A daily miasma of frivolity by two wanna-be cultural critics. Or: just, like, some good links, dude.

Tag Archives: North Korea

Jan 25 2013
Mark Twain, probably

U.N. Security Council slams North Korea, expands sanctions

U.N. Security Council slams North Korea, expands sanctions

Richard Roth reporting for CNN:

The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted on Tuesday a resolution condemning North Korea’s recent rocket launch and expanding existing U.N. sanctions.

…

In December, North Korea angered many in the international community by launching a long-range rocket that appeared to put a satellite in orbit, a breakthrough for the reclusive, nuclear-equipped state.

…

Many nations, such as the United States and South Korea, considered the rocket launch to be a cover for testing ballistic missile technology. Pyongyang has insisted its aim was to place a scientific satellite in space “for peaceful purposes.”

Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was President Jimmy Carter’s National Security Advisor, pointed out on yesterday’s episode of PBS Newshour that this resolution and the sanctions are rather noteworthy in that they were passed unanimously by the U.N. Security Council. This means that both China and Russia were in favor of the moves, which are not at all givens when it comes to dealing with North Korea.

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Jun 11 2012
Mark Twain, probably

Jacky Chen of Reuters took this photo, which was posted on MSNBC’s PhotoBlog. It shows musicians performing in a field in North Korea.

There is probably some ultrahorrible context behind this photo, but I love the visual. Plus, with six singers, drums, an accordion, and an amp, how can you go wrong?

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Jan 18 2012
Mark Twain, probably

Harsh Punishments for Poor Mourning of Kim Jong-Il

Harsh Punishments for Poor Mourning of Kim Jong-Il

Choi Song Min for the South Korean online newspaper The Daily NK:

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.”

The ichbinschockiertundgleichzeitignochnichtschockiertüberhaupt tag doesn’t apply here because no one on the planet will actually be shocked by this.

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Jul 22 2011
Mark Twain, probably

The flood photo that isn’t

The flood photo that isn’t

Interesting piece by Myo-ja Ser for the Korea JoongAng Daily that covers photo manipulation, North Korea, and wire service operations:

The Associated Press has withdrawn a photo depicting flooding in North Korea, released recently by the reclusive communist country’s news service, claiming that signs of digital manipulation were detected.

The American news wire agency transmitted the photo to its members and customers on Saturday. “In this photo taken Friday, July 15, 2011, and released Saturday July 16, 2011, by the Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service, residents wade through a flooded street in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea said heavy rains flooded farmland, destroyed homes and caused some deaths,” the AP said in the caption. 

The Korean Central News Agency is a state-run mouthpiece of the North. 

The day after the photo’s release, the AP issued a “kill notice” to tell subscribers that AP decided to withdraw the photo and no longer stood by it. 

“The content of this image has been digitally altered and does not accurately reflect the scene,” AP said in the kill notice. “No other version of the photo is available.” 

I love the idea of the AP giving a KILL NOTICE. I’m imagining someone at a control panel hitting a giant red button that causes the lights to dim and klaxons to go off.

The linked piece includes the photo with the questionable parts highlighted. Do check it out.

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Apr 08 2011
Mark Twain, probably

On the Origin of Kimilsungia

On the Origin of Kimilsungia

As told by the current Supreme Leader of North Korea in 2005:

When we approached a display in a greenhouse of the botanical garden, Sukarno took a pot of flowers from the director of the botanical garden, and asked President Kim Il Sung how he liked the flowers. The director explained that it was a variety of the orchid family a famous florist of the garden had bred after long, painstaking research, and it was a peculiar flower in that it blossomed twice a year, being in bloom for two to three months. After looking at the flower for a while, President Kim Il Sung said that it was very beautiful and expressed thanks to his host for showing him such a fine flower. Then, Sukarno said sincerely that he wanted the flower to be named after President Kim Il Sung. The director of the botanical garden, too, expressed his wish to call it Kimilsungia. President Kim Il Sung gently declined their suggestion, saying that he had done nothing so special and that there was no need to name a flower after him. Sukarno replied, “No. You have rendered enormous services to mankind, so you deserve a high honour.” He refused to withdraw his request. Back in Jakarta, he repeatedly brought the matter to us. On receiving a report about it, President Kim Il Sung said that if President Sukarno and the Indonesian people wished it so sincerely, he would accept the suggestion as a token of their esteem for our people. This is how a flower named after a great man for the first time in the thousands of years of human history came into the world.

Via MSNBC’s PhotoBlog, which has a photo of a billboard of the flower and another quote that the flower is “blooming everywhere on the five continents.”

There’s also the Kimjongilia for you horticulturalists out there.

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