Kevin Kim outlines North Korea’s tactis from, “Negotiating with North Korea.” And Kevin’s take? “But I say, screw negotiations… Dynastic Kimism is all about preserving a very specific power structure and little else.” Bingo.
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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August 27th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Thanks for the shout-out.
Kevin
August 27th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Sounds about right to me.
August 27th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
Now you know negotiating is the epitome of the diplomatic arts. Using Kevin’s technique, with appropriate demonstrations, would be quite artistic in a post-modernist kind of way.