Dennis Rodman: Basketball icon - or 'American gangster'? After
seeing
their leader laughing and feasting with Rodman, it seems that average
North Koreans don't know what to think.
Average North
Korean 'Shocked' at Rodman's 'Gangster' Appearance (Daily North Korea, South
Korea)
"News
about the visit of a leading group of U.S. basketball stars to North Korea
spread like wildfire. But when they saw the players on TV, it was as if it was
some kind of 'American gangster' group! ... People here, raised on a propaganda
diet about America's 'rotten capitalist culture' populated by a 'bunch of
degenerates,' were asking one another, 'where did they find this group of
hobgoblins? ... To see Kim Jong-un seated next to
such a tall, bizarre-looking giant, and showering him with gifts, made Kim look
like an immature leader."
-- Source in North Korea's
rural North Hamkyung Province
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un applauds along with legendary NBA badboy Dennis Rodman, Feb. 28. Could it be that Kim undermined his own credibility by entertaining someone who is a symbol of Western decadence?
How did ordinary North Koreans feel about the appearance in
Pyongyang of Harlem Globetrotters and former NBA star Dennis Rodman? A source
from rural North Hamkyung Province reveals the
answer: Not so good!
On March 5, the source told Daily NK, “News about the visit of a
leading group of U.S. basketball stars to North Korea spread like wildfire. But
when they saw the players on TV, it was as if it was some kind of
'American mafia' group!
Posted By Worldmeets.US
"People here, raised on a propaganda diet about
America's 'rotten capitalist culture' populated by a 'bunch of degenerates,'
were asking one another, 'where did they find this group of hobgoblins?'" reported
our source. "So they invited these strange and indecent individuals and
held a No.1 Event [with Kim Jong-un]?" the
source went on. "The appearance of a man wearing not only earrings - but with
pierced lips and tattoos everywhere, even on the palms of his hands, was
shocking."
In North Korea, piercings and tattoos are portrayed as largely
reflective of the yellow wind of capitalism. In addition, tattoos have long
been associated with criminal culture across East Asia, so such a reaction, from
people from the region’s least sophisticated society, is hardly surprising.
The sources said, "In the era a Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, one would never have seen a foreign delegation so improperly
dressed, and wearing such weird outfits as this bizarre delegation." The
sources point out, "To see Kim Jong-un seated
next to such a tall, bizarre-looking giant, and showering him with gifts, made Kim
look like an immature leader."
Rodman and the Harlem Globetrotters were in North Korea for
four days, although Rodman left first. The game at which he and Kim sat
together took place in Pyingyang'sRyugyongJongJu
Yong Gymnasium on Feb. 28th, and was broadcast on Chosun Central TV on the 4th. The group also visited the full range of
regime propaganda sites during their brief stay, including the RungnaDolphinarium, the Tower of the Juche Idea, the Arch of
Triumph and the Keumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the embalmed remains
of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il lie in state.
