Kim Jong-Un, "First Secretary"

The expectations, the tensions, the concerns and hand-wringing can now be put on ice.  Temporarily, of course, since although North Korea may have lost face for the moment, it will soon recover its usual sangfroid and continue to bedevil and vex the international community with other vainglorious and ill-tempered assaults on the world's collective patience.

Perhaps now North Korea's impetuous invitation to international news agency representatives will seem ill-advised to them in retrospect.  Their prideful wish to celebrate the centenary of the country's birth as a pariah military nation repeatedly recommending the rest of the world to go to hell in a handbasket has come a cropper.

The rocket meant to celebrate the birth of founding leader Kim Il-sung failed in its mission.  Just shortly after take-off it broke up and crashed into the waters off the Korean Peninsula.  Japan and South Korea can take a deep breath.  The mission, along with its purported intention to launch an information-gathering satellite, failed spectacularly. 

It was a costly fizzle, however, reputed to represent the equivalent of feeding the entire country's population for a full year, had the funding been used for that purpose, instead. 

"The launch of the satellite this time will be successful because Comrade Kim Jong-un is guiding us through the launch step by step and gives us personal guidance", gloated Paek Chang-Ho, director of North Korea's mission control centre, outside Pyongyang, briefing foreign journalists.  Pre-launch, of course.

Well, something went wrong.  North Korea's technical expertise needs some fine-tuning.  The director of its mission control centre might want to look for a new job, warden, for example of one of its many prison-farms?  And perhaps the communist state might wish to re-think that new title created for Jong-un, as "first secretary" to his father's "eternal" general secretary.

Clearly, Jong-un advised the country's space agency inadequately.  Perhaps he missed one of the steps, out of a sense of youthful mischief?  If the idea was to test the longer-range potential of another ballistic missile in the country's growing technological expertise, this was a grand fizzle. 

The 30-metre rocket on its launch pad in the far northwest hid its payload in a shroud.  The launch of the Unha-3 (Galaxy 3) rocket went off as scheduled.  And, pooff!  Of course the government will speak to the people and inform them that all went as planned.  And the jubilant population, albeit underfed, will rejoice.

Will the legislators now reconsider elevating their very young, albeit supremely powerful leader to the post of chairman of the National Defence Commission?  Perhaps to instill more self-confidence in the young man?  So that, next time around, say for the upcoming nuclear test, he will more confidently instruct his minions how they may proceed toward success...?