A strange vacation coincidence

(Click to enlarge all pictures.)

July, 2010: At the Niagara River in NY, looking from the American side, one can see an amusement park with a Ferris wheel across the river in Canada.

July 2009: At the Yalu River, in Dandong, China one can see a "Ferris wheel" that is across the river in North Korea.

Is this a purely random coincidence?

I don't think so. I think the North Koreans put it there knowing full well there's such a thing in Canada. Evidently they think Kim Jong Il's oppressive state compares to Niagara Falls...somehow.

Seriously, Niagara Falls is a ridiculously popular tourist spot for Asians, so it wouldn't surprise me if the North Koreans put that there as a subtle (but ultimately failing) attempt to keep up with the North Americans.

On the shore on the far side of the river (the  apartment buildings you see in the foreground are part of Dandong, China) if you enlarge the picture, you see what Sinuiju, North Korea, the town opposite Dandong, really looks like.