Many analysts believe the North Korean leader we’ve been seeing in photos of late — such as the one with Bill Clinton — isn’t the real Kim Jong Il, but a look-a-like, standing-in to hide Dear Leader’s ailing health.
Kim Jong Il
The trapped world of Kim Jong-il
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il may cop a lot of flack, but he’s not an idiot. He is, however, in a difficult position, where further opening of borders will risk his (increasingly limited) political power.
Video of the Day: The two births of Kim Jong Il
There are two stories of the birth of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il: the official North Korean government version, and, y’know: the truth. GOOD presents both versions: you can decide which to believe.
Running a flagpole up Glenn Milne. Salute.
The Government’s insistence on signage for its projects is weird and offensive, but so is Glenn Milne’s comparison of Kevin Rudd to Kim Jong Il.
North Korea’s counterfeit economy
Ever wondered how Kim Jong Il funds is lavish lifestyle and nuclear ambitions in such poverty-stricken country? The answer lies in Office 39, a state-run crime syndicate where billions of dollars of counterfeit US bills are produced before being laundered in the American economy.
When Bill met Kim
Does Bill Clinton’s meeting with Kim Jong Il herald a breakthrough in the diplomatic relations between North Korea and the US? Only Kim knows. But with Pyongyang’s nuclear tests making a lot of powerful enemies of late, he might have realised it’s smart to start talking again.
What did Clinton say to Kim Jong-il?
Want to know exactly what ex-president Bill Clinton said to Chairman Kim Jong-il to help release the US journalists? Lewis Grossberger has a guess.
Clinton just another pawn in North Korea’s nuclear game?
Bill Clinton’s sudden swoop in to North Korea to rescue a pair of US journalists may seem like a victory for diplomacy, freedom and the American Way, but for North Korea, it was simply a successful propaganda project — and the US played right into its hands, says John R. Bolton.
North Korea’s first family
Forget the Windsors: the most entertaining dynastic family of crackpots are the Kims of North Korea. Newsweek looks at Kim Jong Il and his three potential heirs, all delightfully kooky in their own ways.
Political Fashion Semiotics 101: the implications of politicians’ clothes
This week, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev thrilled and horrified the blogosphere by wearing jeans and a designer blazer to a dinner with Barack Obama. Mel Campbell does some further political fashion analysis.
North Korea’s next Kim
Meet Kim Jong Un, Kim Jon Il’s favourite son and the likely successor to the North Korean dictator’s throne.
Crikey Clarifier: North Korea’s nuclear threat explained
How does North Korea’s threat to the world compare to say, Iran’s? How great is the threat towards South Korea? Craig Snyder answers these questions and more.
He’s no roony: there’s method in Kim’s madness
Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction; it got invaded. North Korea tested a nuclear bomb three years ago; it got a mixture of bribes and angry rhetoric. That explains everything.
Can Moscow stop North Korea?
In Moscow, where North Korea’s oddball Stalinist dynasty was born and and nurtured for decades, officials appear perplexed and even scared over the Pyongyang regime’s increasingly wayward behavior.
Crikey wrap: a Nuclear North Korea timeline
North Korea’s latest nuclear weapons and missile tests have set the political world abuzz. Crikey intern Nicola Heath looks back at the history and what people are saying now.
