Little Kim Jong-Il for Holloween

Saw this on Tumblr. Aww.

Box of Hope to North Korean refugees in the US

Couldn't find the actual poster, so I'm linking it from a Korean news website.

Source : 美 선교단체, "美 정착 탈북들에게 선물을 보냅시다"

According to Voice of America, PSALT is putting together a plan to send Christmas presents to North Korean refugees living in the United States. PSALT is "a 501c3 non-profit Christian ministry that works to educate others about North Korea and carrying out work to help the North Korean people – particularly the North Korean refugees." According to the exec. director of PSALT said on the 27th, "in order to share the pleasure of Christmas with North Korean refugees in the US, we have started a movement to send "Box of Hope" to North Koreans living in the US." PSALT will gather presents and donations from local organizations and churches and give the gifts to North Koreans on the 3rd of December. 


PSALT has been sending gifts to North Korean in the US already, but it has been unofficial, until now. Durihana church is also planning to send cards and small gifts to single-mother North Korean families in the US.


There are 124 North Korean refugees living in the US, trying to overcome many things as immigrants with extraordinary circumstances : language barrier, separation from their families, different ideologies, democracy, capitalism, and culture shock. They are largely spread out in 10 cities, living harsh lives. 


For more information, or to help out...
PSALT NK Website, Durihana
And to read more about PSALT, I've found an interview with their exec. director.

ROK's New Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff

ROK Chairman of JCS with his American counterpart

General Jung Seung-jo, who has been the nominee for chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, has been officially seated in his position. During the ceremony, which was attended by high-profile military officers from not only Korea but other allied nations such as the USA, he gave a stern warning to North Korea.

"The army general said in a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly on Tuesday that if any enemy attacks the South, he would make sure they pay a heavy price. 
Jung said if he had been the chairman of JCS during North Korea's artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island last year, he would have advised the president to use fighter planes in response. 
The general added the right to self-defense should apply not just to the location where the attack started but also against the regime that orders such provocations."


So, since the shelling of Yeonpyong islands, Republic of Korea has replaced its Minister of Defense and now the chairman of JCS(Joint Chiefs of staff). Both new officers have promised a much stronger response to North Korea's further provocations. Let us wish that this will stop North Korea from committing any more meaningless murders and atrocities.


Source : Choson Daily

North Korea's Craptastic Air Koryo

So, North Korea's national airline, Air Koryo, has been given a 1-star rating by leading airline revier SkyTrax. It is the lowest possible rating, and Air Koryo is the only one with a 1-star rating.

North Korean Action Film: Pyongyang Nalparam

Nalparam(날파람) is a word that describes a gust of wind caused by a fast-moving object or person. So you get the gist of the title.

Action films in North Korea are pretty rare, unless you count those blatantly propaganda-isque movies as action films. During the 80s, "Hong-Il Dong" and "Order 027" were the action movies of the decade in North Korea. Then the industry was pretty much dead until 2006, when this film appeared.

Here's the brief summary of the plot. North Korean Taekkyon(a traditional Korean martial arts) masters fight against Japanese invaders. I haven't been able to find the full movie yet, but I'd assume that it's all because of their glorious leader, or one of those lines. I've found a video highlighting the key scenes of the movie. Behold! It was 2006, and you shall experience the 21st century special effects and sound quality... North Korean style.

SMTOWN LIVE NYC 2011

Korean Idols from SM Entertainment went all out in Madison Square Garden in New York last night. In Madison Square Garden - what Korean news media described as "the Mecca of pop culture" - popular K-Pop stars such as Dongbanshingi, Girl's Generation, SHINee, f(X), and BoA performed in SMTOWN LIVE NYC 2011.

This performance was part of a world tour that began in Seoul, then LA, Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris and then finally NYC was the last destination. I included a fan video of Girl's Generation performing "The Boys", which was performed live for the first time.

Earthquake in Turkey

Just a side thought. A couple days ago, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit eastern Turkey. Thousands of buildings collapsed, and many more people were buried inside the debris. I was watching the morning news as they reported that more than 1,500 people were dead or injured. It is a total catastrophe.

Turkey has been diplomatically and militarily closely tied with South Korea for a long time. Koreans are taking this situation seriously. I really hope that Korean government will send some sort of aid group over to Turkey ASAP, and the aftermath will settle down soon.