Subscribe
There’s nothing funny about how restrictive the government in North Korea is with its citizens, but I did still get a bit of a kick out of this story that I read. North Korea has a very strong anti-Western world stance and prohibits its citizens from owning anything – movies, photos, etc – of Western pop culture.
However, that doesn’t stop Angelina Jolie’s fans. A South Korean resident who follows the ongoings of the Northern neighbor said:
‘Some brave women collect rare photos of Angelina Jolie and these are traded like valuable jewels. Many North Korean women look up to Angelina as some kind of distant hero that might one day take up their cause.’
It goes to show that Angelina’s humanitarian efforts reach a lot of ears, even those that live in a country that isn’t allowed to recognize her in any way.
According to the story, the regime is actually aware of the strong admiration many North Korean women have for Angelina and they’ve issued public notices to remind people that possessing articles or photos of Western celebrities is against the law – and is punishable by imprisonment – and named Angelina Jolie in a list of examples.
If Angelina catches wind of this story I’m sure she’d be afraid for the safety of the women who are hiding photos of her but she’d have to be a little flattered too. I’m not sure there’s much that she can do for the people of North Korea though, unless they flee the country and seek asylum in South Korea or China.
(source)
From my sister’s comments about Angie and friends from abroad, I can tell that she is just as famous in many parts of the world as she is in the U.S. Even in third world countries. She’s like…EVERYWHERE!! I also notice that they know Brad through Angie, which was surprising to me at first; so for every hater, there are millions of admirers who see her as inspiration. I’ve said before and I’ll say it again – I sincerely hope that they don’t get caught!!!
Reply
I’am praying for all of them. This is a good news for all JP fans and at same time I’m worry for their safety.
Reply
Wow, I hope they don’t get caught. I feel sorry for them.
Reply
[...] the original here: Angelina Jolie “worship” banned in North Korea : Pitt Watch – Brad … Share and [...]
Reply
You never know where a change in a county’s couture might come from. Our AJ just might be something this isolated people need to see what the future holds.
Reply
AJ is widely known everywhere not just because of her celebrity but moreso now because of her ACTIVE ROLE as UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador & her other advocacy or causes or her philanthropic efforts. For most countries, maybe initially they recognize her because of her popularity as an actress but when she CONSISTENTLY visits & helps places with displaced refugees, even risking her life in a way, their admiration toward her is more on that aspect. The fascination with her is so great now that it is reaching to the least expected environment. That’s why it’s no surprise that even a communist country such as North Korea, her name cannot be ignored. If I remember it right, even in China, another communist nation, AJ is easily the most recognized person when photos of celebrities were shown to its people (I think that was during the Beijing Olympics).
In her book “Notes From My Travels” it’s mentioned that the people of most places she went like Sierra Leon, Pakistan, Africa, etc. didn’t know she’s a very famous Hollywood actress. All they know she’s an ordinary person who would want to help.
Here in the Philippines, even a group of farmers and another group of Muslims fighting for certain issues, attempted to invite her to help them with their causes. They wanted her because they knew with her name, it would bring wider public attention. That’s how powerful more people thought she is. Also, many Filipino celebrities & politicians here are also inspired by her.
So, it is no surprise anymore.
Reply
This sounds like it was completely made up. How does this South Korean have contact with a North Korean? South Koreans aren’t even allowed into North Korea!
Also there is no free postal system in North Korea that would allow them to be penpals with people outside of the country.
Only high ranking people have access to the world wide internet and those are certainly not the people that have no freedom.
I don’t believe for a second that this story is true.
Reply
i don´t know if its true or not, but if its true then i hope the women don´t get into trouble.
btw…Brad heading to Berlin..http://www.popsugar.com/3608138
Reply
^Thanks for the info Phoebe!!!
As for this story,I don’t know if it’s true either,but if it is I’m not surprised!Angie is REALLY popular almost EVERYWHERE!
I just hope they don’t get caught.
Reply
I don’t know if the story is true or not, but isn’t it sad that there are still places in this world that people are forced to live like that. If Angelina was to hear about this story she would more than likely feel very bad. There are a great many countries where woman still have no rights. They are treated like second class citizens.
Reply
yep, i’m with the others. whether or not this story is true, i hope the citizens in north korea will be given more freedom. none of them asked to be born in that country, and it’s sad that they are raised in such an insular environment.
Reply
anna, i think there are still ways for some people to track some kind of information. there’s always a way. a few years ago, my best friend had a teaching stint in south korea for about a year. she taught english to little kids.
during her stay there, an opportunity came up that allowed her and other teachers (foreign and local) to sign up for a trip to north korea. don’t know if it is privilege or what you would call lucky, but she did go on that trip and was able to take a few pictures. i don’t know how the north korean guards let her take her camera. i don’t really understand how their laws are there or what stipulations were placed on them. she did say that when she was on the bus, she smiled at a north korean guard and buddy didn’t even crack a smile. she said it was a tad scary getting that non-reaction. anyway, i digress … just saying there are ways.
Reply
Neela I agree that there are always ways but do you really think that if you went to a lot of trouble to get some news on your family to the outside world you would talk about a celeb?
Foreigners can go on trips to North Korea all the time except if you are South Korean or American. You are allowed to bring your camera, but not your phone. I have been in the country and it’s very strict but I took 100’s of photos in the few days I was there.
Reply
[...] Source Share and Enjoy: [...]
Reply