Ah-h-h…North Korea!  Paradise on earth!  The whole world is just chompin’ at the bit to get there.  Great weather, envious geographic location, fun for the whole family.  Never a boring moment.  Their friendly tour guides and citizenry make sure  that all your personal needs are met.  And the food?  Oh my!  North Korea is an epicure’s delight.

So, ok, you’re probably not convinced by the above “vacation package” ad.  You’re probably among the 98 or 99 percent of the world’s population that doesn’t buy this.  And I ask “why”?  Could it be because the common folks in North Korea suffer from a lack of everything?    Or maybe it’s that the North Korean leadership’s criminal insanity makes a visitor’s stay in that country simply uncomfortable.  I’m certain with minimal effort we could all come up with many more, legitimate reasons.

Since we agree that North Korea holds nothing we consider of value, why is it that this incredibly poor country feels the overwhelming need to keep itself locked up in a prison of its own making?  Granted, there are those who wish to go there for myriad reasons but the vast majority of us would prefer not.  So keeping us out does not require secure borders.  No, I believe the borders are meant to keep the North Koreans in.  The message  for their own people seems to be “you may starve, but you may not leave.”

North Korea would be served well by a leader who would open the borders and allow the population to join up with the rest of the world.  Currently, the leadership bellows and stomps “defending” the country from the hordes of people who can’t wait to get in.  Other than to visit relatives, I doubt if even South Koreans have a burning desire to go there.  So, open up, join the world, allow the entire country to benefit and you will go down in history as a hero.