Dear Comrade Leader Episode 245
Chapter 86. gold and subordination
A few months after the secret meeting right after the public hearing.
Just like the new products launched with the motto that ‘will change the world’, some experts’ skepticism that ‘Apple’s iPhone will only be a loud bluff at first’ has been nicely misguided.
All media and all consumers shouted ‘This is a really new device’ and ‘The birth of a true innovator’ with one voice, and at the same time, the concerns of existing companies that predicted that the game of the electronics industry would change so far deepened.
-New devices, new mobile operating systems, new platforms… … He also touched music with iTunes, and now he’s going to eat almost everything in the software market, except for making parts and making them himself.
– Microsoft stock is already falling. I got hit with an iPod and now even the operating system… … . Gates says he’s retiring, shouldn’t it be overturned?
Read at noblemtl.com
Naturally, other companies surprised by the iPhone shock, such as Microsoft, Google, Sungsam Electronics, Sony, etc., started to develop hardware/software products that could be the rivals of the iPhone, but North Korea’s Union was not their target.Perhaps it is because it is a small local search engine that has yet to secure only about 50 million users, including both North and South Korean users, and even when a small company called Android was acquired by Union, a developer named Andrew Rubin took the position of Vice President of Union. Even when the news that he was in charge of the company was published, few people were interested in this fact.
And whether this was the case with Apple’s headquarters in the United States, he judged the North Korean market as an ‘easy market in Asia’ that can be used as a test before entering China, which has a fairly high income, has no conspicuous competitors, and is crucially important. .
So, Apple decided to open Apple’s directly managed store, the famous (and will become even more famous) Apple Store in Pyongyang.
* * *
-Apple’s North Korean branch announces the opening of the Apple Store in Pyongyang! Open this summer on Pothonggang Street!
-Opening of the second Apple store in Asia after Japan… … ! Apple prefers North Korea over South Korea?
“Huh, it seems the Republic is booming these days. It’s still open, but people line up for such a long time… … . And considering the price, I don’t know if I should like this as a general secretary or be sad about it.”
“I know you don’t like compliments like this, but it’s all thanks to the hard work of Comrade General Secretary. People were lining up to open the first McDonald’s in Pyongyang, it seems like yesterday, but days like this are all coming.”
“Hey, I heard that some of my comrades who live a little bit don’t go to McDonald’s and go to Burger King. Actually, I think Burger King Whopper is better than Big Mac these days. Why does McDonald’s seem to get smaller and stale as the days go by? Should I sneak a shout out to the North Korean branch manager in the name of the secretary?”
It was a conversation between Jeong-hwan and Yoo Hye-rim while watching a broadcast relaying Pyongyang citizens who were already lining up in a long line ahead of the opening of the first Apple Store in Pyongyang on Chosun Central Broadcasting.
However, apart from their fuss, pre-orders are already flooding with the launch of the first-generation iPhone, which is priced at a price that is not cheap. It only hinted at one thing.
It was the fact that the present Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was enjoying a golden age of its economic heyday, comparable to Korea in the early to mid-90s.
“A few years ago in South Korea, there was a boom in well-being, so there were a lot of organic foods and other things, but after a while, they say that they are sold to the republic and imported. What’s more interesting is that it also sells much better than South Korea… … .”
“These days, parents of young classmates in elementary school are looking at whether MSG is included in the food rather than the meat soup in this rice. When I was younger, I would have thought that MSG was the name of an American pistol, but it’s true… … .”
After the organization called Hakchongryon was smashed and the remnants of the party hid underground, Jeong-hwan and the Ministry of Public Security decided to show generosity to the only remaining workers, following the main system incorporated under the name of the Patriotic Front.
In the first place, the majority of the labor community was far from trying to directly change the system, but in terms of seeing the extinguished fire again, and above all, considering the public sentiment holding their breath and silently watching, Jung-hwan decided that it was time to focus on welfare. .
“I have been preparing for a while, but I think now is the time to officially launch the national insurance system. First of all, since the labor community is the main negotiator, the republic should go to the 3 insurances, not the 4 insurances, focusing on industrial accident insurance and medical insurance. Employment insurance should be reserved a bit, but workers’ compensation insurance should be wider and more generous than in South Korea.”
Soon, along with the preface to the agreement between the Workers’ Party of Korea and the Workers’ Party of Korea that began with ‘As you can tell from the name, the fundamentals of our Workers’ Party of Korea are the workers-centered party’, the three major insurances and the basic livelihood supply system were introduced under a slightly changed name.
However, even if the name was changed, the employer had to pay a large portion of the 4th or 3rd generation insurance.
At the same time, with the dawn of the new year, the legal minimum wage also rose considerably, albeit generously, and the life of the North Korean people was suddenly energized.
Of course, even though it is now a thing of the past that even the most low-class people would starve at least one meal out of three, it was meaningful in that the system’s sunlight was shining even on those who were marginalized from the national economic development.
And not for the lower class, but for the middle class, which was formed in earnest several years ago, now is truly a golden age.
From foreign companies struggling with low wages just by looking at employment, old Korean companies that settled in North Korea after the financial crisis, new Korean companies targeting the Chinese market, and North Korean native companies that are growing day by day with the wind of economic growth up to the fields.
It was not difficult at all to find a job if you were not particularly greedy for career advancement.
Moreover, even though it has been slowing down recently, the economic growth rate is still at an average of 6% per year, rising slowly but gradually, and then again significantly higher due to a major compromise with the union a while ago, as long as it does not directly threaten the system. To the degree of social freedom that has become unparalleled.
Read at noblemtl.com
North Korea’s boom, which had been showing steady signs since the early 2000s, was at its peak in 2007.The era of ‘Meat soup on this rice’, which Kim Il-sung made profusely public statements, never kept, and eventually became a public statement, has finally become a reality and has arrived in this republic.
It was ironic that when those days came, no one was looking for rice and meat soup, and they were looking for an iPhone for a hamburger.
– The world is getting better, it’s getting better.
-Young comrades should be thankful for the general secretary and the party. It seems that young people these days are taking things for granted that we were not able to enjoy.
These were the words of the middle-aged people of the republic, who are now entering their 50s, who vividly remember the days of the former president and general, have become a habit these days.
As they said, the class that most directly benefited from reform and opening up were young people, specifically those born in the late 70’s to 80’s.
Jeong-hwan came to power before these young people, whose memories of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il were still vague, even entered elementary school.
Some of them, who had no memory of starving when they were young, entered university and were interested in social change such as Hakchongryun, but most of them were employed, dating, part-time jobs, and above all, information and communication technology that rapidly developed inside and outside the republic. was busy concentrating on the benefits of
And as proof of that, most of the members of the long line in front of the Apple Store, which was about to open, were young Pyongyangites who were busy dyeing their hair, chewing gum, and taking selfies with the Apple Store in the background.
The sight of even the security guards of the People’s Security Ministry, who had recently been incorporated into the Ministry of Public Security to control the line because of the crowds gathered here and there, running here and there, could be said to be a clear view of present-day North Korea.
“They are members of the Ministry of People’s Security who look after the people who lined up to buy an American mobile phone. This is the kind of peacefulness that I have only heard of.”
“Publicly, I would like to say, ‘A crisis comes at times like this, and as national income rises, we need to be wary of the middle-income trap and industrial hollowing out.’ Don’t do that. okay. What a wonderful time. Now is.”
-ruler! Pyongyang citizens! You’ve been waiting a long time! Please enter slowly, one by one, starting from the front row! The opening commemorative T-shirt will be distributed over there… … Aww!!! Don’t push!
However, regardless of the calculations and successions of senior citizens through this process, the launch of the iPhone and the opening of the Apple Store in Pyongyang became the biggest topic of discussion for the public and the people of the Republic of Korea that summer.
In Internet communities and blogs, the purchase certification and pride of those who bought it first, and the comments of those who envy it, were heated.
And interestingly, the North Korean search engine that just started service in South Korea around last year, cyber warfare between North and South Korean netizens in Union, and the keyboard battle that will continue in the future. became the starting point of
ghkd0305 : iPhone purchase successful! Indeed, the feeling of a future device full of emotion is already in the air… … !! Someday, such a real door for our South Korean comrades. number of people. of. Hye. choose. I hope this reaches you ^^
A wrench on Kim Jung-hwan’s head! Nim: Hey, you bastard. Can I buy an iPhone in Korea? Seongsam Electronics is going to release a new product that will put out a dirtyly expensive handset just like that, so don’t like it too much? But can you blog in the book? Isn’t it that the 3rd generation is being dragged to Aoji after swearing by the Workers’ Party of Korea by mistake? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Your enemy, you: … There is also one pitiful and pitiful South Korean people here who do not know when to talk about enemies. And if you buy it at the original Apple store, it is a real iPhone. People who are ignorant of reality decide who will lead the country, so they borrow money from our republic during the currency crisis… … .
Cherry Blossom Day: What did you say? You see, essentially, Kim Jung-hwan is a slave, a slave! Even if you eat well and be full for the past 10 years, there is no liberal democracy, which is the most important thing.
Yunoedragun: This is the rotten South Korean Ganna. In our republic, if you commit a car robbery practiced by the South Korean parliamentarians, you will be shot or sentenced to 25 years in prison! But in South Korea, the crumbs still do a lot, and they don’t live well, saying they are representatives of the people, don’t they? Is this a country where this kind of thing works properly? Girum Now, put your hand on your chest and ask yourself which Joseon is the better Joseon? huh?
Footshadow: Everyone, please stop fighting! Even though we are divided and fighting like this now, aren’t we all ultimately one nation and one compatriot? Why don’t you just follow some netiquette, even on the internet?
MM: Compatriots? What about these guys and us? If we are compatriots with these guys, then Yanbian Korean-Chinese undocumented immigrants are also our compatriots? Since it’s good to eat business at a cheap price, the Korean-Chinese people say they want to give them a visa to stay in China more easily, and they talk about their Chinese compatriots, but the people who always take care of themselves the most often sell out their patriotism. Haha, these days, a lot of Korean-Chinese people go from where they live to a neighborhood close to where they live. Breakwater trouble!
Of course, even if Union operates in Korea, the Korean search engine could not serve within the Republic, and as the server is located in Pyongyang, unilateral sanctions including ID blocking in case of censorship and violation of regulations were natural, but unexpectedly, the number of users in Korea of Union quickly increased
It was already too common in the 21st century for netizens to fight between countries on an international portal site, but it was the people and peoples of the two countries who have been through a very unusual and winding process even by world standards over the past 60 years. .
Even if they use other Korean portal sites, the number of Koreans who create IDs in Union or at least use them together with other sites has started to increase dramatically.
First of all, unlike Google, Yahoo, and Baidu, the biggest reason was that it was a search engine in a country where the language was spoken and spoken in the same language.
Due to the overlapping of these conditions, in the cyber world (mainly in the comment window of the Rodong newspaper Internet version serviced by Union), from the weight classes of the two countries, to the history of economic development, per capita income, the political system, from incumbent leaders to dramas, movies, entertainment, and fashion I did not know that all kinds of rice cakes would cool down.
An internet newspaper company even described this as ‘the prelude to the cyber Korean war recreated in the 21st century’, but no one in Korea has yet guessed about Union and Kim Jung-hwan’s future ambitions behind it.
Strictly speaking, the primary goal of future ambition through the search engine was not in South Korea, but in Yanbian, China, farther north.