Something unusual is happening in North Korea. Captain’s Quarters notes that images of Kim Jung Il are being removed in Pyongyang. It seems unlikely that a meglomanaic like Kim Jung Il would relinquish even part of his cult of personality so easily.
Roger L. Simon also finds that anti-regime posters have been spotted in North Korea – something that would be practically unthinkable unless Kim Jung Il’s police state has somehow been weakened. There are also conflicting reports that Kim Jung Il’s honorific titles are being toned down in the North Korea media. A North Korean defector is denying that the situation has any relevance, but something does appear to be happening in the country.
These moves could stem from the death of Kim Jung Il’s longtime consort and mother of his heir apparent Kim Jong-chul.
North Korea is quite possibly the world’s most dire country. Starvation is rampant, with credible reports of families turning to cannibalism to survive circulating in human rights circles. The Stalinist regime of Kim Jung-Il rules North Korea with an iron fist, and the country is engaging in the systematic murder of dissident in Nazi-like concentration camps.
Unfortunately, with the North Korean military able to devastate Seoul before they could be stopped, a military solution is out of the question. The loss of life on both sides and the catastrophic effects to the Asian economy would be unacceptable. With China adding significant troop strength along their Yalu River border with North Korea, the Chinese government is worried about the flow of refugees from the DPRK. Should something catastrophic happen, a Chinese invasion of North Korea remains a strong possibility.
Whatever happens, when the world gets a good look at the living hell that is North Korea it will show just how depraved such a totalitarian society can be. The human cost of Kim Jung Il’s tyrannic reign is beyond imagine.
