The North Korean authorities are now using the recent visit of Internet search engine Google’s executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, in post-“Gwangmyungsung-3” launch public propaganda lectures.
A source from the northerly city of Hyesan told Daily NK today, “There’ve been these lectures about how, with the world enthused at how we managed to conquer space under the sage leadership of the Marshal (Kim Jong Eun), even a delegation led by the head of a famous American Internet company came to pay a congratulatory visit to our country.”
“The whole world, including America, was astonished by the success of the launch of our artificial earth satellite,” the lecturer reportedly continued, going on, “The enemy, cowed by the power of our strong country, even sent a congratulatory delegation.”
That’s not all: according to the source, the visit of Schmidt, who was in North Korea as part of a delegation led by former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, his advisor Tony Namkung, the head of Google Ideas Jared Cohen and Professor John Delury of Yonsei University, has featured in not only newspaper and television broadcasts but also on the so-called “3rd Broadcast,” the fixed line radio system wired into the fabric of homes and public buildings across North Korea.
The successful launch was, according to the lecturer, “The General (Kim Jong Il)’s far-sighted concept, brought to glorious fruition by the Marshal.” He added that the response of the international community to the launch, especially in terms of the Schmidt visit, has been a “great victory” for North Korea, one that shows that the international community has universally accepted North Korea’s entry into space.
The American delegation was in North Korea between January 7th and 10th. During the trip, they were taken to a number of key propaganda sites, including the mausoleum containing the embalmed bodies of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, as well as some of those sites where very limited interaction with the Internet does occur in the country, such as a computer lab at Kim Il Sung University.
The delegation also departed for North Korea in the hope of being able to negotiate freedom for Kenneth Bae, an American citizen currently in detention there. However, Bae has yet to be freed, and the delegation was reportedly unable to meet him.
