North Korea could be on the verge of a famine similar to the one in the 1990s estimated to have killed well over one million people, according to video footage recently smuggled out of the isolated and mysterious country.
The video was surreptitiously filmed by a North Korean journalist and smuggled to Japan via China. Australian Broadcasting Corp. was the first to acquire the footage, according to the Washington Post.
In the video, young children blackened with dirt beg for food, including an eight-year-old boy who tells the reporter, “My father died and my mother left me. I sleep outdoors.” The boy is one of many orphans in the country whose parents died of starvation or in forced labor camps.
The army, too, is starting to go hungry, with one soldier saying that he estimates half of of the soldiers are malnourished. The state no longer has any rations to give them. In the video, a party official demands a donation of rice from a stallholder, who protests that his business is bad.
The illicit drug trade is booming in towns along North Korea’s border with China as the cash-strapped country desperately looks for steady sources of income, according to a recent report by Newsweek.
“Selling ice is the easiest way to make money,” says Shin Dong Hyuk, who was born in a North Korean concentration camp in 1982 and escaped to South Korea in 2005. Every defector, he added, “knows about ice.”
The number of people addicted to methamphetamine is skyrocketing, according to the article. Many use the drug as a substitute for more expensive prescription drugs.
“People with chronic disease take it until they’re addicted,” says one worker for a South Korea-based NGO, who requested anonymity in order to avoid jeopardizing his work with defectors. “They take it for things like cancer. This drug is their sole form of medication,” says the NGO worker, who has interviewed hundreds of defectors in the past three years.
A former bicycle smuggler who defected in 2009 told NEWSWEEK of seeing a doctor administering meth to a friend’s sick father. “He took it and could speak well and move his hand again five minutes later. Because of this kind of effect, elderly people really took to this medicine.”
In addition, Newsweek said meth offers an escape that might not otherwise be possible.
As Shin puts it: “There’s so little hope in North Korea—that’s why ice is becoming popular. People have given up.”
The United States has many prescription drug addiction treatment programs that help those who are hooked on their painkillers or antidepressants. Other countries, however, have no programs in place for that specific addiction.
UN Gives Ban Second Term With Unanimity
JoongAng Daily
Ban Ki-moon secured a second term as secretary-general of the United Nations after the United Nations General Assembly unanimously re-elected him Tuesday, according to the JoongAng Daily.
“By acting decisively to renew my mandate, you have given the gift of time – time to carry on the important work that, together, we have begun,” Ban said after taking the oath of office at the UN on Tuesday, New York time. “Together, no challenge is too large. Together, nothing is impossible.”
The second term for Ban, who ran for reelection unopposed, will span Jan. 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2016.
The decision came on the heels of a recommendation last week by members of the Security Council that South Korea’s former foreign minister be re-appointed. Ban has been in office since January 2007.
Iris member Lee Eun Mi stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend
allkpop
A 24-year-old Korean pop singer was found dead of multiple stab wounds inflicted by her ex-boyfriend, according to an article published by allkpop.
Saheung police revealed that they had issued an arrest warrant for Cho for stabbing Lee several times while she was on her way home.
Investigations revealed that the two had discussed marriage plans before Lee broke off their relationship, causing Cho to feel overrun by anger which eventually ended in murder.
Cho, 28, was later arrested at a rest stop, according to the article.
Panavision Ups Suh to Prexy-CEO
Variety
The motion picture equipment maker named John Suh president and chief executive on Wednesday.
Suh, formerly the chief financial officer overseeing the company’s North American business and responsible for worldwide operations, joined Panavision in March 2007. He spent more than 15 years at Technicolor, working in finance and strategic planning, before joining Panavision.
Trippy webcomic from Derek Kirk Kim relaunches
USA Today
The Korean-American cartoonist is back to updating his thrice-weekly Web comic Tune.
The complex premise, as condensed by the publisher: “Tune is a sci-fi slice-of-life romantic comedy adventure of inter-dimensional proportions. When art school dropout Andy Go resigns himself to a lackluster day job, he unknowingly corners himself into a life of incarceration. In a parallel universe.”
Defectors Report N. Korea Jail Abuse
AFP via Yahoo News
A group of North Korean defectors filed a complaint with South Korea’s human rights organization, saying they were abused in two North Korean prisons, according to news reports.
One case involved a woman, who fled to China to escape hunger only to be captured, repatriated and imprisoned at the Jongori prison. She was pregnant when she was jailed.
“She was forcibly injected for abortion but the baby came out alive. Then prison guards killed the baby,” Secretary General Kim Hee-Tae of the Meeting of Promotion for North Korea Human Rights told AFP.
In another case, a defector alleged he had seen around 800 dead bodies during an 18-month jail term in the Jungsan County prison between 2000 and 2001.
Malnutrition, disease and abuse were the likely causes of death, the former prisoner said, adding that the prison was filled four times higher than capacity. Continue Reading »
North Korea Recruits Hackers at School
Al Jazeera
Two defectors: a former hacker and a hacking teacher say North Korea is shoring up its cyber-warfare units to battle its southern rival as well as the United States.
Following an expedited two-year program at university, students are sent to China or Russia for about one year to solidify their knowledge of hacking and and other technical skills. After the overseas training, they are placed in various warfare units to serve as “cyber-warriors”, Kim said.
The publication said the cyber-warfare unit had its agency status upgraded last year which prompted a boost in hackers from 500 to approximately 3,000.
These “cyberwarriors” are provided with the best environment, and if they graduate with top grades, their parents in the provinces are given the opportunity to live in Pyongyang, Kim said, citing verified information from his former students who are still operating as hackers in the North.
Photo via Al Jazeera
Korea’s Food Identity Crisis
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star‘s food editor published a long piece on the country’s food “quandary” as the government seeks to promote global popularity on the scale of China and Japan.
“There’s a disconnect between what the Korean government is trying to promote and what people are eating at home.”
Photo via Toronto Star
‘Secrets of New York’ host Kelly Choi likes digging deep into forgotten stories of the city
New York Daily News
Kelly Choi is hosting a new show on NYC TV called Secrets of New York, which uses archival photos and vintage footage to tell stories about New York City that you might have forgotten about.
Choi may be best-known for her work in the food arena, first as host of “Eat Out New York” on NYC and Bravo’s “Top Chef.” On “Secrets,” though, Choi conveys a mysterious image by wearing black, thanks to help from designer Natalia Danilova.
“I’m imparting that information in an intriguing way,” she says. “I purposely wear a deep red lipstick. I appreciate the visual aspect. Whatever works to get me in the mood for that, I’m open to.”
Photo via NY Daily News
Norristown eyed as potential location for South Korean university (video)
The Times Herald (Pa.)
South Korea’s Dongseo University is considering opening up an annex campus in Pennsylvania.
Congressman Jim Gerlach and Montgomery County Commissioners Joe Hoeffel and Bruce Castor were among those who convened on Monday afternoon to show their support for an East Coast annex of the major private university in South Korea that provides education in a wide spectrum of majors including IT, Film & Image, Design, Engineering and Communication.
Tumblr Founder Loves Kim Jong Il Blog
CNN
The founder of the popular publishing tool was profiled by CNN and mentioned that one of his favorite blogs is Kim Jong Il Looking at Things. It’s exactly what you would expect. Pretty hilarious, actually.
‘Maria the Korean Bride’ married 50 times in every State
International Business Times
Performance artist Maria Yoon staged mock weddings in all 50 states. Continue Reading »
U.S. Pressing Its Crackdown Against Leaks
New York Times
The U.S. government charged Stephen J. Kim with unauthorized disclosure of national defense information earlier this year. They claim he divulged classified information to a journalist in 2009.
Kim, an arms expert who immigrated from South Korea as a child, spent a decade briefing top government officials on the dangers posed by North Korea. Then last August he was charged with violating the Espionage Act — not by aiding some foreign adversary, but by revealing classified information to a Fox News reporter
Photo via NY Times
Alleged N. Korean police document reports case of cannibalism
Yonhap News
Anecdotal evidence of cannibalism in famine-stricken areas emerged during the food shortages of the mid 1990s. I guess it’s back.
In one account, a male guard who could not bear his hunger killed his colleague using an ax, ate some of the human flesh and sold the remainder in the market by disguising it as mutton, the report said, without giving any further details such as when the alleged crime occurred.
South Korean pastor tends an unwanted flock
Los Angeles Times
In a country that prizes physical perfection, Pastor Lee Jong-rak, his eyes opened after caring for his own disabled son, has been taking in unwanted infants, who if not for his drop box would be left in the street.
Photo via LA Times
Couple found dead on Clinton Ave. identified
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Rochester [N.Y.] police today released the names of a couple found dead in their southeast Rochester apartment over the weekend.
The couple’s adult son found his mother, Yonhwa Kim, 47, who had been fatally stabbed in her torso, in the living room of the upstairs apartment, said Rochester Police Officer Stephen Scott.
Wonkyung Seo, 53, was found dead in the attic, according to police. He had apparently hanged himself, Scott said.
**UPDATE**
The couple was revealed to be North Korean refugees who moved to upstate New York about a year-and-a-half ago, according to local ABC affiliate WHAM.
Mr. Seo attended Rochester Onnuri Church and according to Pastor Jin Kyu Kim, Mr. Seo’s two sons, both in their twenties, escaped to China first. Mr. Seo and his wife followed soon after. The family reunited and was able to get refugee status and move to the United States.
South Korean military apologizes for firing at commercial jet
CNN
The South Korean military apologized Monday for shooting at a commercial airplane carrying 119 passengers and crew.
The Asiana Airlines flight was preparing to land Friday morning at Incheon International Airport, 70 kilometers (43 miles) west of Seoul, when two soldiers fired at the aircraft after mistaking it for a North Korean military jet.
New legislation for dual citizenship signals a new era for Korean adoptees
Yonhap News
Kim Yoo-shin regained his Korean citizenship in April, 36 years after he was adopted by a family in the United States when he was one year old. He is one of the first adoptees to benefit from a new Korean law that allows dual nationality.
In other words, Kim is a Korean-American — and vice versa.
“It means that the Korean government is trying to improve its relationship with overseas Korean adoptees,” Kim said in a recent interview, adding that obtaining dual citizenship means regaining part of his identity while still being able to retain his American heritage.
House of Worship: Jenny Kang’s Easy-Chic Apartment
shelterpop Continue Reading »
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One of the the biggest Asian cinema events to hit Southern California opens on May 10. The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, presented by Visual Communications, features the latest works by established and emerging filmmakers, along with seminars, panel discussions and symposiums on topics relevant to Asian Pacific cinema.
Opening Night features “Shanghai Calling,” directed by Daniel Hsia and starring Korean American Daniel Henney, who plays a Chinese American expat lawyer navigating his way through the mean streets of Shanghai (the picture above also indicates he is a raisin smuggler). But does he take off his shirt? Go watch the movie to find out! read more
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