The Kim Jon-Un Korea

If a squat, fat unintelligent little toad of a man can be lionized as the saviour of his militantly bellicose country because he is next in the line of succession in a family dynasty that holds an impoverished, socially backward society in thrall to its powerful generals, we have reason to wonder how it is that North Koreans are so compliant, despite their years of mind control.

Popular revolts have arisen elsewhere in the world, why not North Korea?  Oh, of course, a population that has been so debased as to celebrate the image of itself as isolated and embattled, dreaded and hated by the world community, and starved into submission as well, has some level of excuse.  Yet there are those North Koreans who have managed to escape their country, who have witnessed for themselves the truth.

They live in South Korea, some likely in China as well, who have escaped detection and thus being forced to return to the country of their birth, and they might be capable of plotting to somehow manage to implore the rational international community that something must be done to rescue their countrymen from their horrible plight.

There is the little matter of a 1.2-million strong army of course, but a popular revolt by a people that has little to lose has occurred to great effect elsewhere, why not there?  There are, after all, 23 million North Koreans.  Their lives of deprivation, oppression and misery surely would instill in some of them the courage to rebel, to make an effort if not for themselves, then for the sake of the children of North Korea.

The economy of the country is pitiful. Yet it invests whatever it has in the vision it maintains of itself as a great military power, equal in strength, honour and determination to any the world has, such as its neighbour and diplomatic supporter China, and its detested nemesis the United States.  But then, there is its alliance with Iran, another tyranny that oppresses its people and where human rights abuses abound.

Iran, another indecent warmonger and supporter of terrorism inflicting misery on its own population, has succeeded, like North Korea, in forestalling interminably the insistence of the international community that it respect world norms and expectations related to international conventions.  Its people, far better educated and socialized and fed than North Koreans, have made the attempt to free themselves of their fanatical rulers, to little avail.

Now, North Korea's new Supreme Leader (even the nomenclature is similar to Iran's) Kim Jong-un has praised his military, and paraded before adoring throngs the latest military hardware, including a new long-range ballistic missile with a range of up to 6,000 km; longer, larger than any other the North has previously designed and constructed.   Menace conjures up strength.

"In order to enhance the dignity of Songun [military-first] Chosun [Korea] and to accomplish the task of building a strong and prosperous socialist country, we have to make every effort to reinforce the people's armed forces", he announced.  And so the military continues its privileged entitlements and the population can anticipate more of their underprivileged lack of basic needs to be met.