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Two days ago, the supreme leader of North Korea appeared on state television alongside a woman that official commentators identified as his wife, Ri Sol-ju. The anglophonic press erupted with speculation as to what the broadcast could mean. Kim Jong-il, who died late last year, was rarely photographed with his wife. Some Westerners believe Ri Sol-ju's appearance could signal a more open attitude on the part of the notoriously reclusive regime. In that same light, the media took strong interest in the supreme leader attending a musical concert earlier this month featuring the allegedly unauthorized appearance of Disney characters.



But Ri Sol-ju's televeised appearance two days ago was not her first public appearance at Kim's side. The Associated Press circulated a photo from the Disney concert showing Kim next to a "mystery woman." The rumor attached to the photo was that the young supreme leader was having an affair with a pop star called Hyon Song-wol who is already married to a North Korean soldier. There was even conjecture that Hyon was already pregnant with Kim's child.



Whether there is any truth to the rumors of a Kim/Hyon affair, much less pregnancy, it has since become apparent that Hyon Song-wol looks absolutely nothing like Ri Sol-ju. The former vocalist for the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble can be clearly seen in the music video for the group's hit "Excellent Horse-Like Lady." Lyrics of that song have been translated into English, including:

They say I am a virgin on a stallion,
Mounting a stallion my Dear Leader gave me.
All my life I will live to uphold his name!

Meanwhile, DakkaDakka forum members reacted to the official news of the supreme leader's marriage with stony silence. This could be a stark rebuff to Kim's seeming course correction. A more open North Korea could be no more interesting to Westerners than a confusing telenovela with less-than-attractive actors, experts say. Diplomacy may be more than skin-deep, but one must start somewhere.

And now we all wonder how a ugly pudge face like him got such a hot wife. I'm betting its the money.

How do Disney feel about this?

Disney claims the characters' appearances were unauthorized.

Do they have any plans to take legal action?

If I'm not mistaken Disney characters, namely the classic Mickey Mouse crew, are very popular in North Korea and this isn't the first time they've been used without authorization.

purplefood wrote:Do they have any plans to take legal action?

In what court ... ?

But Glorious Leader invented them, Disney is stealing them.

The clumsy and diseased United States has discovered awesome disquietude now that our most radiant and pleasurable leader has appropriated his useful and enthralling consort! Together they will yield a multifold of fetuses and make our sickly enemies have tremors!

Manchu wrote:

purplefood wrote:Do they have any plans to take legal action?

In what court ... ?

This would be appropriate for the case of Disney versus South Korea...
They can flip a coin to see how gets what side...

I think you guys are missing the big picture: Kate Middleton is totally hot. Perhaps I should have posted a bigger picture?

Bigger, and more of them, certainly; though she's no Kate Upton.

Yes, our lack of response is in defiance of the seemingly more open attitude of the North's new leader. Kim Jong Un will sadly never live up to the true insanit---- er brilliance of the Dear Leader, Kim Jong Il.

Almost forgot I had this lovely sig file hanging around.

Manchu wrote:I think you guys are missing the big picture: Kate Middleton is totally hot. Perhaps I should have posted a bigger picture?

She's a smidge too skinny, IMO. She's got too much of that Hollywood gaunt look going on in the face. I remember seeing pics of her when she was in college...it looks like she was a few pounds heavier (not remotely fat, mind you) and I thought she looked better. I think Kate needs to be careful to avoid traveling down the Cameron Diaz path.

Ouze wrote:she's no Kate Upton.

They're not quite in the same league, are they? I mean, there are some pornstars who are very attractive but I don't think I'd compare them to legitimate actresses. Kate is simply at a higher tier than Upton.

gorgon wrote:She's a smidge too skinny, IMO.

Well, I love her just the way she is. Warts and all as they say (when using a cliche in the completely wrong context.)

Good. Maybe now that Kim is getting some, he'll leave the world alone.

Yeah, I dont buy it either.

North Korea is funny in the news.
I like it.
To watch.

purplefood wrote:Do they have any plans to take legal action?

I for one would love for some solicitors, say 2 or 3 (thousand) to be sent by boat to North Korea to take issue with this..

Why are people so easy to enslave?

WanderingMinstrel wrote:Why are people so easy to enslave?

It's very simple. I recommend you write this down somewhere, preferably on something you can carry with you at all times, because it may come in handy in future moments of despair. Here is the answer -

WanderingMinstrel wrote:Why are people so easy to enslave?

What you have to realize is that all foreign media is excluded in North Korea, and all broadcasts are official productions of the State. Nobody enters or leaves from the outside world, and if you speak out, then you, and your family, and your friends all get to go to a forced labour camp, where many of you will be summarily executed.

People are not easy to enslave. However, most people in North Korea are living in a nightmarish world where they don't know any different. It's kinda like 1984 crossed with The Village.

Shadowseer_Kim wrote:

Outdated. I hear they now have two bombs.

And no bubblegum ...

Is it just me or do they look kinda similar facewise?

Its not just you.

Maybe the North Koreans are just rolly polly people, like how the Russians are all bears on unicycles @_@

Corpsesarefun wrote:Is it just me or do they look kinda similar facewise?

Ri just looks like everyone. Easier to replace that way.

azazel the cat wrote:

WanderingMinstrel wrote:Why are people so easy to enslave?

What you have to realize is that all foreign media is excluded in North Korea, and all broadcasts are official productions of the State. Nobody enters or leaves from the outside world, and if you speak out, then you, and your family, and your friends all get to go to a forced labour camp, where many of you will be summarily executed.

People are not easy to enslave. However, most people in North Korea are living in a nightmarish world where they don't know any different. It's kinda like 1984 crossed with The Village.

Having lived in Korea, and having spoken to Koreans about this (and even a couple of North Koreans who had escaped for that matter), I think it's important to point out that while this may have been the situation in the past, things are gradually changing. China has sold tens (perhaps hundreds) of thousands of mobile phones to North Korea, the younger generation fit satellite dishes to their houses and tune into South Korean TV, listen to South Korean music and watch their movies. Most importantly, they are more aware of the outside world now than they ever have been.

That is not to say of course that the level of belligerence, and efforts to control, by the NK government have somehow slackened. Quite the contrary in fact; I read about 'flea markets', officially illegal but tolerated as a necessary under Kim Jong-Il, have now been banned entirely, and this along with public meetings of more than a handful of people are also vigorously prevented. People escaping now have their families sent to work camps and prisons that they are unlikely to survive in for long - again, this had apparently slackened somewhat during the latter years of Kim Jong Il's rule. Recently, several hundred NK engineers who had been working in the Middle East have had their return to Korea refused, essentially leaving them nationless - the reason obviously the fear that the NK administration has that the 'Arab Spring', and its ethos, may have been transmitted like a disease to their own citizens.

The important thing to realise is that the crowds of people you see crying in the streets, and being told how high to jump, and are not indicative of the entire North Korean population. The NK government is well aware that it is necessary to modernise in order to survive, and Kim Jong-Un is already making movements along this path so soon into his rule. The problem of this being, that in order to rise above a basic agricultural and simple technology economy, then you need educated people. And the educated 'middle class' (which must necessarily grow), as proven many times in history, is almost always the progenitor of revolution. There have been reports in South Korean media of this happening already - of people who identify themselves as being members of a resistance by folding a picture of the 'dear leader' in half in their newspapers.

In my mind it is not a case of 'if' change is coming, but 'when' - the NK administration knows that it must try and change, otherwise the wave of revolution that is passing over the Middle East, most probably will find its way to Pyongyang.

Manchu wrote:

Ouze wrote:she's no Kate Upton.

They're not quite in the same league, are they? I mean, there are some pornstars who are very attractive but I don't think I'd compare them to legitimate actresses. Kate is simply at a higher tier than Upton.

gorgon wrote:She's a smidge too skinny, IMO.

Well, I love her just the way she is. Warts and all as they say (when using a cliche in the completely wrong context.)

I volunteer to check her over thoroughly for warts...

Careful now, that's the Duchess of Cambridge you're talking about!

LordofHats wrote:And now we all wonder how a ugly pudge face like him got such a hot wife. I'm betting its the money.

You think she's hot? Raise your standards man. She's mediocre at best for an Asian chick, and definitely sub-par compared to the competition (which, admittedly, is largely enhanced by discreet plastic surgery) coming out of South Korea. Like Manchu said, I wouldn't be surprised if she was chosen for a combination of political reliability and generic enough looks to facilitate replacement if necessary.