Free Republic

/begin my translationSister of Kim Jong-il Said To Be In Critical Condition After "A Traffic Accident" A story is emerging, which says that Kim Kyung-hee, the sister of N. Korean leader Kim Jong-il and the Director of Light Industry in (ruling) Worker's Party, had traffic accident and is in critical condition, according to a report of Nihon Geizai Shimbun (of Japan) dispatched from Seoul(, S. Korea.) Credible sources on N. Korean affairs in Seoul said that Kim Kyung-hee's private limo was badly damaged in a traffic accident early last month in Pyongyang. A French medical team was called in. The...

/being my translation The Summary of Recent N. Korean Intel 1. These days, in N. Korea, people watch in secret S. Korean melodrama such as 'Winter Love Song'(my note: aka Winter Sonata also wildly popular in Japan, original name: Kyo-wool-yon-ga) and 'Autumn Fairy Tale.' Videotapes of these dramas are smuggled from China. N. Korean authorities try to crack down on them. However, many party officials watch them, too. Their efforts have been hardly successful. Once people watch these dramas, they drastically change people's mind. 2. Recently, it is common that N. Korean defectors who came to S. Korea call up...

/begin my translation Kim Jong-il's Brother-in-law Jang Sung-thaek under House Arrest The July Issue of Wolgan Chosun reports that the purge is for reining on Jang brothers. Jang Sung-thaek Jang Sung-thaek(age:56), the brother-in-law of N. Korean leader Kim Jong-il and his close confidante, who was the First Vice Director of Organization Supervision Dept(for administration and public security) of N. Korean Worker's Party, was put under house arrest by the order of Kim Jong-il. The July Issue of magazine Wolgan Chosun reported the news on June 17. According to the magazine, S. Korean intelligence agency verified that Jang has been under...