I have told the story befor here, but I havea friend fomr South Korea. His family was split in the 50's and some of them got stuck in the North. The Koreans communicate as best they can, and try to get family from the North into the South. One of my friends cousins ended up getting smuggled south. When he first saw a map he was shocked at how tiny North Korea was and how huge the US is. Maps in North Korea depict Korea as controlling most of Asia.
That is really eye-opening to hear a story like that. You talking about controlling every aspect of a persons life, wow.
B.R. Myers wrote a good book about North Korean self-image, The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why it Matters Here is a quote:
It's unbelievable how isolated and controlled the people of North Korea are. I saw a special where someone snuck into the country and recorded alot of the ways of life of the North Koreans and it was the most covert operation ever. The camera men, for fear of being killed were in hiding and everything was top secret. They then escaped through the mountains and released the tapes where they were shown here. I think it was a special on CNN about a year ago.
The administration and South Korea are seriously stepping up pressure on North Korea. Hillary is working the Chinese. Barrack is working the North Koreans. And Lee is working the UN.