North Korea welcomed Western journalists to report on last week’s ceremony starring future heir Kim Jong Un, which demonstrated a very clear dynasty succession plan. Journo J.M. was in Pyongyang for the parade.
Kim Jong Il
North Korea’s next leader: Kim Jong Un
Kim Jong Il’s son Kim Jong Un has frequently been touted as the next leader of North Korea. In another sign that he is being groomed for the status of “Supreme Leader,” Un has for the first time been named in public and appointed the status of a four-star general.
lol 
PHOTO GALLERY: Foreign dictator fashionistas
One of the greatest photo galleries we’ve seen in a while, wrapping up the fashion choices of the world’s most brutal leaders, from Kim Jong Il’s love of taupe safari suits to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s chic minimalistic suits.
great read 
How to overthrow Kim Jong Il
A four-part manifesto by lawyer Joshua Stanton on how and why the West must help fuel an uprising in North Korea. It will be painful, expensive, and long, but if the country’s only hope is to break it down and rebuild from scratch.
What’s really going on in North Korea?
News that North Korea sunk a South Korean warship could be a sign of some worrying instability within the secretive dictatorship: what if Kim Jong-il didn’t give the order to fire?
What is Kim Jong Il up to in China?
North Korea’s Dear Leader is in China — arriving via a blinged-up train, under a cloud of secrecy — leaving the world asking: just what is he up to? Victor Cha explains.
North Korea: the theatre restaurant
Slate goes inside “Pyongyang”, Kim Jong-il’s North Korea-themed restaurant chain, with outlets throughout Asia (except in North Korea itself), featuring dog meat, karaoke and performing waitresses.
Meet Kim Jong Il’s personal shopper
A former North Korean Army Colonel spills the story of his years travelling the world with suitcases full of cash to buy up guns, airplanes, Ferraris, Belgian chocolate and vintage Bordeaux wine for Kim Jong Il and his sons.
Is the world ready for life after Dear Leader?
While most will be happy to see the end of North Korean despot Kim Jong-il, his inevitable death will carry some serious global consequences — including the serious possibility of regime collapse and the outbreak of war. And the world is not prepared.
North Korea: a nation of racist dwarves
By keeping North Koreans in the dark — both literally and figuratively — Kim Jong Il has created a nation of hysterically nationalistic, xeonophobic, physically stunted slaves, says Christopher Hitchens.
What do the world’s most evil men listen to on their iPods?
Even evil dictators like to get funky sometimes. Believe it or not, Osama bin Laden likes the B-52s and Whitney Houston, Kim Jong-il rocks out to Eric Clapton and Muammar Gaddafi prefers the smooth crooning of Lionel Ritchie.
North Korea bans fancy hairdos. Seriously.
Bouffant lover and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has issued some advice (read: law) regarding hairstyles. Men, keep it short, women, pull it back. No sexy Western style mullets, mohawks or faux hawks. This may be a good thing.
Will the real Kim Jong Il please stand up?
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.
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.
