Photo editing software like Photoshop can accomplish some impressive things when placed in the hands of a professional. When digital adjustments are perfectly rendered atop actual photographs, it can be hard to tell what’s real and what’s altered. There are times where these skills are used for silly fun , but when the aim of the game is sly deception, it’s especially important to ensure that none of your pixels are showing! For example, these photos out of North Korea could use a few more touch-ups.

North Korea tries to present itself as a powerful force, particularly against “ evil American ” oppression. The government carefully releases pictures that demonstrate their prosperity and technological prowess. But something about these images seems off. Maybe it’s the missing shadows or the items that appear identically in many places throughout the scene. In the end, we’re less than convinced.

A couple of these have been seen before, but when gathered together in one spot they become quite the collection of facepalm. Honestly, whoever is in charge of photo manipulation for North Korea should probably be fired.

▼ See the shadowless soldiers mount the steps at sunset.

▼ Ghost legs don’t get wet.

▼ Amazing how the shade is equipped with so many light sources.

▼ Same day. Same location. But vastly different scenery.

▼ One of these shadows is not like the others.

▼ But too many of these goats are exactly the same.

▼Amazing stacking skills or cloned bread?

▼ No seriously, someone need to stop abusing the copy and paste function.

▼ Either there’s a giant in their midst, or something went wrong in Photoshop.

▼ And finally…I think you get the picture.

Stay awesome, North Korea!

Reference: Acid Cow
[ Read in Japanese ]

Released earlier this month, the latest iteration of Apple’s operating system for mobile devices, iOS 7, boasts a sleek, vivid interface that is certainly quite a departure from previous iPhone software. Although the majority of Apple’s customers will likely be more than satisfied with both the OS’s stylistic and functional changes, some Korean citizens have taken issue with iOS 7’s Maps application, which refers to the islets located between Japan and Korea – over which there has been much debate – by the Japanese name of Takeshima.

Known in the English-speaking world as the Liancourt Rocks, the small islands are referred to in Korean as “Dokdo,” and “Takeshima” in Japanese, with both countries staking a claim to the tiny cluster of rocks. It’s only natural, then, that some Koreans should take offense when Apple’s built-in Maps application chose the Japanese name over the Korean.

After hearing rumors that Apple’s software was effectively siding with the Japanese on the territorial dispute, we fired up Mr. Sato’s famous iPhone 5S and tried searching for the islands using both their Japanese and Korean names.

First, we tried searching for 竹島 (“Takeshima” as it is written in Japanese). Sure enough, the application took us right to the Liancourt Rocks, labelled with the same kanji characters we’d entered. The islands were also clearly marked as being a part of Shimane Prefecture’s Oki District. Next, we entered 独島 (the characters for “Dokdo” as used in the Korean language) into the search box. This time, however, when the software directed us to the same islands their name was automatically changed to, you guessed it, 竹島 (“Takeshima”).

In order to conduct as fair a test as possible, we fiddled around in our smartphone’s settings and activated Hangul, Korea’s native alphabet, as a method of text input and ran the search again. Once again, though, the application took us to a location clearly marked “Takeshima”. Oh dear.

Even if you don’t make a point of searching for the islets, they are clearly listed as Takeshima on the map, and as a result many Koreans are calling for their fellow countrymen to protest against what they perceive to be blatant political discrimination.

Will Apple change the islands’ name in subsequent software updates? Will this faux pas affect the sales of the company’s newest smartphones? If we’re being completely honest, we’d have to say probably not, but we’ll be sure to bring you more information if it becomes available.

▼ The map clearly displays the islets as Takeshima and belonging to the Oki District of Shimane Prefecture.

▼ A search for 独島 (Dokdo) redirects to 竹島 (Takeshima).

▼ Even after entering the name in Hangul (below right) there is no indication that the islands are a part of South Korea.

[ Read in Japanese ]

Members of the Korean media have come under fire this week after they filmed a man who warned via his Twitter account that he would jump from Mapo Bridge-a known suicide spot-and made good on his promise.

There staff on the scene made no effort to intervene and have been arrested as accomplices to the man’s suicide.

Mr. Son, a representative of a men’s human rights organization in South Korea, warned via his Twitter account on July 25 saying that he planned to jump from the Mapo Bridge into the Hangang River.

The group to which Mr. Son belonged is believed to have been low on funds for some time, and so he apparently wrote a plea on Twitter for donations of US$8,900 in order to keep the organization afloat and repay debts.

Nothing but smirks and ridicule

According to comments from Mr. Son, there are some 600 female rights organizations in Korea, all of which are funded by tax payers’ money. However, Mr. Son’s men’s rights group is the only one of its kind in the country and is not eligible for funding from the government. As a result, the organization is reported to have been in a poor financial state in recent years. Even after being recognized as an official citizen’s group in 2011, it was frequently ridiculed and looked down on by other organizations and received little support.

Mr. Son’s actions were apparently intended to demonstrate how serious he was about gathering funds and to act as an appeal to any would-be donors. Before he jumped from the bridge, he spoke of how he was a good swimmer and so would return unscathed; it appears that he did not intend on dying. He jumped off the bridge at around 3 p.m. on July 26 and disappeared beneath the water. His body was discovered three days later.

Concerned parties and media at the scene have become the subject of harsh criticism from the online community, with many netizens raising the question of why no one attempted to stop the man. Korean TV station KBS is believed to have rushed to the scene but the man had already jumped before they arrived.

While this is indeed a tragic story, many Koreans are describing Mr. Son’s act as one of heroism. Some have even engraved the words he posted on Twitter on the rail of the bridge at the point where he jumped. It seems that the man has touched the hearts of many Korean citizens, albeit paying the ultimate price in the process.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGFv6_s3UtM&w=580&h=357]
[ Read in Japanese ]