North Korea is full of Love:
Das Jahr fängt ja schonmal äußerst erfreulich an. Das erste Wort, das ich heute morgen mit Hangover gelesen habe war „Yeah“ und jetzt das: „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.“ So darf das gerne weitergehen. (via Fefe)
Pyongyang Racing Game from North Korea
Koryo Tours aus China hat einen Game Developer aus Nord Korea mit der Entwicklung eines Fun-Racers beauftragt, den man im Browser spielen kann. Die Musik!
Koryo Tours Pyongyang Racer is a small racing game developed in the DPRK (North Korea). This game was developed in 2012 and is not intended to be a high-end techological wonder hit game of the 21st century, but more a fun race game (arcade style) where you drive around in Pyongyang and learn more about the sites and get a glimpse of Pyongyang.
Pyongyang Racer (via MeFi)
Inside North Koreas Kwangmyong-Web
Die BBC hat ein paar ziemlich interessante Details aus dem Kwangmyong, der nordkoreanischen Version des Internets. „Publisher“ müssen beispielsweise einen Code einfügen, der den Namen von Kim Jong-un ein paar Pixel größer darstellt, als den Rest.
There’s a curious quirk on every official North Korean website. A piece of programming that must be included in each page’s code. Its function is straightforward but important. Whenever leader Kim Jong-un is mentioned, his name is automatically displayed ever so slightly bigger than the text around it. Not by much, but just enough to make it stand out. It’s just one facet of the “internet” in North Korea, a uniquely fascinating place. […]
There’s just one cybercafe in North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang. Anyone logging on at the cafe would find themselves at a computer that isn’t running Windows, but instead Red Star – North Korea’s own custom-built operating system, reportedly commissioned by the late Kim Jong-il himself. A pre-installed readme file explains how important it is that the operating system correlates with the country’s values.
Poison Pen from North Korea. Also: Kim Jong-un officially sexiest Man alive.
Youtube Direktpen, via Motherboard
Man sollte den Clip mit ein bisschen Voricht ansehen und im Hinterkopf behalten, dass auch Südkorea ganz gut Propaganda machen können. Macht’s dann aber auch nicht uninteressanter: Ein südkoreanischer Mitarbeiter des Geheimdienstes zeigt die Waffen eines nordkoreanischen Auftragskillers: „Disguised to look like a Parker ballpoint pen, it contains a poison needle and is practically impossible to identify as a weapon. The second pen shoots a poison-filled bullet which penetrates the skin and releases the toxin and the third weapon is a flashlight, loaded with up to three bullets. They all look completely innocuous but all three will kill.“
Ach naja, und: Kim Jong-un named Sexiest Man Alive for 2012. Steht so auf der Korea Times. Und vom folgenden Zitat genügen eigentlich die ersten zwei Worte (Robot-Translated):
The Onion has announce that North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un, 29, has officially been named the newspaper’s Sexiest Man Alive for the year 2012. “With his devastatingly handsome, round face, his boyish charm, and his strong, sturdy frame, this Pyongyang-bred heartthrob is every woman’s dream come true,” the paper reported.
Kim Jong Un in Love with an Excellent Horse-Like Lady. No, really!
Kim Jong Un macht grade mit einer alten Flamme rum, Sex mit der Ex in Nordkorea quasi. Die Dame heisst Hyon Song-wol und war Sängerin der Bochonbo Electronic Music Band und beim Clip zu ihrem größten Hit „Excellent Horse-Like Lady“ hab’ ich mir grade ein bisschen in die Hose gemacht. Auch interessant: Das hier ist bereits das zweite Posting heute, in dem der Name Kim vorkommt. Mondays.
It seems that North Korea’s young leader may have reconnected with an old love. The reporting from Asia about that “mystery woman” who’s been seen with Kim Jong Un in recent weeks is turning up details that sound like they’re right out of good old American soap opera.
Though there’s still a chance that the woman is Kim’s sister, the Korea JoongAng Daily reports that: — The consensus seems to be that she is Hyon Song-wol, “former vocalist of the Bochonbo Electronic Music BandBochonbo Electronic Music Band.” The band’s biggest hit: Excellent Horse-Like Lady, from 2005.
Is Kim Jong Un’s Mystery Woman The ‘Excellent Horse-Like Lady’?, Kim Jong-un’s mystery female friend sparks betting frenzy, Kim Jong-un’s mystery woman: Identity of leader’s date titillates world’s fancy
Kim Jong Uns Propaganda-Hymn and the North Korean Mickey Mouse
Youtube Direktkim, via Neatorama
Kim Jong Un, der „Große Nachfolger“ von Kim Jong-Il, hat sich seinen ersten Propaganda-Song. Der Track heisst „Onward Toward the Final Victory“ und der Clip dazu wird ein paar mal am Tag im Fernsehen gezeigt, was das nordkoreanische StaatsTV zu einem musikalischeren Sender als MTV werden lässt. The Atlantic hat ‘ne Analyse und Übersetzung des Songtextes. Außerdem: Kim Jong Un hat sich ein Musical/Theater/Aufführung/Whatever angesehen, bei dem die Band in Disney-Kostümen auftrat und so kam es, dass sich der „Supreme Commander“ öffentlich ‘ne singende Mickey Mouse angesehen hat.
Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh took the stage in North Korea during a concert for new leader Kim Jong Un, in an unusual – and unauthorized – performance featuring Disney characters. Performers dressed as Minnie Mouse, Tigger and others danced and pranced as footage from “Snow White,” “Dumbo,” “Beauty and the Beast” and other Disney movies played on a massive backdrop, according to still photos shown on state TV.
The inclusion of characters popular in the West – particularly from the United States, North Korea’s wartime enemy – is a notable change in direction for performances in Pyongyang. Actors and actresses also showed off new wardrobes, including strapless gowns and little black dresses.
Kim himself established the group that performed, and the changes may be a sign that he is seeking to carve out a different image from his father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, by easing restrictions on Western culture, said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korean studies professor based in Seoul, South Korea.
Small world: Show for N. Korea’s Kim goes Disney (via The Beat)
North Korean Society thru Comics
Ich höre grade ein ziemlich spannendes Interview mit Heinz Insu Fenkl, weltweiter Superfuzzi für Comics aus Nordkorea.
The death of Kim Jong-il raises all kinds of questions about North Korea’s famously secretive society. So where can we look to gain insights into North Korea? A good place to start may be its hugely popular comic books.
Heinz Insu Fenkl is an associate professor of English at SUNY, and one of the world’s authorities on North Korean comics. In this NEW and UNCUT interview, Fenkl talks with Steve Paulson about what comic books tell us about North Korean society.
Heinz Insu Fenkl on North Korean Comics, hier das MP3 (via Swen)
Ein paar seiner Comics (leider nicht sehr viele) hat Inzu Fenkl online gestellt (als leider nicht sehr große Scans), das Anti-Bush-Comiccover von „General Loser & the Gnats“ (Bild oben) habe ich aus dem Flickr-Set von Ray Cunningham, mehr zu Heinz Insu Fenkl in alten Artikeln bei Reuters und Slate:
Heinz Insu Fenkl, a professor at the State University of New York at New Paltz who has translated a number of North Korean comics, says they are interesting for the insights they offer into the “psychological infrastructure” of North Koreans: the daily diet of propaganda that conditions even well-educated citizens to love and revere their leaders. Many of the comics also represent a revival of Korean folk culture and history, including retellings of famous episodes from Korea’s dynastic history and the Communists’ heroic struggle against Japanese imperialism. “What the North Koreans are doing in comics is parallel to what South Korea and China are doing in film, which is going back and re-imagining their history,” he says.
Take On Me on five Accordions, North Korean Style
Youtube Direktkorea, via Neatorama
Fünf Akkordionspieler aus Nordkorea covern „Take on me“ von A-Ha. Das Cover ist das, was man von „Take on me“ auf ‘nem Schifferklavier erwartet, aber die Story zum Video ist das eigentlich spannende: Das ganze gehört zu einer Kunstaktion von Morten Traavik, der vor ein paar Jahren vor allem mit seinen Miss Landmine-Wahlen in Angola und Cambodia durch die Medien gereicht wurde.
When Mr. Traavik visited Pyongyang in December to meet the accordion ensemble at the Kum Song School, he took several examples of Norwegian music, including works by classical composer Edvard Grieg, for them to practice for their tour of Norway. He also took a CD by a-ha, the Norwegian pop group that had a global hit with “Take On Me” in 1985. The song turned popular in part because of its innovative video.
After giving the students the CD on a Monday night, they surprised him by playing their own improvised version of “Take On Me” on Wednesday morning. Mr. Traavik made a video of them and decided to post it on YouTube to promote the festival. Since he put it up on Thursday, the video has gone viral, passed along by North Korea watchers and others mystified or intrigued by the idea of musicians in a collective society with traditional instruments playing one of the classics of 1980s Euro-pop.
Kim Jong-Un looking at Things…
Ofcourse, the Internet never fails: Kim Jong-Un looking at Things. (via @hakantee)
Bizarre North Korea Mourning-Video (and Kim Jong-Ils Sushi Chef)
Youtube Direktcrybaby, via Tokyo Mango
Sehr bizarrer Clip (hier ein weiterer) voller trauernder Nord-Koreaner. Ich weiß natürlich nicht, wieviel davon gestellt ist – ich schätze mal eine ganze Menge. Andererseits: wenn man ein ganzes Volk nur lange genug ins Gehirn fickt, dann kommt wahrscheinlich wirklich sowas dabei heraus. Ich weiß es nicht, aber wahrscheinlich werden wir solcherlei Videos in den kommenden Tagen noch öfter sehen.
Die beste Einschätzung der Lage kommt übrigens natürlich nicht von den klassischen Medien, sondern von einem Redditor, der laut eigenen Angaben „in the international security field“ arbeitet, tl;dr: „I would not worry too much. If anything, the situation in North Korea is no more unpredictable than it was before Kim Jong-Il’s death.“
Reuters: Information black hole as North Korean leader dies,
The Atlantic: I Was Kim Jong Il’s Cook – True stories from the Dear Leader’s onetime chef: „As I was riding a Jet Ski on a lake near the Chinese border, Kim Jong Il came up next to me and said, “Fujimoto, let’s race. But I want you to take it seriously.”“
The Atlantics In Focus: Kim Jong Il, 1942-2011
NY Times: Kim Jong-Ils Sushi-Koch über Kim Jong-Un:
“When Prince Jong-un shook hands with me, he fixed me with a vicious look,” Kim Jong-il’s former Japanese sushi chef wrote in a 2003 memoir describing his first encounter with the boy, then 7, dressed in a military uniform and known as a “prince” among his father’s aides. “I still cannot forget the look in his eyes. It seemed to say, ‘This is a despicable Japanese.’ ”
The chef, who goes by the pen name Kenji Fujimoto, said in an interview that as a teenager, Kim Jong-un was already his father’s favorite and “looked just like him.”
The lone photo and Mr. Fujimoto’s memories form part of the few precious strands of information analysts and intelligence officials in South Korea and Washington rely on as they struggle to put together a dossier on Kim Jong-un. They describe Kim Jong-un as a young man of medium height, overweight and prone to high blood pressure and suffering from diabetes, and with character traits similar to his father’s.
Kim Jong Il is dead
Kim Jong Il, Nord Koreas größter Cineast und nebenberuflicher Superschurke ist gestorben: Kim Jong Il, North Korea’s ‘Dear Leader’ Dictator, Dead at 70 (via MeFi)
Kim Jong Il, the second-generation North Korean dictator who defied global condemnation to build nuclear weapons while his people starved, has died, Yonhap News reported. He was 70.
The news came in a radio broadcast at noon local time, Yonhap reported, citing North Korea’s official media. Kim probably had a stroke in August 2008 and may have also contracted pancreatic cancer, according to South Korean news reports.
CNN: „A broadcaster reported that Kim died due to “overwork” after “dedicating his life to the people.” Kim died of “great mental and physical strain” while in a train during a “field guidance tour,” North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency reported.“
spOn: „Nordkoreas langjähriger Machthaber Kim Jong Il ist tot. Das berichtet das Staatsfernsehen in Pjöngjang. Südkorea hat seine Armee in Alarmbereitschaft versetzt.“
Reuters: North Korea state TV says Kim Jong il has died, HuffPo: Kim Jong Il’s nukes, threats stoked world fears
Neben Cineast und Superschurke war der Mann außerdem: Party Center, Superior Person, Dear Leader, Respected Leader, Dear Leader, who is a perfect incarnation of the appearance that a leader should have, Commander-in-Chief, Sun of the Communist Future, Shining Star of Paektu Mountain, Guiding Sun Ray, Leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Ever-Victorious, Iron-Willed Commander, World Leader of The 21st Century, Amazing politician, Great Man, Who Descended From Heaven, Great Marshal, Guiding Star of the 21st Century, Mastermind of the Revolution und Highest Incarnation of the Revolutionary Comradely Love. Hier die Liste der selbstgewählten Namen von Kim Jong Il.
Hier sein Beitrag zum Monster-Filmgenre (kein Mist!) Pulgasari in voller Länge als YT-Playlist, für den er einen Regisseur aus Süd-Korea entführen lies:
Pulgasari is a North Korean feature film produced in 1985, a giant-monster film similar to the Japanese Godzilla series. It was produced by South Korean director Shin Sang-ok, who had been kidnapped in 1978 by North Korean intelligence on the orders of Kim Jong-il, son of the then-ruling Kim Il-sung.
Teruyoshi Nakano and the staff from Japan’s Toho studios, the creators of Godzilla, participated in creating the film’s special effects. Kenpachiro Satsuma – the stunt performer who played Godzilla from 1984 to 1995 – portrayed Pulgasari, and when the Godzilla remake was released in Japan in 1998, he was quoted as saying he preferred Pulgasari to the American Godzilla. (Wikipedia)
Weitere Updates wie sie reinkommen, wird heute sowieso kein anderes Thema geben, schätze ich.
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[update] Hier angebliche Durchsage der Todesnachricht im nordkoreanischen Staatsfernsehen:
The Onion vor einem Jahr: Kim Jong-Un Privately Doubting He’s Crazy Enough To Run North Korea:
In surprisingly candid remarks Thursday, Kim Jong-un, heir apparent to North Korea’s highest government post, expressed doubt that he was sufficiently out of his mind to succeed his father, longtime dictator Kim Jong-il.
While emphasizing that he was definitely completely insane and would likely be even less stable by the time he assumed power, the younger Kim nevertheless wondered if he could ever be enough of a lunatic to replace the most unhinged leader on the planet.
“Obviously, I know I was handpicked because I’m super crazy,” said Kim, the youngest of the 69-year-old dictator’s four known children. “But my father’s just so great at what he does. Did you know the people of North Korea have heard his voice exactly once, for like five seconds? How nuts is that? Honestly, I look at stuff like that and I think, ‘Wow, there’s just no way I can ever top Dad.’
Flickr: Propaganda North Korea, North Korea DPRK 북한
Time-Mag Bilderstrecke: North Korea: Secrets and Lies
New York Times Through the Lens: A View of Hunger in North Korea
The Chosin Ilbo: Kim Jong-il’s Death ‘Could Lead to Power Struggle’: „A power struggle could erupt in North Korea following the death of leader Kim Jong-il between his son and heir apparent Jong-un and his brother-in-law, intelligence services here speculate. The National Intelligence Service told a recent session of the National Assembly Jang Song-taek, the purported No. 2 man in North Korea, director of the Workers’ Party administrative department and member of the National Defense Commission, will lead a power struggle.“
North-Koreans are Shiny Happy People!:
Nordkorea hat eine Studie mit einem globalen Glücklichkeitsindex veröffentlicht und laut dem sind die Nordkoreaner die zweitglücklichsten Menschen des Planeten, kurz hinter China, aber noch vor Kuba, dem Iran und Venezuela. Shiny Happy People! (via @Machinist)
Kim Jong-Il looking looking thru holes in the wall
Kim Jong-Il looking at Things geistert schon ein paar Tage durch meinen Feedreader, war mir bislang aber zu och joa. Dann kam gestern das Bild oben. Kim Jong-Il looking looking thru holes in the wall.
More Revolution-Armys getting funky, dancing, punking out
(Vimeo Direktfunk, danke Justus!)
Aus den Kommenaren zur Michael Jackson singenden, chinesischen Revolutions-Armee: Hier erstmal Nord Koreas Armee getting funky und danach chinesische Armeemädchen doing the Punk on Hawaii.
(Youtube Direktrebell, danke Pferd!)
