Another Update: I asked my brother via E-mail what he thinks is going on in the minds of the NK power elite right now. Here’s his answer:
They know the gig is up and and are wondering who is going to have to face trial at The Hague.
Could be….
Update: Meanwhile, back at the ranch….
Joshua Stanton at One Free Korea ruminates on the possibility that North Korea may be in the process of dis-disassembling its nuclear LEGO set.
At one point in his blog post, Stanton remarks on the State Department’s view that the North Korean behavior represents a mere “negotiating tactic.” Regarding a statement made by a DOS mouthpiece echoing that sentiment, Stanton says:
I hope you’ll agree that the State Department spokesman is quite clearly — to paraphrase a vulgar expression — talking out of the exit ramp of his alimentary canal.
Lovely!
Original Post: Hot from MSNBC News Services:
SEOUL, South Korea - A U.S. intelligence official said North Korean leader Kim Jong Il may have suffered a stroke, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
North Korea celebrated its 60th birthday with a triumphal military parade on Tuesday just as the hermit state appears to be backing away from a disarmament deal, but analysts questioned why leader Kim failed to appear.
South Korea’s military said the North had been massing weapons for days to show them off in its capital in a spectacle that followed a report Kim may be seriously ill.
South Korea’s largest daily, the Chosun Ilbo, said Kim, 66 and suspected of suffering from chronic illness, collapsed last month, citing a South Korean diplomatic source in Beijing.
Kim failed to show up for the anniversary parade that featured displays of armaments, legions of goose-stepping soldiers and tens of thousands of fawning North Koreans shouting praises to him in unison, according to a North Korea state TV broadcast monitored in Seoul.
Kim, as leader, attended the parades for the 50th and 55th anniversary of the state founded by his father Kim Il-sung.
If this is true, it could have profound implications for the stability of the North Korean regime—and for the entire Korean Peninsula, as a result.
This is news worth watching.
Technorati Tags: South Korea, U.S. intelligence official, North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il, stroke, North Korea, 60th birthday, military parade, hermit state, disarmament deal, South Korea, seriously ill, Chosun Ilbo, chronic illness, collapsed last month, diplomatic source in Beijing, anniversary parade, Kim Il-sung
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