N Korea general jokes about Bush (N Korea commits to smiles by 2012)

News24 (South Africa) ^ | 8 May 2007 | News24

[Cornpone]

Seoul - A North Korean general cracked a joke about US President George W Bush at the start of military talks on Tuesday with South Korea that takes aim at president's unpopularity for being mired in the Iraq war and other issues.

"I read a political joke, called 'Saving the President,' on a US internet site a while ago," Lieutenant General Kim Yong Chol told his South Korean counterpart as they opened three days of meetings at the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Koreas, according to pool reports.

"US President Bush, distressed by the Iraq issue, Iran, the Afghanistan issue and the Korean peninsula nuclear issue, went on a morning jog," Kim began, telling the joke of Bush narrowly avoiding being hit by a car while running by high school students who grab his arm to save him.

As told by Kim, the grateful Bush asks one student if he can do anything in return, and the student asks to go to a US military academy and be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Asked why, the student says his parents would kill him if they knew he saved Bush.

Kim's South Korean counterpart, Major General Jeong Seung-jo, told Kim that he believes the existence of such a joke about Bush means the United States is an advanced democracy, saying such jokes are banned in many countries.

North Korea is one of those countries and tolerates no criticism of leader Kim Jong Il, who rules the nation's poverty-stricken 23-million population with a strong cult of personality. Access to outside media such as the web is also strictly limited only to the top elite.

The two Koreas are holding three days of military talks until Thursday aimed at agreeing on security arrangements for historic test runs of trains across their heavily fortified border.

[2ndDivisionVet]

I thoroughly enjoyed my two tours in the ROK (Republic of Korea aka South Korea). Hard-working, hard-drinking and tough people. If you ever get a chance to visit, do so: Beautiful place!

[Cornpone]

If you ever get a chance to visit, do so: Beautiful place!

Been there, done that, had a great time!

[don-o]

Your people are eating grass and tree bark. Yuk it up, hairball.

[Hoosiersailor]

I’m currently on my first tour in South Korea. It is a great country to visit. The only thing I don’t like here is the driving skills of Koreans.

[2ndDivisionVet]

What driving skills? I seem to remember my taxi drivers being up on the sidewalks, missing other cars & buses by inches, acting like they were at a NASCAR race and weaving and bobbing thru traffic (and those were the good ones). Do they still drive Hyundai Ponys with the choke on the dashboard? LOL

[teeman8r]

what a great retort... sort of in your face kimmy ill... have you seen team america???

hahahahahaha

sticks and stones may break my bones, but apparently it makes up your country’s nutrition pyramid.

teeman

[Mr. K]

"I read a political joke, called 'Saving the President,' on a US internet site a while ago,"

While all his people collectively said "What means this 'in-ter-net"??

[Mr. K]

you should see how they drive in The Phillippines~!!!!

OMG I didnt know whether to laff my a$$ off or cling to the seat in mortal fear.

The object of driving in PI is that everyone has to get in front of everyone else. Amazingly there are not even fender benders every 3 feet.

[Dilbert56]

As opposed to Dear Leader, who is a joke.

[Dilbert56]

As opposed to Dear Leader, who is a joke.

[Americanexpat]

I have driven in most of the big cities in the states, Panama City, Qatar, Amman, Jordan, Bangkok, Saigon and Mexico. I thought Kuwait City was the worst, then I went to Baghdad and there I learned real defensive driving. Traffic signs and lights do not mean much, and where else can you drive down the road and have an occasional gunfight with some one chasing you or cutting you off. Then if you are having a real bad day you can play bumper cars with a suicide bomber. Then there are the surprise check points, Amer cans are not too bad because they are easy to spot. The Iraqi government check points are worse because sometimes the terrorists or criminals set up check points to rob, murder or kidnap victims. Driving in rush hour is really frustrating because if the traffic backs up suddenly a four lane highway becomes six or eight lanes.
And you constantly alert for people that approaching your vehicle and your looking for signs he is carrying a bomb and or weapon.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

"I read a political joke, called 'Saving the President,' on a US internet site a while ago," Lieutenant General Kim Yong Chol told his South Korean counterpart as they opened three days of meetings at the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Koreas, according to pool reports.

Hmmmm....more confirmation that the enemy pays very close attention to what is said on U.S. political websites. I wonder if this fellow is a FReeper?

[jmc813]

As told by Kim, the grateful Bush asks one student if he can do anything in return, and the student asks to go to a US military academy and be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Asked why, the student says his parents would kill him if they knew he saved Bush.

I don't get it.

[Enchante]

Yeah, North Korea is one of those hellholes where they can only joke about other countries’ leaders, but dare not ever breath a hint of dissatisfaction with their own.

Someone should have come back with “that’s nice, but I love Team America and the way they take out that nasty little troll of a dictator called Kim Jong-ILL”........

http://www.teamamerica.com/

[Question Liberal Authority]

The joke is funnier when you’re starving to death.

[Always Independent]

I survived Angelus city! No Jeepney!

[Mr. K]

The jeepneys were fun. The driver is called ‘admiral’. I barely fit inside (I am 6’4” 220) and everyone was always staring at me.