After all this I am not really bothered by juche gang posts, whether ironic or not, like damn. South Korea was just indefinitely worse than North Korea, it was like a fucking totalitarian state. It wasn’t until the 80s that the economic situation reversed. I mean I don’t think anyone should support the current regime but when you learn that more bombs were dropped on North Korea per capita than anywhere else in the world, ever, it becomes understandable why they’re seen as a backwards country with no development. The country was literally flattened by US bombing campaigns. And then you learn that Kim il sung gave rights to women while Rhee was murdering suspected communists by the thousands. The US was committing atrocities like No Gun Ri and yet in the common image America and South Korea are the good guys. I mean, fuck, I don’t think I can support the direction that Kim Jong un has taken North Korea in, but after learning this it solidifies my anti American views, there is officially no war after WW2 that America was justified in. I can’t believe that anti Korean War sentiment isn’t as high as anti Vietnam war, more people need to know about this
The modern reaction against north korea is largely in response to how the country reacted after the fall of the USSR.
Before the 80s, north korea was better than south Korea in virtually every way, people were actually moving from the south to the north in meaningful numbers. But the decline in aid from the USSR resulted in them doubling down on their need to be self sufficient rather than opening themselves up even in the way Cuba has to tourism.
The fall of the USSR resulted in so much deprivation in terms of the economy since they were isolated. It resulted in people starving and that resulted in further crackdowns and propaganda by the state to ensure the communist party maintained power. This part is what did a lot of damage and helped push the narrative that NK was a monarchy when they do in fact have real elections and what not for all sorts of things.