Monday, January 05, 2004
THE LATEST IN P'YONGYANGOLOGY:
Agence France-Presse ("KIM JONG-IL ENDING A YEAR IN THE DARK," Tokyo, 12/29/03) reported that Radiopress, a Tokyo news agency which monitors North Korean affairs, has reported that official media in the DPRK had carried 86 items related to Kim's public activities from January 1 to December 25. The number was down from 117 for the same period last year. For 49 days in February, March and April, Kim was absent from official media at the height of the US-led war on Iraq. It was his longest absence from media exposure since he became head of the Workers Party in 1997. Although the number of reports on his public appearances decreased, his military-related activities rose by 24 to 56, accounting for 65 percent of the total, underlining his so-called "military-first" politics, Radiopress said. On December 24, the Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim inspected army units "almost every day and took good care of servicemen's life," leaving him and his soldiers in "perfect harmony."What does all of this mean? Absolutely nothing!
