Post-17: 1999 vs. 2013 (Or, a Tale of Two Kim Jong-Euns)

4/8/2013

Two snapshots of Mr. Kim Jong-Eun that I found:

1999:

Kim Jong-Eun in 1999, according to a Japanese newspaper (photo published in 2009, from here).

The Kim Jong-Eun of 1999 was about 15 years old, studying under an alias in Switzerland.

He was a fan of basketball:

He became a different person on the basketball court, according to classmates. “A fiercely competitive player,” said classmate Nikola Kovacevic. “He was very explosive. He could make things happen. He was the playmaker.”

2013:

Kim Jong-Eun and generals inspecting the "Wolnae Islet Defence Detachment" in North Korea

2 Comments

Pam

4/13/2013 02:04:01 am

That is Scary in Itself

These words were spoken by a former U.S. Dept of State employee upon realizing that quirky, unconventional Dennis Rodman knows more personally about Kim Jong Un than any other American. His recent visit in February to North Korea to shoot a segment for the HBO show ” Vice” has captured a lot of attention in the U.S. There are hundreds of links on Google to videos, comments, interviews, etc. I have listed the ones I looked at below.

A few things, some bizarre and maybe stemmed in ignorance, stood out:

1. On Jay Leno’s show, Leno mentions the extreme poverty in N. Korea. Rodman replies that it is “pretty much like any other country.” He goes on to say, “We got the same thing here” [in the U.S.].

2. Rodman says that “once you get to meet him…he’s an alright guy.” Instead of addressing him as “Supreme Leader,” he addressed him as “Yo, Kim!” and the supreme leader didn’t seem to mind in the least. He even invited him to vacation with him in N. Korea in August, which Rodman plans to do.

3. Kim Jong Un, according to Rodman, asked Rodman to have President Obama call him. Rodman told him that the three of them have some common ground: their love of basketball.

4. Rodman seems convinced that N. Korea is not on the verge of a nuclear war. I hope he’s right with that one.

5. Rodman spent time with Kim Jong Un in his home and watching a basketball game. Rodman says his home is more like a fortress than a palace.

6. The New York Times calls Rodman’s visit and aftermath “dangerous foolishness” and says “Rodman’s reckless behavior is not diplomatic.”

There are a lot more tidbits to be gleaned from the many other sources.

The escalating North-South tension seems to be a very giant step backwards toward a hoped-for goal of reunification.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-dennis-rodman-north-korea-kim-jong-un-jay-leno-20130320,0,5924208.story

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-dennis-rodman-kim-jong-un-north-korea-20130304,0,756685.story

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/11/world/asia/north-korea-kim-rodman

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/dennis-rodman-imparts-more-foreign-429991

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/vices-shane-smith-tom-freston-434990

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/03/17/do-celebrity-ambassadors-like-dennis-rodman-make-a-difference/dennis-rodman-reckless-behavior-is-not-diplomatic

Peter

4/13/2013 05:59:19 pm

"The escalating North-South tension seems to be a very giant step backwards toward a hoped-for goal of reunification."

I don't think anyone wants reunification. South Koreans mostly don't -- too costly and too big a cultural gap has developed; North Koreans mostly don't -- they seem to basically believe in their government, and may fear becoming a servant-class for South Korea, a colony of South Korea (and thus a colony of the USA, they'd say). China doesn't, either, as it could put U.S. troops on the Unified-Korea/China border.

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