Did you know that last month was Kim Jong Il’s sengil (생일) or birthday?  His birthday is a national holiday.  Kim Jong Il’s birthday was accompanied by a ceremony much like the mass games for the Olympics.  There were synchronized swimmers, acrobatic dancers, and muscians.  Strangely enough, Kim Jong Il (생일) was not present at the games and there is some speculation that he might have suffered a stroke.  He has yet to name a successor, and it’s understandable as to why Hilary Clinton made one of her first trips to South Korea.  The future of North Korea and the future of the nuclear weapons program may lie in the hands of one of Kim Jong Il’s (김정일) sons.

What are the mass games?  The mass games consist of traditional Korean dances and music with lavish displays of acrobatic acts.  It’s a rare chance for Western media to take a glimpse into North Korea, because it’s really the only time in the year that the North Korean government is this open to foreigners.  There is still a huge security clearance that Western journalists need to go through to get to the North, but hey, it’s a rare chance, so you could say it’s almost worth it.  My guess is that the North Korean government is using the mass games as a way to display their power.  One of the highlights of the mass games is a military parade consisting of very disciplined soldiers all marching in a single, neat order.  The North Korean military is called the Korean People’s Army (저선인민군) and the games are a means to publicize the army.

Let me tell you more about Kim Jong Il (김정일).  He is not addressed by his name- at least not by his own people.  He is addressed as “Dear Leader” (친애아는 지도자).  Of course there were many well wishers who congratulated Kim Jong Il’s (김정일) sixty-seventh birthday.  He’s certaintly lived a long life, considering the average age of mortality for men in North Korea is 40 years.  Ironically he was born in Russia under the name Yuri.  Of course this fact is hidden from his people but anyway, he has three sons, by three different women.  I guess you could say he’s been very “busy” in that sense.

When much of North Korea is suffering from famine, disease, poor housing infrastructure and the like, he lives in very lavish mansions, 17 to be exact, in addition to several holiday lodges.  He’s been known to import caviar and expensive wines through airlift planes.  I’m going to leave you to make your own conclusions as to whether he’s a “benevolent leader” but I think it’s already pretty clear.  All I’m going to say is that he reminds me a lot of Saddam Hussein…