It's an outgrowth of Americans' complete lack of historical knowledge. NK obviously had really bad famines after we dropped more bombs on them during the Korean War than were dropped during the entirety of World War 2, and then they had another pretty bad famine in the 90s after their main food source the Soviet Union collapsed. These events have morphed into the pop history belief that NK has been having a nonstop famine for its entire existence.
There are anecdotal accounts I've read about young people who were kids during the famine being more pessimistic than their parents. It seems to me (again, based totally on anecdotes, and through the interpretation of a cracker that lives thousands of miles away) that perhaps the adults living through the famine were deeply loyal to the state during the famine, said loyalty may have appeared to be without warrant to their children who experienced hunger and hardship. I haven't heard of any further unrest beyond that, myself.
It's an outgrowth of Americans' complete lack of historical knowledge. NK obviously had really bad famines after we dropped more bombs on them during the Korean War than were dropped during the entirety of World War 2, and then they had another pretty bad famine in the 90s after their main food source the Soviet Union collapsed. These events have morphed into the pop history belief that NK has been having a nonstop famine for its entire existence.
Was there unrest after those famines?
There are anecdotal accounts I've read about young people who were kids during the famine being more pessimistic than their parents. It seems to me (again, based totally on anecdotes, and through the interpretation of a cracker that lives thousands of miles away) that perhaps the adults living through the famine were deeply loyal to the state during the famine, said loyalty may have appeared to be without warrant to their children who experienced hunger and hardship. I haven't heard of any further unrest beyond that, myself.