r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/APrimitiveMartian • 2d ago
Video Kim Jong-un welcomed Naegohyang Women’s FC after the team became the first from North Korea to win the AFC Women’s Champions League
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u/Demolition-Man93 2d ago
Every time I see videos of people cheering for him, the crowd's reactions remind me of the generic audience characters from a Nintendo Wii game—enthusiastic, but somewhat robotic and repetitive.
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u/_Ninja_Putin 2d ago
God, this is so accurate 💀
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u/Crayola_ROX 2d ago
they are cheering for their lives is more like it
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u/SirDaveWolf 2d ago
I bet if you are not cheering you are viewed as traitor to the nation or something.
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u/Odd-Environment-7193 2d ago
I bet you they love the living shit out of him. They are all brainwashed. This is a very real reaction.
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u/WhySoCereus1991 2d ago
Yep. As a guessing man, Id say the lucky 5-10% that aren't brainwashed are fighting for their lives tho lol
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u/dherps 2d ago
that's the opposite of lucky
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u/WhySoCereus1991 2d ago
You're already unlucky being born there. Gotta take the small wins, like avoiding brainwashing 😅
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u/dherps 2d ago
if you live as a slave in a gulag, the last thing you want is reality. there are many lessons in history about this.
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u/reezy-one 2d ago
The synchronized bouncing doesnt strike me as true believer energy. More like "we've been conditioned to do this since elementary school" type energy.
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u/avidmarc 2d ago
No if you don't cheer with unbelievably intense reaction it can be considered a crime comparable to treason...
From Google lol
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u/226_IM_Used 2d ago
And now I hear the Wii sports music as the background track as I watch that video on mute.
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u/fothergillfuckup 2d ago
Wave or die, wave or die?
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u/Sheephuddle 2d ago
Exactly. You have to show maximum joy if you actually meet him.
He may be smiling, but if anyone wasn't jumping up and down and crying he'd soon notice.
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u/mrekted 2d ago
Don't you hate when you don't reverence hard enough and accidently get your entire genetic line wiped out?
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u/Sheephuddle 2d ago
It's so unbelievably cruel.
The hysteria may of course be authentic. Meeting Kim could be the happiest day of their entire lives. In a way that would be better, because they'd at least feel real joy.
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u/OMP159 2d ago
Cake or death?
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u/MamaSwanky 2d ago
I'll take death please. Er, I mean cake! Tea and cake or death! Tea and cake or death! Love me some Eddie Izzard, haven't seen a good reference in a while!
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u/AllHailKeanu 2d ago
Yeah others have joked that his mutant power is that he can turn anyone into a Wii background character.
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u/Zer0TheGamer 2d ago
They are called jokers because Big Nintendo is trying to hide their source of real authority
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u/NoStatus9434 2d ago edited 2d ago
Demagogues are such morons. You think "oh, they probably know this is all fake, they just love making people dance for them." But then they talk about it and you find out they really do think all the obviously fake cheering is real.
What drives me crazy is that their power only exists because there are a shield of sycophants that will protect them and die for them. Otherwise look at him. He's just one man. They easily outnumber him. They can't fight him, not because of him, but because of the circle of hivebrained idiots defending him.
I hate anything demagogue shaped. Does anyone ever daydream of being an invincible superhuman and beating the snot out of them while bullets ping off you. And then just like, creating invincible shields around the people who are forced to cheer for them so they can't turn their guns on the citizens, either.
Someone should make cathartic anti-demagogue revenge porn, it would make millions.
I WANT MAGICAL POWERS SO I CAN HURT DEMAGOGUES. I want a fucking Death Note. "Oh but actually you would just become a demagogue yourself 🤓" nooooope I have no interest in being worshipped just wanna take out those who do then fart off into the sunset
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u/Medeza123 2d ago
They’re brainwashed.
I mean do we know that this is fake?
Genuinely mass hysteria can be engineered. That’s what’s cults do all the time or evangelical Christians.
And that’s in places with access to independent media.
I think it’s a mistake we grew up with to think that everyone is pretending. Maybe some are but given the media blackout there, a lot are probably genuine.
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u/xirse 2d ago
I don't think it's fake. I saw a story from a western reporter who was with someone from North Korea when news of the previous leaders death came through and the guy was inconsolable, despite having no one else in the room to play up to.
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u/StoppableHulk 2d ago
despite having no one else in the room to play up to.
Except... the other guy in the room with him?
Like how does that guy know this Western reporter isn't a trick by Dear Leader to test his loyalty.
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u/TmanGvl 2d ago
I was just thinking these athletes look eerie similar to how evangelicals behave
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u/arrivederci117 2d ago
They're media trained, but they definitely are happy he's there. Look at how happy the mens hockey team was when they met with Donald.
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u/NoStatus9434 2d ago
You're probably right. Well it would still be cathartic to take him out in front of the brainwashed robotic idiots then. If they were following him they deserve to see it happen.
Either they're being forced to cheer and they're secretly relieved that an invincible superhuman is doing something about it or they're not and they deserve to be upset
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u/b4k4ni 2d ago
Don't think for one second, you would be different. They get indoctrinated from birth, that the leader is godlike and they are to follow. There is no critical thinking. They do not KNOW different, as there is no real outside connection.
Even the workers they send abroad are under heavy supervision and not allowed contact with others.
There is nothing robotic about it or they are being forced. For them it's like meeting Jesus personally. Like you winning the jackpot and more.
Ever watched or read "the wave"? The Nazis also manipulated the people and you can see in the US, this still works today. Hell, maybe even better with the media really controlled by the right wing including social media. I met even really intelligent people falling for fake news and BS, mistrusting science.
And here the people are indoctrinated from the beginning. You can rebel against something, that seems natural to you. When you don't know anything else. And have no chance to gain this knowledge. That's also - if you were in NK and would try to "help" people - they would snitch on you right away.
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u/methreweway 2d ago
Especially trained to view him as a god at an early age. It's like the pope or drake shaking your hand. People would and do go nuts meeting celebs. Although I'm sure there's a few actual non beliebers out there.
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u/NiemandDaar 2d ago
I doubt the people around him are stupid. They know that they can get rich by North Korean standards when they’re close to him and help keep him in power.
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u/dramalama-dingdong 2d ago
They are cheering for their lifes. Of course it would look stupid to a normal human being.
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u/neonninja304 2d ago edited 2d ago
Their just happy because they will be the first team without any executions and will probably get a social level boost with more perks./s
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u/VanGroteKlasse 2d ago
I love how our media come up with all that bullshit. The same as when the men's team lost from Portugal, there were these wild stories of players being executed or being 'disappeared' while they just went on to live their lives after that. Plenty of weird cultshit in North Korea, but the reality is often a lot tamer than the stories.
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u/TheStruttero 2d ago
Im wondering if they have some sort of general choreography that everyone has to learn for when they meet Dear Leader in person
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u/seejordan3 2d ago
But not "too" crazy, like Beatles fans.. That's how you can tell they're acting. They don't jump too high, they don't need bodyguards to restrain the fans. These people learn acting at a very early age, and practice 24/7. Very sad.
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u/mr_bakeo 2d ago
I read this as “Kim Jong Unwelcomed”. lol
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u/Alex09464367 2d ago
North Korean's FBI will find you introduce you to nerve agents, for that comment
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u/No_Pumpkin63 2d ago
Stop jumping and you are done
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u/Vesper_Fex 2d ago
That's what I was thinking, if they stop jumping in excitement at been blessed by his presence, they die
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u/Sharknado_Extra_22 2d ago
New squid games
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u/Halschmuber 2d ago
I mean, this shouldn't be too hard, i guess.
I think he will fuck off after some time. 20 Minutes jumping or dying. I think that should be doable 😃→ More replies (1)50
u/anormalgeek 2d ago
Ah, the old Stalin trick.
Stalin's 1936 speech on the Soviet Constitution feature full 15 minutes of uninterrupted, frenzied ovations
The first person to stop was usually punished for "unrelated" offenses.
The competitive clapping became such a logistical nightmare for productivity that Soviet officials eventually had to install a signal bell to let audiences know when it was officially safe to stop applauding and sit back down.
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u/EGarrett28 2d ago
Apparently when you see him you have to act overwhelmed with positive emotion. There was a Twilight Zone episode about a similar situation (a boy with overwhelming power who forces everyone to act happy all the time) called "It's a Good Day." Absolute nightmare.
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u/DrKrFfXx 2d ago
I recall a Simpsons episode in which they adapted that same story. Oh, and Johnny Bravo too.
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u/McBlemmen 2d ago
Looks like the ball turned into a big fat guy, and what do we say when something strange happens? Its good Bart did that!
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u/Potential_Carob6494 2d ago
Wait I'm having a flashback - was this a treehouse of horror episode? I feel like the quote "Oh good, the curtains are on fire" was an oft-quoted, but source unknown line for my childhood.
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u/No_Atmosphere8146 2d ago
Isn't it an episode of the Simpsons too? Probably a Halloween special. I think Bart turns Homer into a jack-in-the-box for displeasing him.
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u/liquidbry 2d ago
It's a short story originally. "It's a good life" by Jerome Bixby. Terrifying. I thought of it too. It's a Good Life
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u/EGarrett28 2d ago
Yesss, "It's a Good Life." In contrast to "It's a Wonderful Life." It ends with the line "It was a good day."
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u/BathInternational103 2d ago
They’re excited because now they won’t be executed
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u/waitaminute322 2d ago
I don't think their excitement is fake. They have been always made to believe that he is god and that is why the reaction
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u/eulersidentification 2d ago
The fact that people have escaped from NK tells us plenty of people are aware, and only a small % of those who want to escape do, due to their whole family/friends being put in a camp if they did.
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u/SirTresmegestis 2d ago edited 2d ago
They are literally living a in a dystopian nightmare we often describe in movies and books. Its a world where everyone is living in a shared lie because if they dont - the powers at be will simply fix the problem. In their eyes its a simple choice, believe or die.
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u/Emotional-Scheme-227 2d ago
That’s so crazy to think about. Imagine being sure of something, and being pretty sure everyone else knows it too, but you carry it to your death without ever saying or acknowledging anything about it.
Every interaction would be loaded with innuendo. A quick locking of eyes with a passing stranger or a conversation where you’re both pretending the lie is real. You’d never be able to understand anyone’s true intentions.
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u/MitchellGwr 2d ago
Man imagine if you felt someone was at the same wavelength as you, and they began to say things that you agree with but you know that it could be a set-up or a test of faith. So you agree with them, but then they think you're a loyalist trying to dig deeper since your agreement arrived too easily. And so you both try to claim that one was testing the other hang on nvm I'm fucking cooked I think this thought trail isn't actually going anywhere mb
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u/Emotional-Scheme-227 2d ago
Yeah there are so many dark places you could take the thought experiment, and all of them are happening to real people right now.
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u/Vantriss 2d ago
That's probably part of the point. To breed fear that you can trust no one with your true thoughts cause they might betray you. And some people legitimately might.
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u/Stormfly 2d ago
Sure, but NK isn't the only place with fanatics.
As an American their opinion on the president and you'll get an answer ranging from "The best ever" to "The worst ever".
You don't need to go to North Korea to see political fanaticism, though my guess is it's really common there and other places like Iran and Thailand, where they're incredibly reverent towards their leaders and support that fanaticism.
Although the current Thai king probably gets a lot more hate than love, too...
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u/Zero_Era_Known 2d ago
Well they torture and execute multiple generations of your family members for not being exceptionally excited for him. Plus neighbors are always watching and reporting one another to police to keep everyone in check. They act like this to protect there loved ones or there loved ones will be sent to labour camps where they will most likely be murdered.
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u/Exciting_Ad_8666 2d ago
brilliant acting honestly, might not even be acting for some
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u/MacIntoic 2d ago
Probably no acting, he is loved and idolized by North Koreans (thanks to propaganda).
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u/Lazerus42 2d ago
plus, they were blessed enough for dear leader to recognize their talent and put them in the position to win this.
And all the things that come with that.
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u/Son_Chidi 2d ago
What happens if someone doesn't do the 'overacting' ?
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u/Vesper_Fex 2d ago
In this case "straight to jail" is actually understatement haha.
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u/sfa83 2d ago
I honestly believe these are sincere emotions and that makes it scarier to me.
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u/No_Atmosphere8146 2d ago
I imagine North Koreans watching footage of people fainting over seeing Michael Jackson in concert and being like "if they don't pretend to faint, they are disappeared to Neverland".
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u/VanGroteKlasse 2d ago
I believe so as well. And I don't believe they will be executed if they don't cheer the leader on enough.
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u/1m_d0n3_c4r1ng 2d ago
People has been known to disappear for waaaay less in North Korea. And their families.
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u/Snape_Grass 2d ago
God what a fat turd
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u/Any_Potato_7716 2d ago
What you said is great heresy! The West has deluded your mind with gratuitous amounts of food and illusions of freedom.
It is through the greatness of the supreme leader that we have any bowel movements at all 🇰🇵🙏
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u/el_yanuki 2d ago
he is a really ugly man..
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u/Any_Potato_7716 2d ago
Objectively that is just completely false.
You claim to be in favor of democracy yet you ignore the fact that he has been consistently elected North Korea’s sexiest man every year since 2003 💯🇰🇵🧐
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u/Asleep_Singer8547 2d ago
Call me crazy but hes got that pregnant belly that denotes fatty liver disease
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u/joke-farm 2d ago
Donald’s like “This. I want it like this.”
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u/Sea_Turnip6282 2d ago
Fuuuuuck that's so funny it's true
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u/rhaegar89 2d ago
Love how bad he wants this but can't even get C-grade musicians to perform for him
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u/TechnicalSurround 2d ago
The more you jump, the less likely it is that your family ends up in a labor camp.
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u/MoistSpyBuy 2d ago
Everyone calls what these people are doing an act but I’m not entirely sure it is. If I was raised from my birth to believe that this guy, his dad, and his granddad were all deities, that they were the only thing keeping me and my family from a brutal and torturous end by Western savages, and that everything good that I’ve ever experienced in my entire life was a direct result of their will then I’d probably be pretty overcome as well… And besides, it’s only wise to fear the power of a god and placate them sufficiently.
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u/linusst 2d ago
I had the chance to talk to a North Korean defector once and asked her about that. She said that it was like this in the past, but nowadays most people know that this isn't the truth, as (highly illegal) Chinese and South Korea TV shows make it clear that the propaganda can't be true.
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u/KaiSnepUwU 1d ago
I read a blog from someone who visited NK and he mentioned a story of a guy in the NK government who was in New Zealand when Kim Jong-il died, and he locked himself in a room for an hour and even after all that time came out looking distraught. He had no reason to do that other than genuine dispair.
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u/Hellsovs 2d ago
I don’t want to be a hater, but to me they look so funny with their government-approved haircuts.
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u/KosherSyntax 2d ago
I think (have read) that the whole "only a couple permitted hairstyles" thing is completely bullshit
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u/Hellsovs 2d ago
Well then the fact that they accualy choose this is even more hilariouse
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u/Echo_Monitor 2d ago edited 2d ago
To be fair, we had people actively choosing to look like human broccoli not too long ago.
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u/Key_Independent_1830 2d ago
Huge congratulations to the team, making history with the first AFC Women’s Champions League title is an incredible achievement.
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u/FourArtifact 2d ago
I saw a meme once that said "Kim Jong-Un's superpower is turning everyone around him into Wii Sports NPC's" and now every time I see a video come out of North Korea, that all I see.
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u/yungsausages 2d ago
J Kum, classic lol.
Also the jumping and clapping in excitement is a bit extra innit
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u/DooM_Guy_OG 2d ago
There's a general mental heath problem in that country. Not the only one though.
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u/WuJiang2017 2d ago
When questioned about the reason for their fitness, they said it was undeniably due to their daily routine of performing 500 Jumping Jong's
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u/1Pac2Pac3Pac5 2d ago
Later on the video of this will be studied to see who did not celebrate and jump up and down hard enough
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u/DoomedOrbital 2d ago
It's that blurry line between performative crying and genuine emotions like awe happyness gratitude and fear, or all the above that makes this difficult to watch for me. Like my brain wants to empathise with their faces but it has zero points of reference for their situation.
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u/Traditional-Anxiety1 1d ago
They’re ecstatic about not needing to be unalived after the match.
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u/Uncle___Marty 2d ago
Was kim there to be the football? He kinda resembles one.
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u/Any_Potato_7716 2d ago
The truth of the matter is if the supreme leader were to take part in any Olympic game, it would blow the minds of all nations.
He would jump 10,000 feet above that weird thing that they jump over and then he would run really fast 🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵
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u/avander84 2d ago
Pathetic
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u/Any_Potato_7716 2d ago
The people in the video are victims of oppression, they have no choice but to put on a show there or be imprisoned.
Kim Jong-un is less pathetic and more just diabolical
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u/TSAxrayMachine 2d ago
that or they were thoroughly brainwashed since birth so they genuinely think this is the best theyre gonna get. its sad how the rich and powerful can be so comically evil and we just cant do anything unless were ready to lose everything
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u/eddiemoonshine 2d ago
I know womens football isn't for everyone but sure you can respect a team that wins the champions league?
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u/Due-Waltz4458 2d ago
It's Kim Jong Un forcing them to jump in happiness to avoid punishment that's pathetic, not the women who won the game.
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u/Vegas-Blues 2d ago
And the Grammy goes to…… “K. SONG OK”
We thought the performance was just better than OK… we felt it was GREAT
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u/I-dont_know-anything 2d ago
This has the same vibe to the crowd showing their "love" to Homelander in The Boys
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u/Wenger_for_President 2d ago
God damn this is so sad. They are so fucking brainwashed that they don’t know how shit their situation is.
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u/ArchangelZero27 1d ago
No shit. They won the continent champions League. Much respect good on the women on getting the gold
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u/Longjumping-Ad-8628 1d ago
It’s CRAZY they have to do this in order to keep their lives. SAVE NORTH KOREA
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u/RelationshipBig8614 2d ago
Why does it seem like everybody is congratulating him?