Kim Jong Un

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S. Korea's Former First Lady Meets Kim Jong Un

Heads one of two private mourning delegations from Seoul

(Newser) - South Korea's 89-year-old former first lady is in Pyongyang meeting with the North's new 20-something "Supreme Commander," reports the BBC . Lee Hee-Ho, the wife of late President Kim Dae-Jung, headed one of two delegations South Korea allowed to visit Pyongyang to pay respects to Kim's...

Kim's Older Brother Placed 'Under Chinese Protection'

...as Kim Jong Un is elevated to head of the ruling party

(Newser) - North Korea today awarded Kim Jong Un yet another title—he's now the head of the ruling Workers’ Party. But for his brother, no such accolades. South Korea's Yonhap news agency today reported on the whereabouts of Kim Jong Il's oldest son, Kim Jong Nam: He apparently...

N. Korea Signals Rise of Kim's Uncle

Jang Song Thaek appears in public dressed as general

(Newser) - Pyongyang was busily hailing Kim Jong Un as its "Supreme Commander" yesterday, but today's spotlight in the who's-running-North-Korea spectacle is on Kim's uncle, Jang Song Thaek, reports Reuters . Seems official state media are running photos of Jang dressed as a general, in what many are interpreting...

Are North Korea's Elite Defecting?

Reports from South Korea say some senior officials don't want to go home

(Newser) - In Kim Jong Il's death, an opportunity to escape? Maybe. Reports out of South Korea say that members of the country's elite appear to be defecting—or considering it. "Many ranking North Korean officials in China are refusing to return after being summoned to North Korea,"...

Kim Jong Un Now Country's 'Supreme Commander'

State-run media vows to uphold him as such

(Newser) - Kim Jong Un isn't just North Korea's "Outstanding Leader" —he's now also the "Supreme Commander" of its military. He was hailed as such by the ruling party newspaper, which urged Kim to lead the country to "eternal victory." "We declare from...

North Commands South: Show Respect to Kim Jong Il

North Korea warns neighbor: Allow citizens to attend funeral

(Newser) - Kim Jong Il’s death is leading to more tension between the Koreas: North Korea warned its neighbor today that it must “show proper respect” over Kim’s death by allowing citizens to attend his funeral. The statement accused South Korea of “insult and mockery” because it expressed...

Time for a New Approach to a New North Korea
Time for a New Approach
to a New North Korea
Nicholas Kristof

Time for a New Approach to a New North Korea

Forget isolation, let's try outreach: Nicholas Kristof

(Newser) - North Korea's change in leadership provides the US a chance to rethink its Pyongyang strategy, which might actually be backfiring, writes Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times . Our sanctions have isolated the country, but that isolation has helped the Kims keep their grip on power. And in a...

Let the Kim Jong Un Mythmaking Begin!

He was born of heaven, naturally

(Newser) - Considering nature basically exploded at the passing of Kim Jong Il—at least, as reported by the state-run Korean Central News Agency—it shouldn't be too shocking to hear that the mythmaking for Kim Jong Un has already begun. The AP reports that a newspaper editorial calls him "...

Does Shared Power Loom in N. Korea?

Intelligence experts debate whether new arrangement only transitional

(Newser) - After six-plus decades of the Kim family's ironclad dictatorship, North Korea's opaque leadership structure could be changing: Kim Jong Un is so young and untested that he will be forced to govern as part of a collective group, to include his uncle Jang Song-thaek and the military, reports...

Kim Jong Un Emerges, as Does His Dad

Support from military, media shows transition on track

(Newser) - Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance today since the death of his father, paying his respects at the Pyongyang mausoleum where Kim Jong Il lies in state in a glass coffin, reports the New York Times . The younger Kim was accompanied by senior party and military officials, while...

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Studied in Switzerland

 So Just Who Is 
 Kim Jong Un? 

So Just Who Is Kim Jong Un?

North Korea's heir apparent likes James Bond and Michael Jordan

(Newser) - Not much is known about Kim Jong Un besides his outfit, his haircut, and his resemblance to his father. Partly that's because information out of North Korea (like Kim Jong Il's alleged ability to control the weather ) is best taken with a little salt, NPR reports. But...

Poverty, Isolation, Nukes&mdash; What Kim Leaves Behind
 Poverty, Isolation, Nukes— 
 What Kim Leaves Behind 
Assessing a Legacy

Poverty, Isolation, Nukes— What Kim Leaves Behind

Kim Jong Un inherits 'worst legacy' of Cold War, says Guardian

(Newser) - Diplomatically isolated and economically broken, with massive political prisons and perhaps the worst human rights record in the world—oh, and nuclear weapons—that's the North Korean legacy that Kim Jong Il has left for son Kim Jong Un , reports the Guardian . Born on the revered Mt. Baekdu, accompanied...

North Koreans Told to Back Kim's Son

Nation urged to rally behind 20-something Kim Jong Un

(Newser) - With the "Dear Leader" dead , North Koreans are being urged to follow the "Respectable Comrade"—Kim Jong Il's third son, who was unveiled as his successor last year . A broadcast on state-run media said the country's people "must faithfully revere respectable comrade Kim Jong...

Kim Jong Il Dead at 69
 Kim Jong Il Dead at 69 

Kim Jong Il Dead at 69

North Korean leader died from heart failure, state media says

(Newser) - Kim Jong Il, North Korea's mercurial and enigmatic leader, has died at the age of 69, according to state television. His death was was announced today by a tearful announcer in black who said he had died from physical and mental over-work while on a train trip to a...

Seoul to Troops: Stop Using Kim Pics for Target Practice

Cadets will be told to stop defacing images

(Newser) - In North Korea, images of Kim Jong Il and heir apparent are treated as holy icons. In the South, soldiers use them for target practice. Or at least they did until local media showed them doing so. Now Seoul has ordered cadets to stop decorating their rifle ranges with the...

N. Korea&#39;s Prison Camps Burgeoning, Now Hold 200K
N. Korea's Prison Camps Burgeoning, Now Hold 200K
SAYS AMNESTY

N. Korea's Prison Camps Burgeoning, Now Hold 200K

Amnesty International points to satellite images, witness testimony

(Newser) - Satellite images of North Korea's political prisoner camps show they are getting bigger, says Amnesty International. (See the photos here .) The rights group compared images of four camps from 2001 and found a "significant increase in the scale of the camps," reports the BBC . Amnesty estimates...

N. Korea on Kim's Birthday: Let People Eat, Um, Nothing

Dear Leader parties; no 'gifts' for Koreans

(Newser) - North Korea held its usual lavish celebration to mark Kim Jong Il’s 69th birthday today—even though the desperately poor country couldn’t afford to hand out its usual “birthday gift” of food rations to the people. In one northeastern province, even ruling party officials haven’t gotten...

Isolated and Destitute, North Korea Limps On
Isolated and Destitute,
North Korea Limps On
VIEW FROM PYONGYANG

Isolated and Destitute, North Korea Limps On

Reporters granted rare visit with Richardson

(Newser) - North Korea has a deadline: For years, it's promised that an age of prosperity will begin in 2012, the 100th anniversary of Kim Il-Sung's birth. With 18 months to go, two journalists accompanying Bill Richardson on an unprecedented trip to North Korea found that the government will be hard-pressed to...

Sabotage? Derailed Train Carried Gifts for Kim Jong Un

Seoul radio cites suspicion of foul play

(Newser) - A train full of birthday presents en route to North Korea’s heir derailed this month—but was it a simple accident, or sabotage? A South Korean radio station that often cites Northern sources reports that a train departing from Sinuiju and headed for Pyongyang derailed on Dec. 11, creating...

N. Korea Warns of More Strikes
 N. Korea Warns of More Strikes 

N. Korea Warns of More Strikes

North says US to blame for attack on South

(Newser) - North Korea has warned it will attack the South again if it carries out any "reckless military provocations." The statement from a North Korean military delegation—which promised "second and third strong physical retaliations without hesitation"—didn't specifically mention the US-South Korea joint military exercises set...

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