kim jong il

A Japanese chef who penned a book, “I was Kim Jong Il’s Chef” knew the sons well, and says that Kim Jong Un was the choice from a very  young age. Of the brothers he was the one who made decisions. Chef Kenji Fujimoto says, ““If I was their father, I would have chosen Kim Jong Un too,” he says. It’s a nice story and despite leaving in 2001, Fujimoto releasing a book about Kim Jong Un. (Time blogs – Kenji Fujimoto)

Kim Jong Un looking at things… the tradition continues…

At least that’s what it sort of promises. A book, yes, a book that would be worth 7 figures or more, but I’m sure Kim Jong Nam is getting a lot less if at all – not that he needs it. Watch for a book to be published in Japan. Note that he’s the son who got busted for entering Japan to go to Disneyland. That put him out of favor with the big boys.

From the Huffington Post “Gomi’s book, based on “extensive interviews” with 38-year-old Kim Jong Nam, will outline Kim’s “opposition to the hereditary succession system that led to his younger brother, Kim Jong Un, being appointed North Korea’s new leader,” according toThe Japan Times, who also reported that although Kim Jong Nam recently asked to delay the book’s publication, the Japanese publishing firm Bungei Shunju decided to release it anyway.”

(Huffington Post – Kim Jong Nam)

Just a car with a giant portrait on top. (Atlantic – Photo from Kim Jong Il Funeral)

There’s been a lot written and it’s all common knowledge by now. His look is of his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, the real creator of the North Korean “kingdom”. The most interesting part. 6 plastic surgeries? We’ll never truly know about this, and maybe he just gained weight.

From ABC: “A North Korean defector, Kim Hae-Sook, 50, testified to the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London earlier this year that she heard from a high-level official in North Korea that Kim Jung Un underwent six plastic surgeries to look like his grandfather with chubby cheeks and a double chin.  Fujimoto had also told Japanese reporters that he did not recognize Kim at first when North Korea published the first picture in 2010, as he looked so different from his teenage years.” (ABC – Kim Jung Un)

Megumi Yokota was abducted by North Koreans in 1977 at the age of 13. It’s thought that 17 Japanese nationals were kidnapped to help train North Korean spies to pass as Japanese. Her family thinks she’s still alive although she’s been listed as dead by suicide in 1994. She was said to have been married with a child. Many abductees were returned by Kim Jong Il in 2002, but she wasn’t one of them. There’s been multiple films, manga, music and documentaries. One of which is previewed below.

From PBS this is a passage including a quote from Megumi’s father.

“I’m not sure if this will lead in a positive or negative direction,” said Shigeru Yokota, Megumi’s 79-year-old father. “But I fear there will be chaos inside North Korea, which means they’ll stay away from the abduction issue.” Meanwhile, Megumi’s mother, Sakie, put her thoughts about Kim’s death very simply, “I wish Kim Jong-il had released the people who were abducted before he passed away.” (PBS – Megumi Yokota)

From a CNN post, they link to this tumblr page. It’s just photos of Kim Jong Il looking at things. Some of us (this tumblr user) will miss these pics. They are a bit odd, but then again, what else is a person going to do? Not look at things? (Tumblr – Kimjongillookingatthings)

There’s no RIP for him.

Searching for Kim Han Sol. The grandson of Kim Jong Il. The story takes you on a short journey in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina where the young man attends an international university. It seems like an odd place for a school that is supposed to be of decent caliber to exist, but it does. He’s 16 and has to deal with media. He has a handler and seems to be well protected. It reminds us of a similar story I once heard from a GR contributor who explained a similar “protection” of a large political figures daughter. From hiding her from media by circling her while they walked and from her own appointed handlers, from quieting down in the car when she received phone calls asking, “Where Are You!?” Other than that, Kim Han Sol is probably having a blast. The story is a fun one to read. (Asahi Shimbun – Kim Han Sol)

Meet the Fourth Kim, and this isn’t just any Kim, this is Kim Jong Il’s G-son, Kim Han-Sol – the hipster with bleached hair, who’s not eating as much, also with stylish glasses. He was discovered in the last few weeks, (but news came out in the last 24 hours) after being accepted to a school, United World College in Mostar. The press release mentioned, ”The entry of a student from North Korea, furthermore from a very well-known family, has understandably generated surprise and comment, some of it critical.”

Since then he was tracked down on social media including Facebook and now all of it is closed down. But, is this really him? It would be funny if this were just some random kid with the same name. But the hair… it’s him. (yonhap – Kim Han-Sol)

Scary. Reported to be in his late 20s, this is Kim Jong Il’s son who’s being thrust into the forefront of North Korea. It’s said that his resemblance to his grandfather, Kim Il Sung is intentional and maybe achieved with some surgery. Regardless, he’s portly at a young age, like his blood line and wears the Mao style outfits. Somehow he became a four star general – he’s a prodigy in the making. It’s also strange that although North Korea government would want to appear self sufficient, Kim Jong-Un is reported to have attended international schools in Europe under a pseudonym. (NY Times – Kim Jong-Un)

The outside perception of North Korea is understandably pretty grim. Backward, agrarian, repressive, war-like, hard-line communist, these are all terms which can legitimately be used to describe North Korea, at least if the political refugees who have escaped and the foreign journalists allowed to enter the country are to be believed. Yet there is, apparently, another side to North Korea, a technological side, which does have some interaction with the outside world through the internet. And it is a technological side which has actually done business with countries in the Middle East and other nations in Asia. North Korean technology companies have even, reportedly, developed video games for Japanese gaming giants Nintendo and Sony. At the link, you’ll be able to read a piece which gives further details on the state of computer, gaming and online technology in North Korea. Because while it is easy to disdain and vilify Kim Jong Il and the dictatorial nightmare he has perpetuated for his countrymen, it is also easy to feel pain and sorrow for the innocent, everyday people who are trying to make a living and provide for their families under harsh government oppression. But as this story suggests, there may be qualified hope for some freedom for North Koreans through the development, implementation and use of online computer technologies. (Asian Correspondent – North Korean Tech Evolution)

First it’s failed soccer drug tests, then it’s graffiti, but the ongoing lack of food is causing shrinkage… in size. “Today, schoolchildren in South Korea are 15 pounds heavier and tower almost a half a foot over their North Korean counterparts.” The teen army kids can actually be smaller than before to get in. 4’6″ is the minimum height, and really, what are they there for? There’s much more to this article, but perhaps the shrinking in height army might be intentional to make The Dear Leader look Shaq like. (Human Events – N Korea)

Beer Can Pouring Mastery

“By attaching the device to a can of beer, one can achieve the perfect balance of beer and head when pouring into a glass.” Okay, no big, life-changing news in this story really. But there is a “cool” factor here which we thought you’d enjoy. The Japanese are renowned for their desire to achieve perfection in even the smallest things, and the simple act of pouring some cold brew from a can appears to be no exception. The Takara Tomy company is responsible for this one. After watching the video at the link you’ll probably agree with us that this is a perfect idea. (Japan Probe – Good Beer Head)

It’s a “Hangover” For Ang Lee’s Son

“A large portion of the business has less to do with your talents and more about your resourcefulness and willingness to adapt.” His father has directed some of the finest films of the past twenty years, including “The Wedding Banquet”, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Brokeback Mountain”. So you might think Mason Lee would naturally try to leverage the respect and success his dad Ang has earned in Hollywood. Not so. In fact, Mr. Lee is a humble NYU acting student who had to audition for his key role in “The Hangover, Part II” just like anyone else. (Wall Street Journal New York Culture– Mason Lee) There is also a brief video interview with Lee and other Asian-American “Hangover 2” cast members on Channel APA. (Channel APA – “Hangover 2” Asian-American Cast)

The Miraculous Lone Pine Tree Brings Hope

“Only one tree, estimated to be 270 to 280 years old, survived the tsunami. It has been a great emotional support to residents.” If you’ve seen any of the videos of the black, all-consuming waters of the tsunami that struck the Japanese coast after the March 11^th earthquake, you will agree it is amazing anything survived. But one pine tree out of a beach-front forest of 70,000? To guess that the odds of this are extraordinarily high would probably be an understatement. Yet it happened in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, where botanical scientists have carefully taken branches from the survivor tree and grafted them onto other pines with the hope of recreating the forest that once stood. If all goes well, and there is no guarantee of that, the seedlings resulting from the grafted material should be ready for planting in three years. (Detroit Free Press – Lone Pine Tree)

Kim Jong Il Repeats Himself in China. A LOT.

“The sameness of Kim Jong Il’s toasts when he visits China is striking.” There really is no humor in what Kim Jong Il’s dictatorship has done to the people and resources of North Korea. It’s just wrong. However, there is a lot of humor to be found in the ways the strange man with the huge glasses presents himself to the world outside North Korea. In China, for example, he has a habit of basically saying the same thing every time he makes a toast at a Chinese state dinner or event. You’ll see what we mean when you read through the article at the link. Our conclusion is that Kim must be really happy with the sincerity of the toasts he makes to his Chinese hosts. Otherwise he wouldn’t repeat them so much (Wall Street Journal Korea Realtime – Kim Jong Il Toasts China)

Viral Japanese Nuclear Protest Songs

“While the mainstream media is ‘voluntarily restraining’ from airing the songs, video clips of the songs have gone viral on the Internet.” The reality is the anti-nuclear power movement in Japan has never been as loud and vociferous as it is in the U.S. and Europe. But it has been there. And in all likelihood it will get more vocal and visible because of the nasty nuclear disaster the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami created in Fukushima. Already, some Japanese singers and songwriters have released videos for songs questioning the wisdom of Japan’s nuclear power industry. But the majority of the Japanese mainstream media is refusing to broadcast the recordings on radio or TV. As a result, the videos and their messages have gone viral. We figure that’s a good thing. The voices of truth and protest, like the waters of a reservoir, will always find a crack through which to pass into freedom. (Asahi Shimbun – Nuclear Protest Songs) Videos for two of these songs can be seen on Asian tech news site Penn Olson (Anti-nuke songs)