Gyeong Hong Jong, a North Korean special forces operative who was killed by Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) operatives in Kursk Oblast, has left behind a diary that is now being gradually translated. His notes reveal that North Korea has sent elite fighters to Russia.
It’s honestly pretty fucking sad. It’s a bummer to see how many people on this planet become willful (sometimes) cannon fodder for some perceived glory that feels bigger than them, but in reality, their motherland is often just another gluttonous vampire slowly feeding on their necks and humming songs of heroism into the victim’s ear.
This man’s vampire probably watched his family starve with indifference, and then after this guy committed some sort of crime of desperation, it pulled him close, stroked his hair, and whispered that there was still a way to make it up to him. To make it up to all of them. And my, how proud you’ll make the motherland.
I don’t think it is wilful in this case. This is someone who was raised in North Korea, fed propaganda and Juche his entire life, and this is the result.
It’s similar to why Vikings wanted to die in battle and go to Valhalla. Because that’s how you’re supposed to sacrifice yourself. And if you do it wrong, you’ve let Odin down.
The only difference here really is that the All-Father is the Respected Comrade.
Why would you want to go to Valhalla, Folkvangr sounds much nicer.
The trouble here is that NK state religion is monotheistic.
I’m a Valheim guy myself. Pretty relaxing life out in the Meadows.
The meadow part should be Folkvangr, you’re hanging out with Freya there. Valheim the game world as far as I can tell (didn’t actually play the game) incorporates pretty much all of the Yggdrasil worlds.
He also implied that being sent to Ukraine was punishment for something.
Things like this always make me think of Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot. All this death and hatred for what?
I’m reminded of Harry Patch
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/aug/01/first-world-war-harry-patch