lunes, 7 de septiembre de 2015

Great Korea Move: Students can take a degree in Kim Jong-un

Daily Star


 A BRITISH university is offering a degree course on maniac despot Kim Jong-un.
By PATRICK WILLIAMS / 


The University of Central Lancashire in Preston is introducing the world’s first dedicated masters degree in North Korean studies.
The £5,000, one-year programme will provide a unique insight into the lives of the 24million people living under the secretive regime.
Tutors say it will dispel some of the myths about life under Kim.
World-renowned scholar Hazel Smith is course director. She worked in the country, and believes its people are misunderstood.
Contrary to popular belief, she says they are ready to criticise the totalitarian regime – but only in private.
Prof Smith, author of North Korea: Markets and Military Rule, said: “There is a huge demand for information about North Korea.
“People seem to be getting a bit tired of all the uber-sensationalist and sometimes purely fictional reporting on the country.
“They want real knowledge and the opportunity to make up their own mind about the material they read and see on TV and the web."
“People seem to be getting a bit tired of all the uber-sensationalist and sometimes purely fictional reporting on the country”
Hazel Smith, World-renowned scholar and course director
She added: “Not one piece of information I read ever matched the reality.
“There are choreographed events like state funerals but most of the country, which is the size of Australia, was going about its daily business as usual.
“The North Korean people are savvy. Historically, great emphasis was placed on literacy and numeracy, including teaching for women.
"They know what is going on with their government.”
Prof Smith worked in the country from 1998 to 2001 for the United Nations World Food Programme after a four-year famine claimed 750,000 lives.
The academic, who has a North Korean driving licence, added: “Korean drivers out on a Sunday, their day off, are probably under the influence of alcohol.
“On the motorways there is not much traffic but they tend to go too fast. Mountain roads get so cold in winter that diesel engines freeze up.
"Abandoned UN diesel vehicles simply could not move in the cold.”
The course has just been approved, and is due to start this month depending on demand.
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