north korea, totalitarianism
posted in history
uss pueblo
from north korea, totalitarianism posted in history by pete_nice
The USS Pueblo started life on the shores of Lake Michigan, at the Kewaunee Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, on April 16, 1944.
After several twists and turns, she found herself as a "spy ship" hovering around the Tsushima Strait in the Sea of Japan. On January 23, 1968, the North Koreans attempted to assassinate the president of South Korea. Feeling a bit overzealous, they sent a sub out to capture the Pueblo as well.
For 11 months, 82 crewmen were held in captivity. They were subjected to a show trial and found their images used for propaganda, so they constantly gave the middle finger to the camera, telling the North Koreans it meant "Good Luck" in Hawaiian.
The crew was released in December of 1968. Today, the Pueblo is moored in the Potong River in Pyongyang as a museum ship against the imperialist capitalist overlords.
Currently, it is the only US Navy ship commissioned that is being held captive.
ryugyong hotel
from north korea, totalitarianism posted in history by pete_nice
From reddit: "The Ryugyong Hotel is an unfinished 105-story, 330 metres (1,080 ft) tall pyramid-shaped skyscraper in Pyongyang, North Korea. The building is also known as the 105 Building, a reference to its number of floors.
Construction began in 1987 but was halted in 1992 as North Korea entered a period of economic crisis after the fall of the Soviet Union. After 1992 the building stood topped out, but without any windows or interior fittings.
In 2008 construction resumed, and the exterior was completed in 2011. It was planned to open the hotel in 2012, the centenary of Kim Il-sung's birth, but this did not happen.
A partial opening was announced for 2013, but this was also cancelled. As of 2017, the building remains unopened."