Should the International Community Help North Korea with Planting Trees?
The headline of this article is how 14 North Korean airman died during the unsuccessful 2009 rocket launch:
North Korea revealed Tuesday it lost 14 airmen while launching a long-range rocket in 2009, in a report on an inspection by the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, of a related military unit Monday.
Kim looked around a monument to honor the “stalwart fighters, who displayed the suicidal-attack spirit” at Unit 447 of the Air and Anti-Air Force, reported the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.
The monument commemorates the “heroic feats performed by the 14 fighter pilots in the operation to ensure the successful launch of satellite Kwangmyongsong-2,” said the KCNA. It did not specify how they died.
In April 2009, Kim observed the launch of the rocket, which Pyongyang claims was aimed at sending a satellite into orbit, along with his father and then-leader Kim Jong-il. The launch was unsuccessful.
Kim praised Unit 447 as the “high pride” of the country. [Korea Herald]
I can only guess how this many people died during a rocket launch. Did the launch go off unexpectedly early and workers were still near the pad? Who knows. However what I found of the most interest is how Kim Jong-un is emphasizing tree planting:
He said the unit also needs to play a role in leading in his campaign for forest restoration, according to the KCNA.
He planted ginkgo and other types of trees himself during his so-called field guidance at the unit on Monday, which the KCNA called a significant tree-planting day.
This is actually something I would not mind the international community helping the North Koreans with. Sending tree huggers international workers to help plant trees in North Korea would have huge environmental payoffs and over time would be one less thing the South Korean government would have to worry about when unification comes. This seems like better engagement with North Korea than giving free food to their military or free money to the regime to buy luxury items.
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree planted across the border
On threat of death by dictator’s order;
A tree with branches spread in thanks,
That covers up the hidden tanks;
A tree of green that blooms in spring
Where hanged dissenters freely swing;
Tall of height and long of limb;
With foreign aid for all to skim.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only North Koreans eat a tree.
– Joyce Kilmer and ChickenHead
Ahahaha! That’s Awesome, CH!
The last verse nailed it.
It might be better than giving the Army food aid directly, but as we have seen in the past, giving them trees is almost the same thing as food aid.
Tree planting is one of the biggest scams going. NGOs, etc. get paid to plant so many trees, but in reality, they just conveniently throw them into a ravine or cave, plant a few show trees & pocket the $$$…
Since we’re in a humorous mood, here are some recent pics of KJU…
http://mashable.com/2015/03/04/kim-jong-un-bending-over-meme/
I like the one where he is playing Mario Kart best
We pught rather to remember the tree-trimming incident.
Senaffa, are you pughting us on?
Fat fingers, skinny phone… the word ought to have been ought. 😉
However, I am glad for the opportunity to be of use in the creation of a really bad pun.
Come on, guys. Be adults.
There is no reason to pight about it.
Just pughtin on the ritz.