stupid american
North Korea – A Brief History
Leave a Comment
There is a wall I hit every day that I’m really learning something. It happens right when I have gotten just enough information to see the depth of what I don’t know. And with North Korea, it’s a big wall. Hence the learn one new thing. I’m trying to avoid being overwhelmed. I just want to be… whelmed.
Korea was one whole country for ages and ages until the 19th century when it was taken over by Japan. The worst part of this was 1910-1945 when it was annexed by Tokyo, and Korean culture and language were suppressed. When Japan was defeated in WWII, the US occupied the southern half of the country, and Soviet forces moved into the northern half.
Because of the differences in governing styles, irreparable damage was done to the link between the two halves of the country. When Kim Il-sung came to power, he focused on strengthening the military, and eventually attempted to “liberate” the south by imposing Soviet values. Thus the Korean War.
Under Kim Il-sung, North Korea drew further from Western countries, and became a strongly militarized state, to the detriment of the economy. As the world changed and communism fell in Europe and Russia, North Korea lost trading partners. A lot of people fled to China.
The past fifteen years have seen Kim Il-sung’s son rise to power, consistence in military strength, and the beginning of a threatening nuclear program. More on all that later.
As always, BBC makes me understand other countries better.
Kim Jong-il
Leave a Comment
I decided to take a break from Israel-Palestine and try to learn something about someone no one really seems to know about?
Kim Jong-il (or Jong Il) is the leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. He steers clear of the media, and many rumors about his lucidity and health have circulated, but here is what I know for sure.
He is referred to as “Great Leader” or “Dear Leader” by North Koreans, and was named successor to his father, Kim Il-sung, in 1980. It was 11 years after that when he first assumed a position of real power, controlling the armed forces.
Kim Jong-il assumed his position of supreme power when his father died in 1994. In 1998 the Supreme Peoples’ Assembly declared his position the highest office of state.
But the fun stuff is all the rumors. He has been called a playboy, a hypochondriac, and… a movie buff? On a more serious note, he is accused of being linked to some serious terrorist action. But the best one is that there are people who believe that he died in 2003 of a diabetic attack and that impostors have been negotiating in his stead for the past five years.
But don’t let all that throw you off. Madeleine Albright who met with him said he was well-informed and on top of his brief, if not always logical in his arguments.
Tomorrow: North Korea, nuclear policy, and humanitarian issues.
As always, I must thank the ever-faithful BBC News, some other non-American medium(haha), and Wikipedia just for being there.
Fun fact of the day: gastronomyis the science of good eating, practiced by gastromonists or, more commonly, gastronomes. Um, Kim Jong-il is one.
stupid american 