Kim Jong-il snuck into China on Sunday, and while nobody quite knows what he’s up to there, people figure he went to a) demand more money from Beijing and b) get the low down on what Cheney told Chinese President Hu Jintao and perhaps offer some ideas of his own concerning all the commotion surrounding his nuclear program. If you’re keen to read about another “imminent breakthrough,” either in the nuclear issue or North Korea’s economic reforms, I direct you to the following:
- Korea Times: NK, China Discuss Nuclear Crisis, Aid
- Korea Herald: Kim Jong-il meets Hu in China
- Joongang Ilbo: Kim’s China focus: aid, alliance
- Chosun Ilbo: N. Korean Leader Kim Jong-il Meets Chinese President Hu Jintao
Most of those dailies have editorials on the trip, too. Feel free to read them. This Chosun Ilbo editorial cartoon, however, pretty much sums up how I feel about the whole thing:
As Kim Jong-il takes his special train across the Yalu River to China, North Korean defectors swimming in the same direction ask, “What?s he going to do in China? He never learns anything there.”
Speaking of defectors, four of them were apparently arrested as they tried to enter the South Korean consulate in Qingdao:
A Foreign Affairs Ministry official explained, ?A male and three females suddenly ran into the civil affairs room of the consulate. Chinese guards suspected they were dangerous people and handed them over to the Chinese security police… They did not reply when they were arrested and our diplomats did not witness the event.”
Strangely enough, MOFAT officials never seem to be on hand to witness things when defectors and refugees are involved. MOFAT did manage, however, to voice concern today over Israel’s assassination of Hamas head Abdel Aziz Rantisi on Saturday. Of course, when a defector gets shot trying to cross the Chinese border into Mongolia on April 3, it takes MOFAT until April 16 just to confirm that the incident happened (and only because the press broke the story first), and then it accepted without question the Chinese explanation that the shooting occurred accidentally when the refugees tried to grab a Chinese border guard’s weapon (to MOFAT’s “credit,” it did manage to quietly express “regret” to Chinese authorities).
11 Comments
As far as I know, it is still policy in North Korea to immediately execute people who were caught trying to defect to South Korea (as opposed to simply being in China) So these young people are now quite possibly dead. Thank you, Hu Jintao and ‘Dear Leader’.
We all need to think about that next time we decide where to invest or spend our money. Lets vote ‘No’ on ‘Made in China’ and ‘No’ on ‘Made in Korea’ items and Chinese AND Korean stocks and securities.
I’m gathering that they were already inside the embassy?
And the Chinese ‘guards’ were simply *allowed* by the South Korean embassy staff to take them away to their deaths????
I can’t say what effect Korean opprobrium, or lack thereof, has on Israel. I sorta doubt that Israel really cares about Korean reaction, however.
When I saw the title I thought you were talking about the Fatman in Seoul guy who hasn’t updated his blog in over a week.
Tony, Israel cares about nothing else than the USA, where it gets around $ 2.5 billion per anno for its defense budget.They don’t give a fuck for Palestinians or other Arabs, Europeans, Asians, Africans, Latin Americans, Marsians or whatsoever! But that doesn’t mean, that you could let the corrupt ‘butcher of Sabra and Shatila’ Ariel Sharon freak out unhindered in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank.
Btw, that doesn’t mean, that I have any sympathies for totally corrupt ex-terrorist Arafat or the worse suicide butchers of the Hamas or Djihad-al-Islami.
Chris,
go to Wal-Mart and take a look at their shelves. Without ‘Made in China’-stuff, many Americans would walk half-naked through the streets (of Philadelphia). Nearly 400 of all US Fortune 500 companies are investing or have invested heavily in the Chinese market. It’s not that simple algorithm: by avoiding all Chinese-made products in the US market, you’re also automatically hurting US investors, owners and shareholders of those China-based manufacturing and production plants.
Marmot -
Thanks for alerting me to that ascerbic cartoon in the Chosun, a paper I read daily but sometimes miss the fun stuff. I referred to the cartoon today in an analysis on how hopeful South Korean reports of expected breakthroughs (nuclear or economic reform) during Kim’s visit to China clash with the experience of his past trips.
Korea bloggers are a valuable part of the process of gathering and analysing news. Bloggers like you, the Flying Yangban, Oranckay and others (not to slight anyone by omission) are never merely whistling in the dark. Keep it up!
P.E.
Sugar, my bro,
You never fail to impress and amuse me
Thanks for the encouragement, Mr. Eckert. Nice to know the role our blogs serve isn’t entirely negative
‘..automatically hurting us investors, owners and shareholders…’ Sugar Shin
you forgot the us consumer, Mr Sugar Shin. i wonder if chris understands that the consumer benefits when he can buy a product cheaper. with the money he saves, he’ll spend it somewhere else or save it for another time. i’m surprised he does not understand such a basic principle of economics.
Mr Sugar Shin, do you watch korean movies?
******
‘have a good day, people. oh, and be careful; it’s a jungle out there.’ capt somebody at the hill street station
‘you can only see the light when you let go of the darkness.’ hyokkoseh, enlightened being, 878CE, shilla
Without ‘Made in China’-stuff, many Americans would walk half-naked through the streets (of Philadelphia).
This was my not so subtile reference to American consumers. Thought it would be self-explanatory.
It’s not easy to get Korean movies (legally, without the help of the dsl-copy-download-community) here in Germany, only through dubious overpriced channels. I’m going to watch the Kim Ki-Duk release of “Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter…and again Spring”. Received jubilant reviews in German dailies. Like many Western intellectuals also the German dudes tend to admire the “mysterious” Buddhism theme (clich??).
sorry for the oversight, Sugar Shin.
i have not seen the movies of kim ki duk but i’m thinking of giving his movies a try.
Mr. Shin Jong-Il,
The earlier radical, violent works of him haven’t received such appraisal from the German press bunch, like “The Isle” or “Bad Guy”.
I’m looking forward to watch “Untold Scandal” - as you have recommended elsewhere, the baroque, splendid Korean setting based on the famous French novel got even more applause here in Europe than “Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter…”.
Have a good day.
PING:
TITLE: Beijing Still Too Dictator-Friendly For Washington’s Health
BLOG NAME: Kamelian X-Rays
I can empathize with The Marmot’s disillusionment on the occasion of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s visit to China. Its ironic, though, that westerners, like Rebecca MacKinnon (here and here), and (oh, I’ll be foolishly optimistic about this, for the
PING:
TITLE: Beijing Still Too Dictator-Friendly For Washington’s Health
BLOG NAME: Kamelian X-Rays
I can empathize with The Marmot’s disillusionment on the occasion of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s visit to China. Its ironic, though, that westerners, like Rebecca MacKinnon (here and here), and (oh, I’ll be foolishly optimistic about this) South …
PING:
TITLE: Eyes on Korea: 2004-05-11
BLOG NAME: Winds of Change.NET
Today’s Headings Include: The DPRK (North Korea); The ROK (South Korea, incl. elections coverage); US-ROK Issues (incl. Iraq); and random Korea stuff, from photos to sports to religion
PING:
TITLE: Eyes on Korea: 2004-05-11
BLOG NAME: Winds of Change.NET
Today’s Headings Include: The DPRK (North Korea); The ROK (South Korea, incl. elections coverage); US-ROK Issues (incl. Iraq); and random Korea stuff, from photos to sports to religion
PING:
TITLE: Eyes on Korea: 2004-05-11
BLOG NAME: Winds of Change.NET
Today’s Headings Include: The DPRK (North Korea); The ROK (South Korea, incl. elections coverage); US-ROK Issues (incl. Iraq); and random Korea stuff, from photos to sports to religion