Peter Krupa

In a previous post, I mentioned that the North Korean leaders were geniuses, because by completely cutting off North Korea from the rest of the world they make empathy nearly impossible.

But it turns out that if the Dear Leaders want to completely cut off North Korea they’ll have to cover it with a tarp. The LA Times today tells about how Google Earth nerds are putting their fingers on the regime from high in the heavens:

An intrepid German poster named “wonders” has flagged more than 332 sites of interest. Most are military — the vast air defenses ringing Pyongyang, the artillery along the demilitarized zone, the Yongbyon nuclear facilities, tunnels, caves and weird earthworks. He’s labeled a gigantic buried half-cylinder as “Underground parking garage — not!” and an ominous-looking lump as a “Not too friendly looking thing.”

OK, so maybe it’s more interesting for war wonks and urban explorers than potential humanitarians, but at least it’s a start. More likely to induce empathy is the great difference between North and South Korea, even from space: “… the barren, deforested mountaintops give way to lush forests, the dusty valleys to emerald rice fields, the surface-to-air missiles to factories, houses and cars.”

Like I said: It’s a start.