In A New Year's Address, North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un Calls For An End To Confrontation Between The Two Koreas

North Korean Leader, In Rare Address, Seeks End To Confrontation With South -- Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for an end to confrontation between the two Koreas, technically still at war in the absence of a peace treaty to end their 1950-53 conflict, in a surprise New Year speech broadcast on state media.

The address by Kim, who took over power in the reclusive state after his father, Kim Jong-il, died in 2011, appeared to take the place of the policy-setting New Year editorial published in leading state newspapers.

Impoverished North Korea raised tensions in the region by launching a long-range rocket in December that it said was aimed at putting a scientific satellite in orbit, drawing international condemnation.

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More News On North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un New Year's Address

North Korea's Kim Jong-un makes rare New Year speech -- BBC
NKorean leader Kim Jong Un calls for economic improvements, more weapons in New Year’s speech -- Washington Post/AP
N. Korea's Kim wants better living standards, arms -- USA Today
N.Korea leader vows 'radical' economic shift -- AFP
Kim Jong-un Delivers New Year's Message -- Arirang News

My Comment: The South Koreans are not convinced.

North Korean President Kim Jong-un's Wife Is Pregnant

As Nation Marks Death Of Former Dictator, New Pictures Suggest Wife Of North Korean President Kim Jong-un Is Pregnant -- National Post

As North Korea marked the first anniversary of the death of its former dictator, Kim Jong-il, the nation’s current leader may be celebrating new life as pictures appear to show Kim Jong-un’s wife sporting a significant baby bump.

Kim’s wife, Ri Sol Ju, was seen on state television wearing a billowing traditional Korean dress, walking slowly next to her husband at the Kumsusan mausoleum, where they bowed before statues of Kim’s father and grandfather.

State media has not confirmed Ri to be pregnant, but there was speculation in October that she could be expecting a child after she failed to appear in public for about 50 days.

The Associated Press said there are rumours throughout Pyongyang that the first couple is expecting.

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More News On North Korean President Kim Jong-un Expecting To Be A Father

Kim Jong Un's wife pregnant -- UPI
Is Kim Jong-un Going To Be a Daddy? -- Atlantic Wire
Armed with rocket and maybe heir, Kim Jong-un remembers father -- Reuters
On anniversary of Kim Jong-il’s death, TV images suggest new leader's wife is pregnant -- Globe and Mail/AFP
Kim Jong Un's Baby Mama -- Foreign Policy
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un's Wife Ri Sol Ju Appears 'Heavily Pregnant' At Kim Jong Il Memorial -- Huffington Post
Kim Jong-Un's Wife Appears 'Heavily Pregnant' On State TV -- Business Insider
Is There a Lil’ Kim Inside of Ri Sol-ju? -- NYMag

North Korea Is Still A Mystery

An unidentified man (marked) stands next to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a ceremony on Sunday marking the first anniversary of former leader Kim Jong-il's death. /Kyodo-Yonhap

Who Is The Mystery Man Next To Kim Jong-un? -- Chosun Ilbo

A mystery man was spotted next to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a ceremony on Sunday marking the first anniversary of former leader Kim Jong-il's death.

The man, dressed in a suit and tie, occupied a place close to the leader reserved for the No. 1 military official, and South Korean intelligence are trying to find out who he is.

Since Kim Jong-un seems lately more concerned about his personal safety, the man may just be a body guard, an intelligence official here said.

Meanwhile, the official whose place the mystery man occupied, Choe Ryong-hae, has apparently been demoted to his former rank of general from vice marshal. Choe, the director of the People's Army General Political Bureau, gave a speech at the ceremony and was introduced by the title of general.

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My Comment: He looks too old to be a body guard. My guess is that he is someone that Kim Jong-un completely trusts .... a mentor and/or adviser who has been with him for a very long time. But what is surprising is that the South Koreans do not know who he is.

Kim Jong Un Marks First Year Of Kim Jong Il’s Death

Kim Jong Un Marks First Year of Father’s Death -- Bloomberg Businessweek

North Korea commemorated the first anniversary of late dictator Kim Jong Il’s death, five days after his son and successor Kim Jong Un defied international sanctions and successfully fired a long-range rocket.

Kim Jong Un presided over a commemoration ceremony at the Kumsusan Palace in Pyongyang, where his father’s body lies in state, the official Korean Central News Agency said today. The anniversary caps off weeks of celebrations that included a biographical film, building mosaics of the late leader and schoolchildren writing poems and songs in his honor.

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More News On North Korea Commemorating The First Anniversary of Late Dictator Kim Jong Il’s Death

North Koreans mark Kim Jong-il death anniversary -- BBC
Huge crowds in North Korea mourn late leader -- AFP
N Korea marks anniversary of Kim's death -- The Australian
Kim Jong-un Marks 1st Anniversary in Power -- Chosun Ilbo
North Korea holds memorial service for former leader, Kim Jong-il -- Global Post
New face at the top but the same North Korea -- Blaine Harden, Washington Post

Coup Worries In North Korea?

Ri Yong-ho (left) with Kim Jong-un in February: his removal is the clearest signal yet that North Korea's leader is determined to reform the country's ailing economy. Photograph: Kyodo/Reuters

Kim Jong-un Beefs Up Security Amid Fear of Unrest -- The Chosun Ilbo

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has apparently stationed around 100 armored vehicles at his house, summer home and other facilities for fear of a military coup or uprising, sources say.

Kim "is extremely nervous about the possibility of an emergency developing inside North Korea," claimed an informed source.

According to the source, Kim recently ordered officials to "place top priority" on his personal security and to keep his itinerary top secret. As a result, the venues of events he attends are swarming with guards carrying automatic rifles and hand grenades, while his personal plainclothes bodyguards can also be spotted carrying long, black bags apparently containing heavy weapons.

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My Comment: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is surrounded by men who are double his age and may not appreciate some of the changes that he is instituting. But a military coup? .... I have my doubts.

Kim Jong Il`s Former Chef Tells All

Kenji Fujimoto speaks to reporters at Beijing airport after returning from North Korea. Photograph: Kyodo/Reuters

North Korea: Kim Jong Il's Sushi Chef Dishes Out -- Global Post

Kenji Fujimoto correctly predicted the Kim dynasty chain of succession. Now he says we should expect a rocket launch.

TOKYO, Japan — North Korea is hardly a shrinking violet when it comes to promoting itself as a workers' paradise. But the state's impressive propaganda machine aside, the information void has been largely filled by dissidents and the few outsiders to have gained access to the elite circle that runs the Hermit Kingdom.

The most unlikely member of that group is Kenji Fujimoto, a Japanese sushi chef, who has succeeded in shedding light on the secretive regime where seasoned North Korea hands have failed.

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More News On Kim Jong Il`s Former Chef

Kim Jong-Il's Former Sushi Chef Reveals Former Supreme Leader's Favorite Fish -- Yhe Atlantic
Chef offers new tidbit on North Korean leader -- Washington Post
Tears of Joy From Pyongyang’s Most Famous Chef? -- Wall Street Journal
N. Korea's Kim 'reluctantly firing rocket to mark his father's death' -- The Telegraph
Defected sushi chef: Kim Jong Eun’s secret birthday is Jan. 8, 1983 -- Washington Post
Japanese chef dishes on North Korean leader and missile launch -- Christian Science Monitor

The Cost Of Maintaining A 'Personality Cult'

North Korea's $40 Million Cult Of Kim Budget -- ABC News (Australia)

North Korea spent $40 million this year promoting the personality cult surrounding the ruling Kim dynasty, a South Korean government report has said.

A cool $9.5 million was dropped on new statues of founder Kim Il-sung and his late son Kim Jong-il in six separate places, the Unification Ministry said, citing calculations from South Korean civilian experts.

Some $32 million went on giant frescoes of the two leaders, which were painted in halls in 400 different locations during the year, the report said.

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My Comment: Only $40 million .... hmmm .... I think this number is grossly underestimated.

Another North Korean Military Chief Is Fired

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has replaced his defence chief Kim Jong-Gak (AFP/File, North Korean TV)

South Korea Suspects North Korea Dumped Another Military Chief -- Wall Street Journal

In what may be the second major shake-up at the top of North Korea’s military this year, dictator Kim Jong Eun is believed by South Korean officials to have replaced another defense chief.

Reports circulated in Seoul on Thursday that Vice Marshal Kim Jong Gak, who just in February was promoted to that highest-level post below the dictator himself, is now out. A spokeswoman at the South Korea presidential office said the report was “highly possible though not confirmed.”

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Update: N. Korea's defence chief replaced by hawk: report -- AFP

My Comment: After only 9 months on the job .... North Korea's military chief is replaced by another. This was either a falling out, or only a temporary/caretaker appointment before someone else was chosen.

North Korea`s Arm Sales Continue Under Kim Jong Eun

North Korea's Illegal Weapons Pipeline Flows On -- Wall Street Journal

Illegal shipments of missile technology and weapons from North Korea have flowed unabated under the leadership of Kim Jong Eun, dashing Western hopes that Pyongyang's new leader might moderate his country's aggressive proliferation activities.

Ships or planes bound for Myanmar and Syria and loaded with weapons-related equipment originating in North Korea have been diverted or blocked in recent months, U.S., Asian and Arab officials say. The United Nations has imposed sanctions against Pyongyang's weapons trade.

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My Comment: So much for hopes that North Korea would pursue a different direction with a new supreme leader.

North Korean Propaganda Message Can Be Seen From Space

A massive 560 m slogan praising North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been carved into a hillside near a lake in Ryanggang Province. The slogan, which was identified in a satellite photo on Google Earth, reads "Long Live Gen. Kim Jong-un, the Shining Sun of [North Korea]!" Each letter measures 15 m by 20 m, about the size of a building. It is unclear exactly when the slogan was carved into the hillside. The Google Earth image was taken on Oct. 6. The area around the lake with the slogan is around 9 km south of Hyesan near the Chinese border. The huge manmade lake was created after a hydroelectric power station was built there in May 2007. Google Earth

Half-Kilometre Long Kim Jong-un Propaganda Message Visible From Space -- National Post

North Korea’ Kim Jong-un is now extolled in a propaganda message that can be seen from space.

The message built in the Ryanggang Province, according to the BBC, reads ”Long Live General Kim Jong-un, the Shining Sun!” and is more than half a kilometre long. Each letter is about the size of a small building.

According to the South Korean paper Chosun Ilbo, the practise dates back to the 1970s when Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il’s names were carved into the side of a mountain.

Kim Jong-un takes after his father even in his penchant for damaging nature in order to perpetuate the cult surrounding the Kim family,” said one former high-ranking North Korean official who defected to the South told Chosun Ilbo.

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Update #1: North Korea reveals giant hillside homage to Kim Jong-un -- The Guardian
Update #2: North Korea leader lauded in giant hillside slogan -- BBC

My Comment: I suspect that protests from Greenpeace on this environmental damage will not be listened to in Pyongyang.

Is Life In North Korea Good?

Is Life In North Korea Really Not That Bad? -- Washington Post

North Korea is so insular that tales from defectors are some of the few glimpses the Western world gets. Books such as Blaine Harding’s “Escape from Camp 14” or Barbara Demick’s “Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea” are filled with former North Koreans’ accounts of innocent people toiling away in gulags, scrounging around train stations for food and living in complete darkness thanks to nationwide energy shortages.

But Felix Abt, a Swiss businessman who lived in North Korea for years, says these and other widely read accounts of life in North Korea tell far from the whole story. In a recent opinion piece on GlobalPost, he makes the incredibly unusual argument that North Korea isn’t as destitute and oppressed as its escapees would have you believe.

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My Comment: Being one who has lived under communist regimes, I can say with great confidence that life for many is very good. I can also say with great confidence that life for many is horrible. Swiss businessman Felix Abt is probably living the same life in North Korea that I was living when I was in China in the mid-1980s .... I was with the political elite, and their life is good. When I ventured away from my "hosts", I saw a different portrait of China .... and a more realistic one. It appears to me that Felix Abt never really left the "safety" of his hosts.

Execution By Motar Shell?

No fun: Throughout the mourning for Kim Jong-il, pictured with his youngest son and new North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, all pleasurable activities, including drinking, were banned

North Korean Official Is Executed By MORTAR SHELL For Drinking During 100-Day Mourning Period For Late 'Dear Leader' Kim Jong-il -- Daily Mail

* Senior military official broke the rules of mourning Kim Jong-il
* During the 100-day mourning period North Koreans were forced to abstain from pleasurable activities - including drinking

A North Korean military officer has been executed with a mortar shell blast for disrespecting late 'Dear Leader' Kim Jong-il by drinking alcohol during the 100-day mourning period.

South Korean media claim Kim Chol, the secretive state’s former vice minister of the army, was forced to stand on a spot that had been targeted with a mortar on the orders of Kim Jong-un.

The North Korean leader, who took over from his father after his death in December last year, demanded Kim Chol was 'obliterated', with 'no trace of him behind, down to his hair' in January.

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More News On A North Korea Official Being Allegedly Executed For Drinking During Kim Jong-il's Mourning Period

North Korean army minister 'executed with mortar round' -- The Telegraph
North Korea executes top defense chief -- UPI
REPORT: Kim Jong-un Ordered Execution By Mortar Round -- Business Insider
North Korean offical executed - by mortar -- Herald Sun
N.Korean Vice Defense Chief Executed by Firing Squad -- Chosun Ilbo
North Korean Top Brass Obliterated with Mortar Rounds in Kim Jong-un Power Struggle -- IBTimes
Kim Chol, North Korea Official, Allegedly Executed For Drinking During Kim Jong-il Mourning Period -- Huffington Post
North Korean Army Figure Executed As Kim Jong-un Continues Bloody Purge -- International Business Times

A Military Purge Underway In North Korea?

North Korea's military generals break down as they express their grief for late leader Kim Jong-il. Photo Reuters

Kim Jong-un Purges 31 Top North Korean Military Leaders -- Business Insider

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has "purged" 31 top North Korean military leaders since becoming the Supreme Leader of North Korean, according to a South Korean lawmaker.

Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, a member of South Korea's ruling party, made the comments, Yonhap News Agency reports.

The news follows earlier reports of a power struggle between Kim's camp and the powerful North Korean military. After one key military boss, Ri Yong-ho, was ousted earlier this year, there were reports of a gun battle that may have left him dead, and even troops marching on Pyongyang.

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Update: N.Korean Vice Defense Chief Executed by Firing Squad -- Chosun Ilbo

My Comment: The one year anniversary of his ascension is fast approaching for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un .... I guess he wants to get rid of any dissenters or doubters of his authority.

A Sign Of Change In North Korea?

Marx and Lenin Gone

Lenin And Karl Marx Statues Removed From North Korea's Kim Il-sung Square -- The Telegraph

The larger-than-life portraits of Lenin and Karl Marx that once dominated Kim Il-sung Square have been removed, suggesting a change of direction within North Korea.

The NKNews web site, which monitors developments in the secretive state, has reported that the austere images of two of the founding fathers of communism were first taken down in the summer but have never been replaced.

Lenin and Marx had glared out over the square - used for military march-pasts and mass rallies in support of the regime - for decades, despite the Workers' Party of Korea revising its charter in 1980 to replace their concepts with those of Kim Il-sung.

Communism has been replaced by the home-grown philosophy summed up as "juche," meaning the spirit of self-reliance.

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Update: Kim Il Sung Square Gets A New Look -- NKNews.org

My Comment: When it comes to North Korea .... I am always skeptical. So they got rid of two old posters .... let's see what happens next.