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NEWS ABOUT: Kim Jong Il

Pyongyang May Be Too Poor to Pickle Kim

Unlike his father, late leader likely to be buried

(Newser) - Kim Jong Il is currently lying in state in Pyongyang, but North Koreans may not have much longer to view him: A shortage of skills and cold hard cash means the late Dear Leader will likely be buried instead of being preserved for display like his father, Kim Il Sung,... More »

Lesson From Kim's Death: Our North Korea Intel Stinks

Little known about Pyongyang's leadership, moves

(Newser) - Kim Jong Il reportedly died on a train at 8:30am on Saturday. Guess when American and South Korean officials learned about it? Some 51 hours later, from North Korea's own media reports. Though we have spy planes and satellites trained on the country, we intercepted no phone calls... More »

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... More »

Oops: Perry Botches Kim Jong Il's Name

Candidate repeats Bush blunder on Kim Jong 'the Second'

(Newser) - It's an easy mistake to make, but looks like Rick Perry's campaign was the only one to make it. An email from the Perry campaign yesterday about the death of Kim Jong Il repeatedly referred to the late North Korean leader as Kim Jong the Second. The upper-case... More »

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... More »

World Reacts Warily to Death of Kim Jong Il

Leaders call for peace, security, engagement with world

(Newser) - With the death of Kim Jong Il , the world is reacting cautiously, hoping it might improve the situation in North Korea but also wary of the potential for danger, reports the AP . British Foreign Secretary William Hague said "this could be a turning point for North Korea," calling... More »

Weird Facts About Kim Jong Il

World's greatest golfer was particular about his rice

(Newser) - As the obituaries of Kim Jong Il pour in, it's hard to miss the fact that he was a profoundly weird guy. The Daily Mirror lists 17 bizarre tidbits about him:
  • A former chef said staff had to make sure the grains of rice he ate were the same
... More »

North Koreans Mourn 'Dear Leader'

Weeping crowds fill streets of Pyongyang

(Newser) - North Korea's propaganda machine gave Kim Jong Il the status of a demigod—one that the totalitarian state is now mourning. Video aired on Chinese TV shows throngs of people in Pyongyang weeping at news of the leader's sudden death , reports Reuters , and state TV reports that people... More »

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... More »

North Korea Test-Fires Missile

In event that probably has nothing to do with Kim Jong Il's death

(Newser) - North Korea raised some eyebrows this morning by test-firing a short-range missile into the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reports. The test garnered extra attention because it came just hours after the death of Kim Jong Il , but South Korean officials tell the AP... More »

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... More »

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... More »

Kim Jong Il Enjoys 'Fun Trip' to Russia

It's trains, yachts, and limos for North Korea's aerophobic leader

(Newser) - So what did the Kim Jong Il think of his multi-day journey from Pyongyang to a small Siberian town on a custom-built, armor-plated train to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev? "We're having a fun trip," said the aerophobic North Korean leader. In his first visit to... More »

Kim Jong Il in Russia, Seeking Aid

Korean will meet with Medvedev on weeklong visit

(AP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il arrived in Russia's Far East today and will meet with President Dmitry Medvedev during a visit expected to last a week, the Kremlin said. It is Kim's first trip to the country in nine years and a further sign of Pyongyang's... More »

North Korea Shuts Down Universities for 10 Months

Students will be sent to work on building projects: report

(Newser) - School's out in North Korea, but not just for summer. Universities will be shut down until next April and students will be sent to work on construction projects in major cities, reports the Telegraph . Only those close to graduating and foreign students will be allowed to continue classes. The... More »

Oops: S. Korea Fires at Passenger Jet

Mistakes Asiana Air plane for N. Korean military plane, misses completely

(Newser) - In a sign of how twitchy things are getting on the Korean border, South Korean troops yesterday fired at a commercial plane carrying 119 people, mistaking the Asiana Airlines jet for one belonging to North Korea's military. Fortunately, they missed entirely and the plane landed without incident. "The... More »

North Korea Is 2nd-Happiest Nation: North Korea

America, of course, is dead last

(Newser) - A new highly credible study from the North Korean government has discovered that it is—surprise!—the second-happiest nation on Earth, behind only China, according to the Shanghaiist . Apparently starvation, poverty, and rampant oppression didn’t stop the nation from earning 98 out of 100 happiness points, behind China’... More »

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... More »

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... More »

Jimmy Carter Heads to North Korea

With other ex-leaders, former president aims to restart official talks

(Newser) - Jimmy Carter and three European ex-leaders are bound for North Korea and will arrive tomorrow in an attempt to resume an official dialogue, which "appears to be at a standstill," the former president said. Carter and the former heads of Finland, Norway, and Ireland—all members of a... More »

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