Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World (Politics of Place, #1)

by Tim Marshall

The founding story of Korea is that it was created in 2333 BCE by heavenly design. The Lord of Heaven sent his son Hwanung down to earth, where he descended to the Paektu Mountain and married a woman who used to be a bear, and their son, Dangun, went on to engage in an early example of nation building. The earliest recorded version of this creation legend dates from the thirteenth century. It may in some ways explain why a Communist state has a leadership that is passed down through one family and given divine status. For example, Kim Jong-il was described by the Pyongyang propaganda machine as “Dear Leader, who is a perfect incarnation of the appearance that a leader should have,” “Guiding Sun Ray,” “Shining Star of Paektu Mountain,” “World Leader of the twenty-first century,” and “Great Man who descended from heaven,” as well as “Eternal Bosom of Hot Love.” His father had very similar titles, as does his son, Kim Jong-Un.