How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Panel)
Quote #7
“Hmm... marble walls with light switches in cheap plastic housing.” (7.27)
North Korea’s wealth is only skin-deep. It’s like buying something that’s gold plated vs. solid gold. The whole thing is artificial.
Quote #8
One Sunday, out on my own, I gave in to temptation and visited the mystery station on my own. “It’s a totally normal train station... what’s the big secret?” (9.102)
The guides go to great efforts to keep Guy from seeing a perfectly normal train station. Why? The only reason we can think of is because it’s perfectly normal. North Korea only wants to show off its most ostentatious locales to foreigners. The normal stuff is probably pretty sad.
Quote #9
It’s probably the only upside to the whole Asian subcontracting system. (10.45)
Guy doesn’t clarify what the downsides are. What could they be? The fact that the labor is being exploited by people who have enough money to pay people fairly, thereby allowing the North Korean regime to continue to abuse the human rights of its own people? It’s a scary thought.