February 22, 2004
The austere lifestyle of Kim Jong ll
Your posts are always sharp as a razor, G.
Well, let's be fair. Kim Jong Il is under a lot of pressure. It's not easy being at the center of the universe.
Legend has it he sported a bouffant hairstyle because being a dictator and all, he couldn't be the last to know when it rains.
Think of all the jobs that could be created here in the States. Clipping grass blade by blade, inspecting rice grain by grain. Talk about tedious. And enforced pain-killer injections; this guy would have been my best friend back in my drug-induced days.
A few more bits and pieces about North Korea:
News From KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY of DPRK
NKzone
The Pyongyang Metro
Journey into Kimland
On Japanese TV they always refer to the country as "北朝鮮・朝鮮民主主義人民共和国" [Kitachousen chousenminshushugijinminkyouwakoku]: "North Korea/The Democratic People's Republic of Korea" on every bulletin so as to avoid offending either the pro-Seoul Korean residents or the pro-Pyongyang Koreans, both of whom are numerous in Japan.
And check out this nifty page about the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. It's in English, and it's official.
ThreeDayMonk: When? I haven't noticed broadcasters saying that...
Really excellent article; thanks for linking. Also thanks are due, since I hadn't realized just how much of The Atlantic you could read online. Excellent.
ThreeDayMonk: Me neither. It's always 北朝鮮 on the news I've seen.
Don't miss the second and third parts of the Italian's story.
bugbread & mexican: Hmm... could be just an Osaka thing. I've never paid attention to which channels, but I've seen it on quite a few news programmes, and definitely heard it on the news on FM802 (an Osaka radio station). It might be due to the large number of Koreans in the city.
I think that they generally say the whole long name the first time round, and then use 北朝鮮 after that. I'll pay attention in future.
Kim Jong-il outwits W. on nukes.
I imagine there will be a big celebration feast at chez Kim.
Well, it finally made The L.A. Times, it must be news.
linked to another paper to avoid LAT annoying registration
Kim Jong II decides N. Korean students need 'quality' food. So he's giving them hamburgers.
Better than boiled grass.
Perhaps Kim Jong Il is doing Atkins.
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