Update: Dr. Petrov notes in comments, per input from Ruediger Frank on the Korean Studies Mailing List, that there are at least two other common forms of address for Kim Jong-il, which have been added as the last two rows of the table below.
Original post: Today while (finally) reading Andrei Lankov’s, “North of […]
What would have been Kim Il-sung’s (김일성) 96th birthday, had he not died on 8 July 1994, is today (in Korea), 15 April. The “Great Leader” was born in Mangyondae in what is now North Korea, on the day the Titanic sank.
Jack of DPRK Forum points to some footage of Kim Il-sung, including some vintage stuff from 1956. Note that what would be Kim Il-sung’s 96th birthday is coming up on 15 April (same day the Titanic sank).
Though the mechanics are obviously different than the Sino-Soviet Dispute, the outcome is similar enough to be compared; North Korea is in the middle of the re-emerging Chinese great power and the world’s only superpower (for a detailed explanation this, see Suh Dae-sook’s book). Bush’s change from a hard-line to La-La Land policy […]
Via the Times: "The exhibition features 400 hand-painted posters dating from the peak of the Dear Leader Kim Sung Il's power in the 1950s to the present regime led by his son, Kim Jong Il." The article has only one image, but has several interesting propaganda quotes.
- #Young Korean Herrenvolk engaging in their version of Agoge, at least according to the New York Times. The two Korean schools mentioned in the article are similar to Exeter or Andover in the United States in someways (they are private academies that serve children of affluent parents). But my guess is that the studious atmosphere and intense regimen compare more to the likes of Stuyvesant (my alma mater) in NYC or T.J. in Virginia (both highly selective, but publicly-funded high schools).
- #North Korea claims that on 25 April 1932 the Korean People’s Army (KPA, 조선인민군/ Chosŏn inmin'gun) was formed. However, the more likely accurate date is 08 February 1948. It is celebrated as “Military Foundation Day” in Kimland.
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