Sunday, February 3, 2013

Necro-Tourism in North Korea as Crowds Forced to Pay Homage to Late Dictator's Carefully Preserved Corpse

There are no flies--or waxy yellow build up--on this dead guy:
The mausoleum containing the embalmed body of North Korea’s late leader Kim Jong-Il has been opened to tourists, who must follow a strict protocol. 
Young Pioneer Tours, a five-year-old tour group specializing in off-the-beaten path destinations, was the first group to gain admission when the mausoleum was opened to the public on Jan. 17. Gareth Johnson, managing director and founder of the group, said the tour was planned for January because the country would just be re-opening to tourists. (According to Johnson, North Korea is essentially closed for tourism in December and early January). 
“We were hopeful that if we timed it right, the mausoleum would be open and we would gain access,” he said. “It was a combination of great planning and a little luck.” 
He described the experience as “surreal.” While the other mausoleums he has visited house people he has only read about in history books, this was  someone he had seen regularly on the news in his lifetime. 
The people on the tour, Johnson said, were “very moved. It was a very intense experience.” 
And, said Johnson, Kim Jong-Il looks pretty good, considering his state. “He looks like a person,” he said. “Not waxy at all.”...
Well, considering that he looked pretty waxy while alive, I guess death could only be an improvement. That said, how do we know that this is the real Kim Jong-Il and not a waxen Madame Tussaud-like replacement?

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