if you guys will quit replying to and even quoting basso, it will encourage him to take Obama hate to whole new quarters, like a cooking thread, a thread about a newborn, or even NBA Dish. Meanwhile, I have a buddy working in Seoul, and she says things are pretty tense right about now.
folks seem pretty shook up. Spoiler <iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pSWN6Qj98Iw?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
And Stalin in the USSR. I don't think it is completely faked. Even so, I suspect the environment augments these public displays of grief.
Yeah, they say the military in the south is preparing to defend. I live in an area with a lot of Koreans, they were following the story all day. My guess is his brother in law takes power shortly, then gives it to Kim Jong Un when he's ready. Switching power from the Kim dynasty to another family would cause a civil war.
I think it's because they've been cut off since the '50s. If they started it now, it wouldn't work, but back then, before internet, before TV or even radio was easily available, one can brianwash that generation and make sure their posterity falls in line.
Not an expert on NK politics, but perhaps China's history can serve as a comparison. When Mao died in 1976, his family members (wife Jiang Qing and nephew Mao Yuanxin) and cronies were quickly arrested by the military. However Mao's "annointed" successor Hua Guofeng, a man with no influence, was still kept and therefore Mao was never denounced the way Stalin was in USSR. Within a few years Hua was also officially ousted. Kim's son was educated in the West so one can expect NK to gradually open up if he is in power. However at the moment I believe conservative members (especially associated with the military) will still have the say on things. Will be interesting to see how things develop in NK.
I'm not as familar with China, so correct if I'm wrong when I say that the Kims have done a better job in building such a cult of personality, with Kim-il Jong and his father as gods. Plus, Mao was in charge for 33 years, the Kim family has been in charge almost double that, very few, if any North Koreans, know anything but life under their rule.
I think Mao was in power for only 1976-1949=27 years. He couldn't pass the power to his son because his lone surviving son Mao Anlong was mentally r****ded from childhood meningitis. I can't compare the 2 countries because I don't know NK that well, but something tells me China was worse. After all I have not heard of an entire nation of North Koreans murdering each other because all factions wanted to (in their imagination) protect the Great Leader. But that happened in China. I also think that compared to 1976 China, North Koreans today aren't as brainwashed, after all it's the 21st century. In 1976 China there were almost no foreigners or tourists. I know that many Chinese tourists today go to North Korea for tours (I personally almost had an opportunity about 10 years ago), as well as foreigners from other countries. (Just Google English teachers in North Korea.) Despite the lack of Internet, North Koreans still have computers and other electronic tools and I know many are able to receive South Korean radio. So while many are brainwashed, I also have confidence that a large fraction of the population has a basic idea of what the outside world looks like -- something that couldn't be said for 1976 China.
