Kim Jong Un, the despot of the ironically-named Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, has something in common with Hillary Clinton, Michael Bloomberg, and Shannon Watts. No, not a predilection for narcissism and egomania, but rather the fact that he hates America’s Constitutionally-protected right to keep and bear arms. Kim Jong Un’s state-run news service made this clear in recent a video. Thee Washington-based NKNews.org has the translation, and the story . . .
North Korea’s state-run Korea Central Television slammed U.S. citizens’ right to keep and bear arms…as the “corrupted American way on protection of human rights.”
The about 10-minute-long video, entitled “Who is the criminal against humanity? Human rights’ hell” was uploaded on YouTube last Saturday.
The first half of the video shows a compilation of recent human rights abuses by U.S. police officers, arguing that “U.S. citizens’ are suffering from the state’s horrible human rights violations….”
The second half of the video consists of North Korean TV’s view of U.S. citizens’ right to keep and bear arms and the ongoing debate over gun control in the U.S.
“The man-hating ideology and widespread law of the jungle in the U.S. has turned its people into violent executioners where one may live by killing another,” reads the North Korean commentator.
“One can only exercise his/her political, social, cultural and all other human rights if one can be assured of the safety to live,” said Ro Keum Chul, faculty from the law department of Kim Il Sung University.
“The U.S. law that allows citizens to keep and bear arms shows the corrupted American way of protection of human rights.”
Ro also explained that the national law should ensure and respect people’s human rights but the U.S. right to keep and bear arms is hampering the process of ensuring the safety of people to live, resulting in gun crimes every day.
“Only the lawfully, culturally and morally stable society where the country protects its people’s lives can guarantee the true human rights,” said Ro.
The video also displayed how U.S. politicians are reacting to the evolving discussion on gun control law….
“U.S. the murder kingdom, the habitat of racism and the worst state for violations the human rights,” said the commentator.
According to a 2012 article from the (South) Korea-based Yonhap News Agency, North Korea enacted a gun control law in 2009…”in what was seen as an effort to tighten control over the society at a time of power succession.”
The law, which comprises of five chapters and 42 articles, “aims to contribute to the guarantee of social safety and the protection of the people’s lives and property by setting up the strict system” on registering, storing and using firearms, the North states in its legislation.
Under the regulations, guns are allowed only for its “primary purposes” including executing official duties such as keeping guard and training.
Institutions, businesses, groups and the public are prohibited from possessing or transacting firearms according to the law, which also banned lending, smuggling, destroying and self-producing firearms.
Those who violate the rules, resulting in “stern consequences,” are subject to administrative and criminal liabilities, the North says in the law….
“North Korea appeared to have tried to strictly regulate firearms under the circumstances where former leader Kim’s stroke in 2008 could lead to a chaos in the society,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.
Unless you’re Dennis Rodman, you probably are aware that North Korea is one of the last remaining communist dictatorships, and is such an economic basket case that, had he seen it, even ol’ Nikita Khruschev might have given capitalism a try. It is interesting that the Norks have enacted what appears to be Michael Bloomberg’s dream gun control legislation.
I know that many in the gun control crowd have often scoffed at the notion that widespread firearms ownership serves as a useful check on government power. I wonder how that’s been working out for the Norks?
The North Korean government abuses its people for even the smallest criticism of the state, according to a new United Nations report released on Monday.
The report, based on survivor and witness testimony gathered by a human-rights commission over the past year, said the atrocities arise from policies set “at the highest level of state.”
Rape, torture, forced abortions, starvation, enslavement and murder are part of the North Korean government’s effort to control its people and crush dissent, the commission found. It said it planned to refer the allegations to the International Criminal Court.
“The key to the political system is the vast political and security apparatus that strategically uses surveillance, coercion, fear and punishment to preclude the expression of any dissent,” the report said….
Kim Jong-un, who succeeded his father Kim Jong-il in 2011, has continued his father Kim Jong-il’s brutal policies, punishing political offenders by sending generations of their families to prison camps, and kidnapping and torturing defectors.
As many as 200,000 people are believed to languish in North Korean prison camps, accused of betraying the regime. Many were caught trying to defect or were overheard criticizing the current leadership. Others were imprisoned just for being related to someone the state considered a threat. The U.N. commission found that while many abuses happen in these camps, “gross violations” also happened in the ordinary prison system.