Via CBS: “The latest word from North Korea is that Joe Dresnok’s health continues to deteriorate because he refuses to stop smoking and drinking. And he still intends to remain in Pyongyang until his dying day.” See the earlier post on Joe Dresnok.
It’s not surprising, or shouldn’t be, that defectors and refugees from North Korea might have high instances of mental health issues. However, the story of Shin Dong Hyok, a North Korea defector who escaped from a “total control” concentration camp and eventually made his way to South Korea, highlights an additional area to consider. I [...]
After missile and nuclear tests and uranium enrichment, the U.S. sanctions North Korean firms while Pyongyang reverses, making overtures. It’s not an accident, it’s a pattern of strategic disengagement.
- #Vanity Fair, of all publications, has a lengthy article on North Korea’s counterfeiting operations, including Office 39. Well worth a read. (h/t NE Asia Matters)
- #The Chosun Ilbo has an article about a new book by Chang Jin-song (formerly affiliated with the North Korean Workers' Party) that details Kim Jong-il private life, including the inside scoop on all his lady friends. According to Chang, one unfortunate young lady to get Kim's attention was, "brutally executed after she spurned Kim's persistent advances and fell in love with another man."
- #Gizmodo has an excellent array of Kim Jong-il photos; In Which We Provoke Kim Jong Il in 77 Offensive and Hilarious Ways. Some are sure to become often used classics.
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