One of my favorite Web sites is the Korean Central News Agency. That’s the North Korean Central News Agency, by the way. It’s propaganda in Engrish! Their all time best article is this one, about the North Korean equivilant of the Boy Scouts, called the Speed Campaign Youth Shock Brigade. They build highways and stuff in the name of the Dear Leader.
Every day, they have at least one article ranting against American “war moves” and “aggression” and threaten to destroy us if we attack. One such article produced the KCNA quote of the week:
The south Korean military authorities’ involvement in the U.S. moves for a war against the north is as foolish an act as jumping into fire with faggot on their own back.
Did you hear that? They called us a faggot! NO, NORTH KOREA, YOU’RE A FAGGOT! WE’LL SEE WHO’S A FAGGOT WHEN WE NUKE YOUR WHOLE COUNTRY!!!
What are they thinking? That’s just the kind of thing that could cause Bush to start another war.
I may be the only one interested, but note that they know how to use an apostrophe better than most Americans, but they don’t know how to use the article “a”.
Comment by Dad — January 26, 2006 @ 6:38 pm
Yeah, they are very subtle about some things and clueless about others. Note they carefully don’t capitalize “south” and “north” preceding “Korea” because they think of it as two regions of the same country. But the next sentence just doesn’t make any sense. Maybe they are trying to translate some Korean idiom.
Comment by sonobovich — January 26, 2006 @ 7:20 pm
Considering the isolation of North Korea it seems incredible for them to assume they know so much about American sexuality.
An alternative explanation is that “Faggot” can also mean: “1. A bundle of twigs, sticks, or branches bound together.” (Dictionary.com).
So MAYBE what they were trying to say was that:
the US moving for a war with Korea is like jumping into a fire with a bundle of sticks on your back
which is actually quite a quaint little saying and makes no reference to US sexuality. Let’s hope George W considers that option before he nukes North Korea.
Great link though!!
Comment by nicksmyname — February 10, 2006 @ 4:13 am
Yeah, I kind of figured they must have meant the stick kind of faggot. But no one would write that if they had any familiarity with U.S. English and the fine tradition on the Internet of people calling one another a faggot.
Also, it still doesn’t make any sense! Jumping into a fire is a bad decision whether or not you have sticks on your back.
Comment by sonobovich — February 10, 2006 @ 11:37 pm