Kim Jong-Un film in North Korea

North Korean military has begun showing a film about Kim Jong-Il's son and soon-to-be the new leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-Un. According to DailyNK,  “They have been showing [the soldiers] the documentary film ‘One Year under the Banner of the Supreme Leader’ since the start of September.” According to the soldier that told DailyNK about the film, the documentary begins with an announcer saying "“Following in the footsteps of the General, offering guidance to the troops, comrade General Kim Jong Un delivers a great blow to the enemy with the resourcefulness of his keen insight.” The documentary also shows Kim Jong-Un visiting military bases alone, and mostly shows artillery bases with him in it. Kim Jong-Un is also a great hero "to show modernization and command automation to [the military of North Korea]."


When Kim Jong-Il was seated as the leader of North Korea in 1991, they made a similar 5-part(!) documentary film called "Following under the Banner of the Supreme Leader." Yeahh....


Source :  New Kim Jong Eun Film for the Troops

Wonder Girls Voted Best Mashup Monday

Good news, all you K-Pop fans/Wonder Girls fans out there! 


Wonder Girls have taken the first place in the poll for Best Cover for Mashup Mondays of 2011. They did a cover of B.o.B & Bruno Mars' "Nothin' On You" a few months ago. Wonder Girls got 65% of the internet poll, out of 32 contestants out there. Kudos to you, Wonder Girls fans!
More here : Wonder Girls Voted Best Mashup Monday of 2011: Poll Results

North Korean Assassins on the move?

Here we go again, North Korea doing something you thought you'd see in movies.

Several times in the past weeks, activists against North Korea have been marked for assassination by North Korean agents.... with poison needles.

Three times in recent weeks, activists opposing the government of North Korea's Kim Jong Il have been marked for assassination by well-trained agents wielding poisoned needles, fellow activists allege.
A 46-year-old South Korean pastor named Kim living in Dandong, a Chinese city near the North Korean border, was found unconscious in the street - his face and fingers badly discolored - and died.
The next afternoon in the Chinese city of Yanji, a South Korean involved with missionary work was standing at a traffic light when he felt a pinprick in his lower back. As he collapsed to the sidewalk, he heard a man muttering behind him in Chinese, "Sorry, sorry." He survived the apparent attack.
Initially, the stories about North Korean assassins wielding poisoned needles sounded improbable, but the activists gained some support for their charges this month when South Korean intelligence announced that it had foiled an attack in Seoul in which the intended weapon was a poisoned needle. The target in that case was Park Sung-hak, an activist who had launched balloons into North Korea carrying antigovernment leaflets.

This seems very serious... and we all expected North Korea to consider sinister and extreme methods like assassination. I just didn't think they'd go for poisoned needles... Read more here : North Korea accused of poison attacks on activists

First Korean Adoptee French Senator Elected

Jean-Vincent Placé(43)

A great news for Korean adoptees around the world. Jean-Vincent Placé, a Korean adoptee since he was 7, has been elected to the French Senate for the Green Party. He joined the Green Party in 2001, and rose up to the second highest place in the Party since then. Not only was he the first Korean adoptee to be a senator, but he was also the first Asian-French to be one. Congratulations! 


France has the highest number of Korean adoptees in Europe, around 12,000. 


For more, read here.

The Kimchi Chronicles

I always thought I was the only weird one who likes to eat Kimchi like this. Not anymore!

Ever heard of 'The Kimchi Chronicles'? It actually seems like a popular word of choice. There's the Blog, there's the PBS Documentary, and now there's a Cookbook.

Well actually, the documentary and the cookbook are made by the same awesome kimchi-loving person : Marja Vongerichten. 

N. Korea Kim's family visits a VHS/DVD factory

The Kim family is on a road trip! Kim Jong-Il and his lovely fat son Kim Jong-Un visited Mok-Ran Video Company in Pyongyang last September.

Mok-Ran video company has been producing VHS tapes in North Korea, and has added DVD-producing capability very recently. Welcome to a decade ago, North Korea!

More pictures below, with Kim Jong-Un looking like a supervillain.

Video : Starved N. Korean Soldiers

Here's a video from KBS, one of South Korea's major news networks. This video was secretly taped near Pyongyang, North Korea's capital. Not sure exactly who taped this, but I'm assuming it's from a Japanese NGO working in North Korea.

Below is the link to the video (it's in Korean, so just click on 'Play'), and I'm providing English translation of the news script below.

http://news.kbs.co.kr/news/actions/VodPlayerAction?type=2&cmd=showMP4&vod_info=D|10|/newsline/2011/08/10/50.mp4|N||F|10|/newsline/2011/08/10/1000k/50.mp4|N&news_code=2338388

Click below for the script.

EVERYDAY IM SUFFERIN

Some of the comments are pure gem. And somebody had way too much free time...

Hyun Bin the Korean marine to visit Indonesia

Hyunbin(29), who is currently serving in the 6th Marine Corps Brigade of South Korea, may be visiting Indonesia next month.

An official from the Marine Corps said, "Indonesian government invited Hyunbin for their Armed Forces Day event (Oct. 4~7th). South Korea's Ministry of Defense is currently reviewing the plan." Hyunbin is a very well-known Korean celebrity in Indonesia due to his major role in the drama 'Secret Garden'.

Also, Jun-gi Lee, Hyo-shin Park, and 5 other Korean celebrities serving in Korean military will be visiting Indonesia for Korean Culture Relations Event on Oct 1st~4th.

So there it is Indonesian readers. If you like Hyunbin and/or other Korean stars, look into those events in the next couple weeks!

Obama to host state visit for S. Korea's President

US President Barack Obama will host talks and lay on the official pageantry of a state dinner for South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak on October 13, the White House has announced. For President Lee, this is the first state visit to the US. President Lee is expected to visit the US on the 10th or 11th of October.


Notable topics on the table are US-Korea FTA(Free Trade Agreement), which has been a very controversial topic in both nations, 6-Party Talk and denuclearization of North Korea.

Lee will also be in the United States this month to attend the United Nations General Assembly and other events.

In New York on September 20, Lee will receive the World Statesman Award presented by the Appeal of Conscience Foundation for his contribution to world peace, democracy and human rights.

The following day, the South Korean leader will attend the General Assembly and give a speech pledging that his country will take greater responsibility in international affairs.

This will be a very important visit for President Lee's politics, as his political stance has been very pro-USA since the beginning of his presidency, something that has earned both much respect and dissatisfaction in South Korea. 

2012 : The Greatest Year for North Korea?

It reads : Strongest and Greatest Nation, 2012

Nostradamus, Harold Camping... People sure love Apocalypse theories! In South Korea, Nostradamus is still very popular, though I personally believe that most people look at the theory with nothing more than simple fascination. However in the United States, 2012 end of the world theory has been very popular lately. And hoorah, they even made a movie about it!

Well, 2012 End of the World theory is a worldwide popular one now. Except in the one place that seems to be always out of place : North Korea.

Buying money with money

Source : Radio Free Asia (RFA)

Remember two dollar bills? Some people carry one around as a lucky charm, or you just find it fascinating then spend it away anyway. Or some people like to use it to tip strippers (really, Wikipedia?). Well, there are some people who take this 'lucky charm' thing to seriously. Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported recently that 2-dollar bills have become a major hit item in North Korea... They sure hate Americans but they love the dollars! More below.

Long Hiatus

I was away from this blog for about a month due to personal work reasons. After that, there was Choosuk(Korean Thanksgiving), so I had to go visit families and all that shenanigans. But all that hellish work stuff is done now!

If you are a regular reader, I apologize for the month-gap without notice. I will start posting regularly again.

Hanguk Story

Kim Jong-Il's Secret Escape Route

Muammar Gaddafi, who lost his stronghold in Tripoli recently, is speculated to have escaped via underground tunnels beneath his palace. The fact that Gaddafi stayed in his palace despite the losing war against the rebels is probably that his confidence in escaping. Underground escape routes are the last resort for long-term dictators when his regime fails.

So, what does North Korea, an isolationist nation trying to push through a 3-generation dictatorship, have in case of emergency for the dear leader?

North Korean Space Mountain?