I'm sure they are adorable, but....
"North Korean first lady revealed" by Chico Harlan | The Washington Post, July 26, 2012
TOKYO — North Korean state media disclosed Wednesday that leader Kim Jong Un is married, a startling announcement in a country that has long kept its first ladies nearly invisible.
The revelation ends weeks of speculation about the identity of a slender woman with a stylish bob who had accompanied Kim during several recent public appearances....
The emergence of a wife for the young leader ends a four-decade period in which significant others of the ruling Kim family were kept almost entirely behind the scenes. The North’s willingness to give Ri a higher profile adds to evidence that Kim, appointed just seven months ago as North Korea’s leader, is trying to create a more personable image than that of his dour, reclusive father....
Despite official efforts to cultivate a warm image of Kim, the young leader oversees one of the world’s most cold-blooded states: The government funnels its money to weapons, provides scant food for its people, and punishes any critics of the status quo.
They resemble AmeriKa!
Kim could still emerge as a reformer, analysts say. But since Kim Jong Il’s death in December, there has been no clear evidence of improvements in the country. Instead, Kim has rapidly consolidated his power, assuming a series of supreme positions that place him atop every important military and Workers’ Party organ and cracking down on North Koreans who try to flee.
A report on Kim’s succession, released Wednesday by the International Crisis Group, described the heir’s stable rise to power and noted that he could rule for decades, in part because of his personality.
“In the short term, his image is likely welcome in a country where most people are fatigued from mass mobilization campaigns . . . and chronic insecurity,” the report said. “Kim projects an image of confidence and hope, but economic recovery requires policy change, and there is no sign the regime intends to vary its economic development strategy.”
They do resemble AmeriKa!
The differences between father and son, for now, remain more a matter of style.
That's the AmeriKan politics we all know and love!
Kim Jong Il conducted his love life almost entirely out of the public view. According to “Kim Jong Il: North Korea’s Dear Leader,” a book by Michael Breen, Kim fathered his first child with a movie star, Sung Hae Rim. The two lived in lavish, remote villas and gave their son, Kim Jong Nam, a playroom restocked each year by gift-purchase teams operating overseas. But Kim’s relationship with Sung was “the best-kept secret in the country,” Breen wrote, and it is unclear whether the two were ever married.
At the wishes of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il later married the daughter of a military officer, Kim Young Sook. He then had at least one more relationship, with a Japanese-born Korean, Ko Young Hee, who gave birth to two more children — Kim Jong Chul and Kim Jong Un.
Kim Jong Un is part Japanese?
--more--"
Oh, she is cute!
"N. Korea leader caps busy 2 weeks" Associated Press, July 28, 2012
PANMUNJOM — Elderly North Korean veterans pledged loyalty to their 20-something leader during Korean War armistice commemorations Friday that were being closely watched after Kim Jong Un reshuffled the military and revealed he’s married.
Over the last two weeks, Kim has taken on the title of marshal and replaced his army chief — once a key mentor. Both moves were seen as an effort to build loyalty among the armed forces and solidify his credentials as commander.
He sure is acting like a U.S. president. Well, without the invasions and such.
North Korea also revealed Wednesday that the stylish woman at Kim’s side in some public appearances this month is his wife.
Images of her walking with Kim were choreographed to show the leader as modern, mature, and down-to-earth, analysts said.
Whose handling his p.r.?
--more--"
What never made my printed pages:
"Daughter of late South Korean leader eyes presidency" Associated Press, July 10, 2012
SEOUL —The eldest daughter of a late South Korean president has declared her presidential bid by promising to try to promote peace with North Korea.
Now I'm not surprised it never made my printed paper.
A former leader of the conservative ruling Saenuri Party, Park Geun Hye is the front-runner in surveys ahead of December’s presidential elections. If elected, she would be the nation’s first female president.
Her father, Park Chung Hee, ruled South Korea for 18 years with an iron fist until he was assassinated by his intelligence chief in 1979. But his supporters respected him for leading South Korea’s meteoric economic rise from the ashes of the 1950-53 Korean War.
Why do I think the CIA was involved somehow?
Park Geun Hye, 60, told supporters Tuesday she would focus on establishing trust with North Korea and defusing tension on Pyongyang’s nuclear program if she becomes president.
Looks like another job for Diebold voting machines.
Bloomberg News reported that she will compete with other lawmakers in the ruling New Frontier Party for the nomination in the Aug. 20 party primary.
The party in April retained control of Parliament in an upset win that Park engineered, and that gives the New Frontier candidate momentum heading into the presidential race. President Lee Myung Bak is barred by law from seeking reelection, and his successor faces pressure to raise wages and increase welfare spending.
Park said the two Koreas can cooperate on issues including education and climate change.
--more--"
Think I'll park this post right here.
