Infographic Category Government

The Craziest Country in the World

By | source: Oct 30th, 2011

Hey guys, I’m a new writer here! I’m pretty stoked about it. The name’s Julie, and I ain’t no foolie, and I just spent an epic summer reconnecting with my roots in Ireland. I’ve got the heart of a nomad, and my interest in other cultures led me to finding this particularly enlightening infographic. Enjoy!

In a country where I would be publicly executed for writing this,  Kim Jong (mentally?) il is the only one having a good time. Since his illustrious birth under a double rainbow, his name has claimed quite a bit of infamy. My personal favorite of his accomplishments was at one point being the world’s largest buyer of Hennessy. Clearly, the Dear Leader knows how to party.

While this bite-size tyrant lives in unbridled luxury, the citizens of North Korea toil under the constant strain of poverty. Surrounded by a constant barrage of propaganda, all except the ruling elite live in fear of prosecution. Although it’s  a self-proclaimed “Democratic Republic”, North Korea aligns it’s governance more alongside Stalinist Dictatorship. Regular ol’ North Koreans can be executed for a variety of different petty crimes, including failure to adore the Dear Leader or “hoarding food”.

Food is a scarce commodity in North Korea. In fact, a recent famine killed an estimated 3.5 million people. But if you were thinking of visiting this charming little country, don’t worry- there’ll be plenty for you to eat- thanks to carefully staged, local-official-supervised visits to restaurants. Food shortage? What food shortage?  That money isn’t all going to fund nuclear weapons, is it??