Free Republic

01-25-2012 09:56 Golf genius Kim is gone, but NK tournament remains Even the fairytale rise to implausible golfing kingship depicted in the Hollywood blockbuster "Happy Gilmore" doesn't come close to the storybook achievements of Kim Jong-il, the late North Korean leader who died last month. North Korean legend has it that, on his maiden round, the country's No. 1 man blew away even the earthly brilliance of golf greats Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as he carded, wait for it, 11 holes-in-one. Now, the scene of "Dear Leader" Kim's astonishing feat has been opened up to an entirely different field...

 Kim Jong-nam Says N.Korean Regime Won't Last Long Kim Jong-nam Former North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il's eldest son Jong-nam has said the isolated regime will eventually fail with or without reforms. The comment appears in e-mail conversations exchanged over seven years between Kim Jong-nam and a Japanese journalist and obtained by the Monthly Chosun. The nearly 100 e-mails were sent from 2004 until December last year to Yoji Komi, an editor at the Tokyo Shimbun daily. The two also spoke in person in January and May last year. ◆ Oppostion to Dynastic Succession Kim Jong-nam, who was passed over...

Kim Jong-nam Resurfaces in Beijing Former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's eldest son Kim Jong-nam has resurfaced in Beijing a month after his father's death. He was spotted by South Koreans including Park Seung-jun, a professor of Chinese Language and Literature at Incheon University, waiting at Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport for an Air China flight to Macau on Saturday afternoon. Kim Jong-nam was wearing a padded navy blue jacket, jeans and a light-blue baseball cap. He was alone. Witnesses spotted Kim in the Air China business lounge searching the Internet on a computer. Asked if he had...

Harsh Punishments for Poor Mourning The North Korean authorities have completed the criticism sessions which began after the mourning period for Kim Jong Il and begun to punish those who transgressed during the highly orchestrated mourning events. Daily NK learned from a source from North Hamkyung Province on January 10th, “The authorities are handing down at least six months in a labor-training camp to anybody who didn’t participate in the organized gatherings during the mourning period, or who did participate but didn’t cry and didn't seem genuine.” Furthermore, the source added that people who are accused of circulating rumors criticizing...

Well, it is a slow news day, so we focus on the patently absurd, such as this news out of Interfax confirming that TheOnion can now close up shop as reality is far, far better. From Interfax: "North Korean citizens, who did not take part in the mourning ceremonies for the country’s late Leader Kim Jong-il, are facing up to six months in labor camps, Interfax reported January 11. According to the South Korean media sources, “People’s Courts” took place all over the country starting December 29 to condemn those who did not show enough emotion after the death...

Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012 Kim's eldest son dishes dirt in upcoming book Kyodo Kim Jong Nam, the late Kim Jong Il's eldest son, provides his own frank account of North Korea's "Dear Leader" in a book that will hit stores Jan. 20, including his reluctance to let any of his sons take power, an editor at publisher Bungei Shunju Co. said. The book by Yoji Gomi, a senior staff writer for the Tokyo Shimbun daily, is based on his extensive interviews with Kim Jong Nam and email exchanges between them, the editor said Friday. In an email in January after...

If you found yourself panicked that the highly acclaimed and inexplicably entertaining “Kim Jong Il Looking at Things” blog would become defunct after the Dear Leader’s recent death, fear no more. North Korea has a new leader, but more importantly, North Korea has a new person who likes to look at things. Although you can continue to enjoy images of the Dear Leader posted posthumously on the original blog, the site dedicated to his successor proves quite promising. Recent entries feature new images which, according to the Daily Mail, were taken during a tour of a military camp and released...

Did you know that North Korea has its own website? Interestingly enough, it's not hosted in North Korea and it's not even registered to anyone there. It’s hosted in Spain and registered to some Spanish dude named Jesus Pinazo. From the front page of the website (http://www.korea-dpr.com), I clicked through to a link memorializing the 'Great Leader'. While condolences came in from such likely places as the Swiss Juche Idea Study Group, the Polish Youth Communism Organization, and New Dawn Magazine in Australia, there were also a number of individuals (including some Americans) who expressed their sadness at the passing...

No Hats, No Scarves, No Gloves! By Lee Seok Young [2012-01-03 10:23 ] Daily NK has received information confirming the level of stage management that went into the memorial service for Kim Jong Il on December 28th in Pyongyang. A source from the city told Daily NK on January 2nd, “The day before the event sending off comrade Kim Jong Il, heads of people’s units told us that ‘comrade Kim Jong Eun will also be escorting the General’s hearse bare-handed’ and conveyed a list of important instructions.” According to the source, the authorities were intending to make sure that mourners...

North Korea’s ‘Mourners’: Dehumanized By Communism Posted 12/28/2011 07:03 PM ET Totalitarianism: The world witnessed a grotesque spectacle Tuesday as millions of North Koreans mourned the death of the world's most odious dictator. It's a classic demonstration of the dehumanization of communism. In the free world, tears would never be shed for a monster like Kim Jong Il, the megalomaniac who ruled North Korea with an iron fist for 17 years, leaving a legacy of man-made famine, a network of Gulag prison camps for free thinkers, and bone-grinding poverty for workers unlike any other place on earth. But in a...

Kim Jong-il's Death Is a Blessing Kim Jong-il's death may be seen as having increased uncertainties in North Korea, but I think the exact opposite is true. The uncertainties in the North have stemmed primarily from Kim's self-obsession and obstinacy. North Korea's elite all seem to view reforms as the only way for the country to survive, but Kim executed anyone who dared to say so. Strained ties with South Korea are also due to the idiotic choices Kim made without going through a rational process of discussion and decision-making. As a result, his death has eliminated a measure of...

Police to probe Czech communist party leader’s condolences to North Korea 28-12-2011 16:11 | Jan Richter The Czech police will investigate whether the Czech communist party leader broke the law when he sent condolences on the death of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. In his letter, Czech communist party chair Vojtěch Filip said, among other things, that the late North Korean dictator sacrificed himself for the well-being of his people. Thousands of people lined the streets of the North Korean capital Pyongyang on Wednesday to salute their late leader Kim Jong-Il who passed away earlier this month. It was...

North Korea said Sunday in its annual New Year's message that it will stage an all-out drive toward prosperity, with its army, ruling party and people ready to defend Kim Jong Il's young son and successor "unto death." The North's message, released by the official Korean Central News Agency, comes as the country enters a new era, with Kim Jong Un firmly installed as Supreme Commander of the military and ruling party leader following his father's Dec. 17 death. This year also marks a crucial one in the North's history as it works on its goal to build a "great...

N. Korea to issue gold, silver coins in honor of late leader 2011-12-31 10:37 North Korea said Saturday it will issue gold and silver coins to mark the 20th anniversary of late leader Kim Jong-il's ascension to the supreme commander of the communist nation's armed forces. Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency made the announcement minutes after Kim's successor son, Jong-un, took over the supreme commandership in a strong sign that the young son, believed to be in his late 20s, is rapidly solidifying power. The commandership is one of the titles that the late leader held before his death on...

Kim Jong Un, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and supreme leader of the party, state and army, Tuesday visited again the bier of leader Kim Jong Il and expressed profound condolences. Overcome with the bitterest grief, Kim Jong Un, together with senior officials of the party, state and armed forces organs, paid silent tribute to his bier, praying for his immortality, and looked round it. Standing vigil by the side of the bier, Kim Jong Un greeted people of different social standings including representatives of various provinces visiting there to express condolences over...

Kim Jong-Il was born Yuri Irsenovich Kim. His official biography states that he was born on a sacred mountain (Baekdu Mountain, the legendary birthplace of Korea’s first kingdom) on February 16, 1942, where his father was serving in a secret military base, attempting to overthrow the Japanese. Further, it states that his birth was marked by a double rainbow over the mountain, a new star appearing in the sky, and, before his birth, a swallow foretold his coming. Besides the obvious parts of this that aren’t true, he also was not born on Baekdu Mountain in 1942, but rather was...

Towering hypocrisy right to the end... A number of news reports coming out of North Korea today purport the American-looking cars at the head of the Kim Jong Il funeral procession to be 'Russian limos'... but the first point of note would be that such cars were only manufactured in the Soviet era: the GAZ Chaika has been out of production for decades, and ZiL only recently made/restored a single old-style limousine to custom Kremlin order- an open parade-car looking nothing like the car above. And as one personally familiar with all these designs (have touched and sat in every type...

Link is to Japanese from original South Korean source. First, and turning prematurely green, an obligatory picture of assailant (patent liar of the evening Korean Central TV out of Pyongyang for many years), tasked with emotionally reporting specifically on Kim Jong il, missile launches, underground nuke tests, heightened military alerts and the like, and now -- conceivably, on issues relating to Kim Jong Un. Secondly, her recent five-star performance wearing black mourning Korean "hanbok", telling the world that the Beloved Dear Chia Pet was no longer with us--a real tear jerker /sarc.

Report: Eldest son of Kim Jong Il in China Published: Dec. 27, 2011 at 8:21 AM PYONGYANG, North Korea, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- China is giving protection to the eldest son of North Korea's departed leader Kim Jong Il, a source told South Korea's Yonhap News Agency. Kim Jong Nam reached China recently as North Korean authorities prepared for Wednesday's state funeral of his father, who died Dec. 17, the report said. Kim Jong Nam arrived in Beijing from the Macau and was "been placed under the Chinese protection," the source, described as being familiar with the son's activities, told...

/begin my translation [Kim Jong-il's Death] Japanese Female Magician "Not to Attend the N. Korean Funeral" 2011-12-27 09:31:00 A female Japanese magician, who was a close acquaintance of N. Korean leader Kim Jong-il, decided not to attend his funeral, her agent conveyed on Dec. 26. In a statement, the magician Princess Tenko(天功, age:51) said, "Considering all circumstances, I decided not to attend the public event." N. Korea invited her to Kim's funeral which is to be held on Dec. 28. Tenko, a world-renowned female magician, was invited by N. Korea to perform in 1998 and 2000, and also attended Kim...