North Korea's young dear leader? How greatful!!

[xomputer]

North Korea has, ironically, put Kim Jong Un's greatest weakness, his age, as the biggest advantage in the new regime.
Recently, Pyeongyang has begun a nation-wide propaganda, by calling Kim Jong Un as the 'Dear Leader', and praising him as a figure who has had extraordinary political perspectives since his youth.
And yet, no nation recognizes him as a leader...
If he were to be approved by both the people of North Korea and the international community, he would have to relinquish his dictatorship...

The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition): Daily News from Korea - Kim Jong-nam Says N.Korean Regime Won't Last Long

 

[waltky]

Lil' Kim pro'bly grateful its a false alarm...

Twitter, Weibo Light Up With Kim Jong Un Death Rumors
February 10th, 2012 - It could be nothing more than a rumor, but word on China's Twitter equivalent, Weibo, is that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has died in a possible coup.

The news, which would be a huge game-changer if true, has started to seep into Twitter, with MIT journalism instructor Seth Mnookin tweeting, "Rumor of assassination also floating around; no confirmation RT @KSHartnett Hearing word of #NorthKorea coup. Kim Jong Un on the run."

The news apparently spreading among traders, as journalist Harry Cole reports. But everybody with half a brain is treating the rumor with a good deal of suspicion. "Probably fake like last rumor of coup," tweeted Chinese journalist Joe Xu. Still, Xu pointed to some suspicious activity at the North Korean embassy in Beijing: "More rumors on #Weibo dealing with North Korea, usual number of cars at NK embassy, Kim Jong-un assassination attempt, etc."

Still, just the rumor's pretty fascinating, as Gawker points out. Kim Jong-Un's brother did predict his sibling wouldn't last long. But without any serious confirmation, it's too early to call him prescient.

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See also:

No evidence North Korean leader is dead
February 10th, 2012 - The U.S. intelligence community has found no evidence to suggest North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is dead, a senior U.S. official said Friday following posts on China's version of Twitter that claimed Kim had been assassinated while in Beijing.

U.S. intelligence officials have been looking into such rumors for more than a week, according to the official, who has direct knowledge of the latest U.S. analysis. "With that society you can never be 100% sure, but we just don't see any evidence of it," the official told CNN. "It's a closed society, but at this point we do not believe it's true."The preliminary analysis of the rumor suggests it is part of a "calculated effort to disrupt the economy of South Korea at a fragile time by suggesting things are going haywire up north," the official said.

Meanwhile, the official added, "there is no evidence of movement of North Korean forces or activity that you would associated with the turmoil of a calculated assassination."

Kim, who is believed to be in his late 20s, assumed the title of "supreme leader" after his father Kim Jong Il's death in December at the age of 69. Kim Jong Il had ruled the reclusive nation since 1994. The official pointed out that even during the recent peaceful transition of power, there were signs of troops being put on a higher state of alert.
Neither Chinese state media nor South Korea's Yonhap news agency addressed the rumor in their reporting.

No evidence North Korean leader is dead – CNN Security Clearance - CNN.com Blogs

 

[waltky]

China worried about situation on Korean peninsula...

China troubled by Pyongyang rocket launch plans
Apr 8,`12: China's foreign minister said Sunday that Beijing is troubled by North Korea's plans to launch a rocket and has urged more diplomacy to handle the situation, a measured response to a provocation that has unsettled the region.

Yang Jiechi said he discussed North Korea's launch plans during trilateral talks with his counterparts from Seoul and Tokyo in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo. Japan's defense minister has ordered missile units to intercept the North Korean rocket if it or its fragments threaten to hit Japan. Seoul has also warned it might shoot down any parts of the North Korean rocket heading for South Korean territory. "We considered and exchanged views about the situation on the Korean peninsula, including the announcement by the DPRK that they plan to launch a satellite," Yang told reporters at a press briefing, referring to the North by its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea says the rocket will carry a satellite into orbit to study crops and natural resources. "The Chinese side is troubled by the developments, and strongly encourages everyone involved on all sides, at high and low levels, to remain calm and reasonable," Yang said. "These issues need to be worked out in a diplomatic and peaceful manner." South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said at the briefing that the launch, planned for sometime between April 12-16, would represent a backward step for the North as they try to rejoin the international community. Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said the key result from the talks was a plan to continue to work together to stop the launch.

The Yonhap news agency reported Saturday that Kim told Yang during bilateral talks that Beijing should play a larger role in mediating international concerns over the launch and called for sanctions if Pyongyang goes through with it. The North Korean launch is meant as a showcase of national power and technology during celebrations of one of the country's most important days - the centennial of the April 15 birth of national founder Kim Il Sung.

Washington and others call the launch a cover to test missile systems that could target parts of the United States. While North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests, analysts don't believe it has yet mastered the technology needed to shrink a nuclear weapon and mount it onto a missile. North Korea has conducted three such launches since 1998. The last launch, in 2009, led to U.N. condemnation and the North walking away from six-nation nuclear disarmament talks; weeks later, Pyongyang carried out its second nuclear test.

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