actually wrote, but as a display of his loyalty rather than as a record of his thoughts. (I expect that he would know better than to write down anything other than a display of loyalty.)
The tone is partially due to translation, and partially due to him regurgitating his indoctrination. I’m sure it’s a real diary, but like anyone, his writing is affected by his environment.
High probability that he fully expected state security to look through it.
It’s partially translation issues. Maybe double translated from Korean - > Ukrainian - > English? North Korean is supposedly becoming its own dialect, as well.
That said, there’s a lot in there that sounds like the individual giving their whole personality over to the group. More so than a normal military. That comes right out of the BITE model, what’s more commonly called “cults”.
I know this is kind of an overused meme, but this does sound like something from 1984 by George Orwell.
I was raised in the nurturing embrace of the Party, studying without concern for anything in the world.
However, I betrayed my beloved Party, which had placed its trust in me, and committed acts of ingratitude against the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
The sins I’ve committed are unforgivable, but my homeland has given me a chance for redemption, a fresh start in life.When did Korean literacy become so common for soldiers that it’s possible for this to accidentally happen?
Korean letters are insanely easy to learn, the whole purpose of their alphabet was so even the stupidest farmer could learn it within a week.
Guessing this is supposed to be a gotcha based on domain, but it’s not. They pretty openly teach people to read so they can read propaganda.
Of course, if you believe they’re Wakanda IRL maybe that’s just what they say to outsiders to keep them away.
It’s honestly pretty fucking sad. It’s a bummer to see how many people on this planet become willful (sometimes) cannon fodder for some perceived glory that feels bigger than them, but in reality, their motherland is often just another gluttonous vampire slowly feeding on their necks and humming songs of heroism into the victim’s ear.
This man’s vampire probably watched his family starve with indifference, and then after this guy committed some sort of crime of desperation, it pulled him close, stroked his hair, and whispered that there was still a way to make it up to him. To make it up to all of them. And my, how proud you’ll make the motherland.
He also implied that being sent to Ukraine was punishment for something.
Things like this always make me think of Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot. All this death and hatred for what?
I’m reminded of Harry Patch
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/aug/01/first-world-war-harry-patch
Mr Patch, a Passchendaele survivor, thought all war was organised murder and refused to talk about it at all until a few years before he died,
Very strange reads a lot like those people from Book of the New Sun
Why turn this man into a martyr?
How so? Seems more like he’s a victim of brainwashing.
pravda.ua lol lol
You can just look at the source, it’s linked in the article.
The source is the Ukrainian military. Could very easily be propaganda.
Do you really think it’s likely the Ukrainian military happened to have a piece of paper in North Korean handwriting with them after they killed a North Korean soldier? The body in the picture hasn’t even been dead for long. The text is also substantially different from South Korean - not exactly an easy thing to fake.
For like, a country who wants to spin a narrative that’s no huge obstacle.
It’s a lot of work for something that doesn’t even send much of a message. It’s not like the North Korean perspective is anything newsworthy, it’s just special to have a first hand account.
Sure but it has photos of the original diary
