North Korea

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N. Korea Signals Rise of Kim's Uncle

Jang Song Thaek appears in public dressed as general

(Newser) - Pyongyang was busily hailing Kim Jong Un as its "Supreme Commander" yesterday, but today's spotlight in the who's-running-North-Korea spectacle is on Kim's uncle, Jang Song Thaek, reports Reuters . Seems official state media are running photos of Jang dressed as a general, in what many are interpreting...

Are North Korea's Elite Defecting?

Reports from South Korea say some senior officials don't want to go home

(Newser) - In Kim Jong Il's death, an opportunity to escape? Maybe. Reports out of South Korea say that members of the country's elite appear to be defecting—or considering it. "Many ranking North Korean officials in China are refusing to return after being summoned to North Korea,"...

Kim Jong Un Now Country's 'Supreme Commander'

State-run media vows to uphold him as such

(Newser) - Kim Jong Un isn't just North Korea's "Outstanding Leader" —he's now also the "Supreme Commander" of its military. He was hailed as such by the ruling party newspaper, which urged Kim to lead the country to "eternal victory." "We declare from...

North Commands South: Show Respect to Kim Jong Il

North Korea warns neighbor: Allow citizens to attend funeral

(Newser) - Kim Jong Il’s death is leading to more tension between the Koreas: North Korea warned its neighbor today that it must “show proper respect” over Kim’s death by allowing citizens to attend his funeral. The statement accused South Korea of “insult and mockery” because it expressed...

Time for a New Approach to a New North Korea
Time for a New Approach
to a New North Korea
Nicholas Kristof
Dec 22, 2011 12:58 PM CST

Time for a New Approach to a New North Korea

Forget isolation, let's try outreach: Nicholas Kristof

(Newser) - North Korea's change in leadership provides the US a chance to rethink its Pyongyang strategy, which might actually be backfiring, writes Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times . Our sanctions have isolated the country, but that isolation has helped the Kims keep their grip on power. And in a...

Let the Kim Jong Un Mythmaking Begin!

He was born of heaven, naturally

(Newser) - Considering nature basically exploded at the passing of Kim Jong Il—at least, as reported by the state-run Korean Central News Agency—it shouldn't be too shocking to hear that the mythmaking for Kim Jong Un has already begun. The AP reports that a newspaper editorial calls him "...

Pyongyang: Sky Glowed Red Before Kim's Death

Ice cracked and Manchurian crane circled, state media claims

(Newser) - Weird and wonderful events surrounded the death of Kim Jong Il , according to North Korea's state-run media. The country's official news agency claims that a snowstorm suddenly ceased and the sky glowed red over the sacred Mount Paektu minutes before Kim departed. A frozen lake cracked with a...

Maybe Kim Jong Il Didn't Die on a Train...

South Korean intelligence indicates that's not what really happened

(Newser) - Kim Jong Il died on a moving train—or so North Korea would have us believe. But the Los Angeles Times reports that South Korean intelligence is painting a different picture. It seems that the country's No. 1 spy, Won Sei-hoon, has reviewed satellite photos that depict Kim's...

Does Shared Power Loom in N. Korea?

Intelligence experts debate whether new arrangement only transitional

(Newser) - After six-plus decades of the Kim family's ironclad dictatorship, North Korea's opaque leadership structure could be changing: Kim Jong Un is so young and untested that he will be forced to govern as part of a collective group, to include his uncle Jang Song-thaek and the military, reports...

Pyongyang May Be Too Poor to Pickle Kim

Unlike his father, late leader likely to be buried

(Newser) - Kim Jong Il is currently lying in state in Pyongyang, but North Koreans may not have much longer to view him: A shortage of skills and cold hard cash means the late Dear Leader will likely be buried instead of being preserved for display like his father, Kim Il Sung,...

Lesson From Kim's Death: Our North Korea Intel Stinks

Little known about Pyongyang's leadership, moves

(Newser) - Kim Jong Il reportedly died on a train at 8:30am on Saturday. Guess when American and South Korean officials learned about it? Some 51 hours later, from North Korea's own media reports. Though we have spy planes and satellites trained on the country, we intercepted no phone calls...

Kim Jong Un Emerges, as Does His Dad

Support from military, media shows transition on track

(Newser) - Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance today since the death of his father, paying his respects at the Pyongyang mausoleum where Kim Jong Il lies in state in a glass coffin, reports the New York Times . The younger Kim was accompanied by senior party and military officials, while...

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Studied in Switzerland

 So Just Who Is 
 Kim Jong Un? 
Dec 19, 2011 5:42 PM CST

So Just Who Is Kim Jong Un?

North Korea's heir apparent likes James Bond and Michael Jordan

(Newser) - Not much is known about Kim Jong Un besides his outfit, his haircut, and his resemblance to his father. Partly that's because information out of North Korea (like Kim Jong Il's alleged ability to control the weather ) is best taken with a little salt, NPR reports. But...

World Reacts Warily to Death of Kim Jong Il

Leaders call for peace, security, engagement with world

(Newser) - With the death of Kim Jong Il , the world is reacting cautiously, hoping it might improve the situation in North Korea but also wary of the potential for danger, reports the AP . British Foreign Secretary William Hague said "this could be a turning point for North Korea," calling...

Weird Facts About Kim Jong Il
 Weird Facts About Kim Jong Il 
Dec 19, 2011 9:17 AM CST

Weird Facts About Kim Jong Il

World's greatest golfer was particular about his rice

(Newser) - As the obituaries of Kim Jong Il pour in, it's hard to miss the fact that he was a profoundly weird guy. The Daily Mirror lists 17 bizarre tidbits about him:
  • A former chef said staff had to make sure the grains of rice he ate were the same
...

North Koreans Mourn 'Dear Leader'

Weeping crowds fill streets of Pyongyang

(Newser) - North Korea's propaganda machine gave Kim Jong Il the status of a demigod—one that the totalitarian state is now mourning. Video aired on Chinese TV shows throngs of people in Pyongyang weeping at news of the leader's sudden death , reports Reuters , and state TV reports that people...

Poverty, Isolation, Nukes&mdash; What Kim Leaves Behind
 Poverty, Isolation, Nukes— 
 What Kim Leaves Behind 
Assessing a Legacy
Dec 19, 2011 7:30 AM CST

Poverty, Isolation, Nukes— What Kim Leaves Behind

Kim Jong Un inherits 'worst legacy' of Cold War, says Guardian

(Newser) - Diplomatically isolated and economically broken, with massive political prisons and perhaps the worst human rights record in the world—oh, and nuclear weapons—that's the North Korean legacy that Kim Jong Il has left for son Kim Jong Un , reports the Guardian . Born on the revered Mt. Baekdu, accompanied...

North Korea Test-Fires Missile
 North Korea Test-Fires Missile 
Dec 19, 2011 6:34 AM CST

North Korea Test-Fires Missile

In event that probably has nothing to do with Kim Jong Il's death

(Newser) - North Korea raised some eyebrows this morning by test-firing a short-range missile into the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reports. The test garnered extra attention because it came just hours after the death of Kim Jong Il , but South Korean officials tell the AP...

North Koreans Told to Back Kim's Son

Nation urged to rally behind 20-something Kim Jong Un

(Newser) - With the "Dear Leader" dead , North Koreans are being urged to follow the "Respectable Comrade"—Kim Jong Il's third son, who was unveiled as his successor last year . A broadcast on state-run media said the country's people "must faithfully revere respectable comrade Kim Jong...

Kim Jong Il Dead at 69
 Kim Jong Il Dead at 69 
Dec 19, 2011 12:06 AM CST

Kim Jong Il Dead at 69

North Korean leader died from heart failure, state media says

(Newser) - Kim Jong Il, North Korea's mercurial and enigmatic leader, has died at the age of 69, according to state television. His death was was announced today by a tearful announcer in black who said he had died from physical and mental over-work while on a train trip to a...

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