Kim Jong Un Given 4-Star General Status at age 28

  • Context: News 
  • Thread starter Thread starter mugaliens
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Age General
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the recent elevation of Kim Jong Un to a 4-star general status at a young age, exploring themes of North Korean leadership, societal conditions, and the implications of dynastic succession. Participants share their reactions to the news, comment on North Korea's political climate, and reference related media.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express embarrassment and concern over the political situation in North Korea, likening it to Orwellian themes.
  • Several participants recommend the documentary "Welcome to North Korea," describing it as an eye-opener regarding the regime's impact on its citizens.
  • There are claims that the deaths of South Korean sailors may have been politically motivated to bolster Kim Jong Un's image.
  • Some participants speculate on Kim Jong Un's potential differences from his father, suggesting that his Western education might influence his leadership style.
  • Others argue that the ignorance of the North Korean populace is a result of the regime's control, rather than a lack of exposure to the West by the leaders.
  • There are discussions about the motivations behind dictatorships, with some suggesting that belief systems are chosen for governance rather than personal conviction.
  • Participants mention Kim Jong-nam's opposition to dynastic succession, raising questions about the future leadership of North Korea.
  • Some express skepticism about the likelihood of positive change under Kim Jong Un, fearing he may perpetuate the oppressive legacy of his predecessors.
  • Concerns are raised about the potential for continued poverty and suffering among the North Korean people if leadership does not change significantly.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants exhibit a range of views, with some expressing hope for change under Kim Jong Un while others remain skeptical about the potential for improvement in North Korea's political and social conditions. No consensus is reached regarding the implications of his promotion or the future of the regime.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various media sources and personal experiences, but the discussion is marked by speculation and differing interpretations of the political landscape in North Korea. There are unresolved questions about the motivations and beliefs of the leaders involved.

mugaliens
Messages
197
Reaction score
1
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100928/ap_on_re_as/as_nkorea_succession" .

How embarrassing!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
mugaliens said:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100928/ap_on_re_as/as_nkorea_succession" .

How embarrassing!

Did you see the news reports, the video footage. Chilling stuff - straight out of Orwell's 1984. What a place !
 
Last edited by a moderator:
alt said:
Did you see the news reports, the video footage. Chilling stuff - straight out of Orwell's 1984. What a place !

You have to watch the documentary "Welcome to North Korea". Really is an eye opener
 
airborne18 said:
You have to watch the documentary "Welcome to North Korea". Really is an eye opener

Thanks - I've heard of it but haven't seen it. I'll see if I can get it.
 
I bet the 46 South Korean sailors died so that the young general could prove himself.
 
what said:
I bet the 46 South Korean sailors died so that the young general could prove himself.

I wouldn't put it past that regime.

airborne18 said:
You have to watch the documentary "Welcome to North Korea". Really is an eye opener

It's available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=welcome+to+north+korea+documentary&aq=1". You even have two options, all 53 minutes at once, or broken into six parts!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Just finished the Welcome to North Korea documentary. It was filmed in 2001, two years before I moved to S. Korea.

Unbelievable. I was going to say "sad," but "pathetic" more aptly describes what that government has done to the people of that country. They citizenry are so brainwashed it's likely they honestly believe that Kim Jong Un is a diety and deserves his promotion.

ETA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_268_pBvPs&feature=fvw".
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Not surprising, but maybe not bad either. Kim Jong Il is crazier than most... maybe Un will just be messianic and monomaniacal, but slightly more predictable. Here's to hoping.
 
nismaratwork said:
Not surprising, but maybe not bad either. Kim Jong Il is crazier than most... maybe Un will just be messianic and monomaniacal, but slightly more predictable. Here's to hoping.

One possible 'hope' is that Un has been educated it the West, and having being thus subjected to Western 'decadence', might find it preferable to the alternative extant in his country.
 
  • #10
alt said:
One possible 'hope' is that Un has been educated it the West, and having being thus subjected to Western 'decadence', might find it preferable to the alternative extant in his country.

Which surprises me. You'd think he'd have been kept on a tight leash.
 
  • #11
I don't think it's ignorance of the west that drives Kim Jong Il... just his people. After all, he enjoys liquor and movies... presumably he wanted to share the same stuff with his kid. It's the NK people who are in the dark.
 
  • #12
nismaratwork said:
I don't think it's ignorance of the west that drives Kim Jong Il... just his people. After all, he enjoys liquor and movies... presumably he wanted to share the same stuff with his kid. It's the NK people who are in the dark.

Yes, but wouldn't you say kept in the dark by Il and his regime ? The old commie mentality that he's been brought up with, educated in, dies not at all (liquor, movies, and naked romps with nubile NK chicks notwithstanding).

I have generally noted though, that where a person is educated makes for a good dose of his formative years. Therefore, I was remarking that Un, though strident as his father might be on the outside, might have a different set of values on the inside - having a good taste of the West in his formative years.

Then again ..
 
  • #13
I have always believed that dictators pick a belief system primarily as a governing strategy and that it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with their actual beliefs.

Edit...for that matter, don't all politicians do that?
 
  • #14
russ_watters said:
I have always believed that dictators pick a belief system primarily as a governing strategy and that it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with their actual beliefs.

Edit...for that matter, don't all politicians do that?

Yes, and yes... in my view and experience.
 
  • #15
nismaratwork said:
I don't think it's ignorance of the west that drives Kim Jong Il... just his people. After all, he enjoys liquor and movies... presumably he wanted to share the same stuff with his kid. It's the NK people who are in the dark.

How much you want to bet he and his son have unlimited Internet access? (smirk)
 
  • #16
Interestingly, I heard this story on the BBC this morning -

Kim Jong-il son speaks out against North Korean successionKim Jong-nam says he opposes hereditary transfer of leadership after younger half-brother tipped to become next ruler
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/12/kim-jong-il-son-opposes-dynasty

North Korea leader's eldest son 'opposes dynasty' Kim Jong-nam has said in the past that he has "no interest" in succeeding his father The eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il says he opposes a dynastic succession that would see his younger half-brother take power.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11520566

Maybe there is hope for the North Koreans. :rolleyes:
 
  • #17
Of course he's opposed, if his brother is being chosen ahead of him.
 
  • #18
G037H3 said:
Of course he's opposed, if his brother is being chosen ahead of him.
Apparently he didn't want it. He'd prefer to hang out in Macao.
 
  • #19
Afraid of assassination or an uprising. :P
 
  • #20
Maybe he doesn't have the stomach to play the role he'd need to. It's one thing to benefit from the setup in another country... it's another to play "the great ruler" at home. I'm kind of baffled that anyone would want to run a country when they can have money and freedom as an alternative.
 
  • #21
nismaratwork said:
Maybe he doesn't have the stomach to play the role he'd need to. It's one thing to benefit from the setup in another country... it's another to play "the great ruler" at home. I'm kind of baffled that anyone would want to run a country when they can have money and freedom as an alternative.

There's this incredible concept called civic/societal responsibility. There hasn't been any in 65 years, but it is still a concept.
 
  • #22
From Astro's Guardian link:

He said he hoped Kim Jong-un would "do his best to bring abundance to the lives of North Koreans" and that he was ready to help from abroad.

Lol...
 
  • #23
lisab said:
From Astro's Guardian link:



Lol...

moral support! lol
 
  • #24
I'm so glad the entire world can read this thread!

Except, perhaps, the unbelievably isolated N. Korea. What an incredible contrast to the unbelievably open S. Korea. NK: poorest internet access on the planet. SK: most advanced internet access on the planet.

Perhaps the younger son was chosen because the older took one look at his legacy and said, "no way!"

I hope the younger son follows the older son's rationality.

One can only hope. And if it's not rationality, then perhaps integrity, righteousness, even simply "doing the right thing." Hopefully the younger one hasn't been so mindlessly brainwashed he's unable to make his own decisions. Perhaps that's what happened to their father, and it's not him, but the ruling military regime which puppets (how's that for an action verb?) a leader.

Oh, joy. Look what misery it's bought their people.

If the younger is either incapable or unwilling to accept the horrific legacy of his father and grandfather, then he will most certainly doom yet another generation of millions to gross, inescapable, abstract poverty resulting in the deaths of many more millions.

Let us all, please hope and pray, he is not that stupid.
 

Similar threads

News Is Kim Jong-un Paving the Way for Peace with South Korea?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
News Kim Jong-un, China's Deng Xiaoping & North Korea's Reforms
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
News Bush Admin Targets Kim Jong Il's iPods, TVs
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
News What Secrets Does ESCAPING NORTH KOREA Reveal About Life Under Kim Jong-il?
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
4K
Ready for university by Grade 10 or age 16 yrs?
  • · Replies 36 ·
2
Replies
36
Views
10K
Undergrad Does Special and General Relativity Affect Aging of Apollo Astronauts?
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
4K
News Flash: All-nighters may not improve grades
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
News Should the World Intervene in North Korea?
  • · Replies 31 ·
2
Replies
31
Views
7K
News DHS radiological cleanup: 10rem/year for general public?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
Graduate How is mass distribution understood within the LCDM cosmological model?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
4K