#Kim Jong-nam assassination

[read-marx-and-lenin]

ooo, ooo, me next!

I support North Korea, but I’m relatively new to it - what’s the deal with the (alleged, at least) assassinations e.g. Kim Jong-nam?

Whether or not the DPRK was involved with Kim Jong-nam's death, there have been reports of Kim having received money from the CIA in exchange for information, so if that is true there could have been motive from either side to have him killed, either by the CIA to both dispose of a burned informant while pinning the blame on a foreign adversary (the claim was that Kim was killed by VX nerve agent, which is a very rare poison that the US has plenty of but the DPRK has never been alleged to have used before or since), or by the DPRK to get rid of a corrupt and treasonous individual working with the enemy against them.

In addition, the accusations by the ROK against the DPRK and claims of VX nerve agent were made before the autopsy was complete and before the body was positively identified as Kim Jong-nam. Malaysian police were never able to produce any evidence of DPRK involvement, even after allegedly attempting to bribe one DPRK citizen living in Malaysia at the time (Ri Jong-chol) into falsely confessing.

[fagnumopus]

If you're ever desperate for an icebreaker you can try "isn't it wild that Kim Jong Un's brother, Kim Jong-nam, was assassinated by two girls who were tricked by North Korean spies into poisoning him with the deadliest and most worldwide banned manmade toxin ever created in an airport for a YouTube prank?"

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 2.13 (after 1940)

1945 – World War II: The siege of Budapest concludes with the unconditional surrender of German and Hungarian forces to the Red Army. 1945 – World War II: Royal Air Force bombers are dispatched to Dresden, Germany to attack the city with a massive aerial bombardment. 1951 – Korean War: Battle of Chipyong-ni, which represented the "high-water mark" of the Chinese incursion into South Korea, commences. 1954 – Frank Selvy becomes the only NCAA Division I basketball player ever to score 100 points in a single game. 1955 – Israel obtains four of the seven Dead Sea Scrolls. 1955 – Twenty-nine people are killed when Sabena Flight 503 crashes into Monte Terminillo near Rieti, Italy. 1960 – With the success of a nuclear test codenamed "Gerboise Bleue", France becomes the fourth country to possess nuclear weapons. 1960 – Black college students stage the first of the Nashville sit-ins at three lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee. 1961 – An allegedly 500,000-year-old rock is discovered near Olancha, California, US, that appears to anachronistically encase a spark plug. 1967 – American researchers discover the Madrid Codices by Leonardo da Vinci in the National Library of Spain. 1975 – Fire at One World Trade Center (North Tower) of the World Trade Center in New York. 1978 – Hilton bombing: A bomb explodes in a refuse truck outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, killing two refuse collectors and a policeman. 1979 – An intense windstorm strikes western Washington and sinks a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) long section of the Hood Canal Bridge. 1981 – A series of sewer explosions destroys more than two miles of streets in Louisville, Kentucky. 1983 – A cinema fire in Turin, Italy, kills 64 people. 1984 – Konstantin Chernenko succeeds the late Yuri Andropov as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. 1990 – German reunification: An agreement is reached on a two-stage plan to reunite Germany. 1991 – Gulf War: Two laser-guided "smart bombs" destroy the Amiriyah shelter in Baghdad. Allied forces said the bunker was being used as a military communications outpost, but over 400 Iraqi civilians inside were killed. 1996 – The Nepalese Civil War is initiated in the Kingdom of Nepal by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist-Centre). 2001 – An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter magnitude scale hits El Salvador, killing at least 944. 2004 – The Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announces the discovery of the universe's largest known diamond, white dwarf star BPM 37093. Astronomers named this star "Lucy" after The Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". 2007 – Taiwan opposition leader Ma Ying-jeou resigns as the chairman of the Kuomintang party after being indicted on charges of embezzlement during his tenure as the mayor of Taipei; Ma also announces his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election. 2008 – Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd makes a historic apology to the Indigenous Australians and the Stolen Generations. 2010 – A bomb explodes in the city of Pune, Maharashtra, India, killing 17 and injuring 60 more. 2011 – For the first time in more than 100 years the Umatilla, an American Indian tribe, are able to hunt and harvest a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park, restoring a centuries-old tradition guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855. 2012 – The European Space Agency (ESA) conducted the first launch of the European Vega rocket from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. 2017 – Kim Jong-nam, brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, is assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. 2021 – Former U.S. President Donald Trump is acquitted in his second impeachment trial. 2021 – A major winter storm causes blackouts and kills at least 82 people in Texas and northern Mexico.

[chimaeraonwards]

okay I want to preface this by saying that I'm not an expert on North Korea or any sort of international relations, I'm just someone from the global south who has read a lot of news growing up and has a lot of opinions.

There are so many things I want to expand on from the posts before this one but I'll just stick to the hamburger thing.

I want to start with a common talking point that I see being brought up by many news outlets is how North Koreans call it "double bread with meat". Maybe I'm reading too much into this but many news outlets make it sound like they're alienating and dehumanizing North Koreans.

I can't find a legitimate consensus on the reasons why it's called "double bread with meat" - some reasons include English was banned in North Korea at the time and that there was no word equivalent word for hamburger so they had to make one up.

It drives me crazy to think about how the West uses the whole "double bread with meat" thing to ridicule North Koreans when to me that's just how language and etymology work??? Many would use a close description to make a new word when the word doesn't exist in a certain language. By the way, they're allowed to use the word hamburger now.

and North Koreans aren't the only people who change the names of foods to make them more palatable to the populace. Many countries around the world do the same thing. Here is a restaurant in Washington that rebranded the names of Indian food where thosai/dosa was renamed to crepes.

Does it make it any less funny to natives of the culture the food was from? Absolutely not - I remember laughing at the absurdity of calling thosai/dosas crepes. But can you laugh at/criticise this and not dehumanise the people who remarketed the food? Yeah, they're still people at the end of the day.

If you want to understand this phenomenon better, I would highly recommend reading this article about the Nacirema tribe.

I also want to add to @4dmc's post that Patrick Soh (apparently) has said that he does not currently receive any money from the restaurants. I wasn't able to find the primary source of his saying it but it's something to keep in mind with everything else I'm going to share.

So why does someone start a business in/business ties with a country like North Korea when they might not even be making money from it?

Here's where I think the difference between soft power and hard power lies.

hard power is using actions like sanctions and militaristic action as means of persuasion. soft power is the ability to persuade without coercion. you can gain soft power through things like music, pop culture, charities, etc.

more often than not, the West has always had the idea that to help oppressed people - violence or cultural destruction needs to be enacted. some examples are "free Palestine from Hamas" by carpet bombing them, "stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia" by sending troops to Vietnam, and "help aboriginals in Canada" by sending them to residential schools.

but let's look at how these organisations from 2 different countries have helped the North Korean people. I picked these 2 simply because I'm more familiar with these initiatives.

There is a social enterprise from Singapore called Choson Exchange that aims to train North Koreans in things like business and economic policy so that they can succeed on their own. their workshops have helped North Koreans start their own businesses including their starting own cafe.

A private Malaysian university gave Kim Jong Un an honorary doctorate in Economics. Sounds crazy but, it's true. But let's look at the big picture here. The North Korean Embassy was located near the university campus at the time. There were even North Korean students in that university, giving them access to higher education as international students (it was mostly children of diplomats). (of course, all of this fell apart after the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-un's estranged brother, at a Malaysian airport but that's a whole other thing)

Does this mean that North Korea is a utopia, free from criticism? Of course not.

But it comes back to my point here about soft and hard power. Who is more likely to influence policy changes in the North Korean government.

It makes me think about who do I think has made positive changes to the average North Korean's citizen quality of life? Is the the countries who wielded soft power or those who used hard power? Personally, i think if you really cared about the oppressed people in North Korea (or any oppressed group really), you need to ask yourself, how are you talking about them? How are you helping them?

Most people are not their governments (or whoever is in charge). They are regular people who want to own businesses, start families, study abroad, and so much more. If the whole world treated and punished all citizens as if they were representatives of their government, then I bet all US citizens would be the most sanctioned in the world.

The alienation and dehumanization of oppressed people is a reflection of you, not the oppressed people. Look at the daily lives of people before judging them based on the actions of their leaders.

The last thing I want everyone to think about is this quote from Patrick Soh, the actual guy who brought hamburgers to North Korea:

"I think what they really need are friends."

i saw the trailer for the new feel-good “anti-racist” US war movie about the carpet bombing of North Korea and started writing up something for this blog, partially inspired by the absolute shit storm i got for sharing that post i made with pictures of everyday life outside pyongyang

and then i gave up, because what’s the point? westerners can’t even handle a single picture of a north korean not looking miserable without screaming propaganda

meanwhile, there are no stories about the horrors of life in the ‘hermit kingdom’ that are deemed too outlandish to be believable. i can’t remember who said it, but it’s like the entire country has taken up permanent residence in the western imaginary as some silly little cartoon villain, where the leaders of the country does evil things for no discernible reason. they’re just silly and evil like that, and the citizens, of course, are silly, too. silly and brainwashed.

i watched a video recently of a tourists visiting an auto dealership in pyongyang, and the entire time he was just gawking at the employees and costumers, shoving his phone in their face, and confidently explaining to his youtube audience that everyone he’s interacting with are actually actors.

what level of dehumanization do you have to reach for that thought to even cross your mind? to think that the people you see before you are actors? that entire cities and shops are erected with to sole purpose that you, a western, will see them and be impressed?

what frustrates me the most is the casual cruelty that seeps into any mention of north korea, no matter how small. if north koreans are not being evil, they’re being silly.

a north korean newspaper reports that a group of archeologists in pyongyang have discovered an old rock carving with the words ‘unicorn lair’ (mistranslated), and the western press reports that north koreans now believe in unicorns.

a tourist at a hotel in hamhung is told by the receptionist to be careful at the beach: the waves can get high. that day the tourists goes to the beach, and there are no waves. she retells the story to her instagram followers, explaining that the poor woman at the hotel could never have seen real waves before because north koreans are probably never allowed to travel.

she adds a little teary-eyed emoji.

one of the cities i included in the post was sariwon, a densely populated city to the south of pyongyang. below are some pictures from its “folk customs street”, which was built to showcase old korean traditions and customs

here’s all wikipedia has to say about it

Built to display an ideal picture of ancient Korea, it includes buildings in the “historical style” and a collection of ancient Korean cannons. Although it is considered an inaccurate romanticized recreation of an ancient Korean street, it is frequently used as a destination for foreigners on official government tours. Many older style Korean buildings exist in the city.

it’s just north koreans being silly again. there’s no mention of what might motivate them to build a street like that — why the preservation of old customs, culture and architecture might somehow be important for the city

could it perhaps have something to do with how the U.S. air force dropped 635,000 tons of bombs, including 32,557 tons of napalm, over the korean peninsula during the war? the carpet bombings, which are now the topic of an upcoming hollywood movie about overcoming racism through warcrimes, destroyed an estimate of 85% of all buildings in north korea. some cities were entirely wiped off the map.

in sariwon they missed a few buildings, but not many — after an intense firebombing campaign the U.S. military estimated the destruction of sariwon to be at 95%.

none of this is mentioned on the wikipedia page for sariwon.

we destroyed entire cities. memory-holed the entire thing, called it the forgotten war. and now, 70 years later, we’re convincing ourselves that the people living in the ruins are actors.

and somehow the north koreans are the brainwashed ones

[jumpoffmyroof]

[crimeandcuriositieswrogerheilig]

Nerve Agent Nightmare

https://shows.acast.com/crime-and-curiosities-with-roger-heilig/episodes/nerve-agent-nightmarehttps://assets.pippa.io/shows/6671994894bae93358ed2736/1718822442187-0cd15cfcb41acd6f4718faf18c1abe10.jpegGet ready for a journey into the dark world of political intrigue and espionage. In our latest episode, we dive deep into the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. From his fall from grace to his shocking murder at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, this episode unpacks every twist and turn of this real-life spy thriller. Discover the deadly use of VX nerve agent, meet the unlikely assassins, and explore the geopolitical ramifications of this audacious hit. This is one story you won't want to miss. Listen now and uncover the full tale behind one of modern history's most shocking assassinations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[storyvault]

Kim Jong-Nam the conspiracy of Kim Jong-Un's brother's assassination by Cloud Story Kim Jong-Nam, Kim Jong-Un's brother, was assassinated. the mysterious circumstances surrounding his assassination and the implications it had on North Korean politics. via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX057ETf3H4

[sageglobalresponse]

5 popular Korean TV series stealing the hearts of Nigerians in 2024

Korean dramas capture Nigerians' hearts with their captivating stories, talented actors, and unique blend of genres.

K-dramas, the creative expression of Korean culture with a unique blend of drama, romance and humour, have captivated Nigerian viewers.

With their intriguing stories and distinctive mash-ups of genres, Korean TV shows have emerged as a prominent force.

It's not just the stories that captivate Nigerians. Korean shows boast a powerhouse of talented actors who bring these characters to life with remarkable authenticity.

Best Korean TV series in 2024

Here’s a list of Korean series that are particularly popular among Nigerians in 2024:

1. Queen of Tears (2024)

Synopsis: The series depicts the crisis and rekindling of love between Hong Hae-in, played by Kim Ji-won, a third-generation chaebol heiress of Queens Group, and Baek Hyun-woo, played by Kim Soo-hyun, the son of farmers from Yongdu-ri, and their three years of marriage.

Director: Jang Young-woo and Kim Hee-won

Cast: Park Sung-hoon, Kwak Dong-yeon, and Lee Joo-bin

Where to watch: Netflix

https://youtu.be/Gg2D8zrzlOA

2. Marry My Husband (2024)

Synopsis: The series begins in 2023 when Kang Ji-won played by Park Min-young, is terminally ill with gastric cancer. After catching her husband, Park Min-hwan played by Lee Yi-kyung, in bed with her best friend, Jeong Su-min, a scuffle ensues in which Ji-won is accidentally killed by Min-hwan.

Ji-won then awakens in the year 2013, having been sent back in time following the intervention of her late father's spirit. As she relives her life with the same knowledge and information as in the previous timeline, she discovers that to live a better life, she must transfer her misfortune to others. She then resolves to have Su-min marry Min-hwan to exact revenge and escape her miserable fate.

Cast: Na In-woo, Song Ha-yoon, and Lee Gi-kwang

Where to watch: Prime Video

https://youtu.be/lfJGSxXf9Xg

Director: Park Won-guk and Han Jin-seon

3. Doctor Slump (2024)

Synopsis: It is a romantic comedy series about the hate-turned-love relationship of Nam Ha-neul played by Park Shin-hye and Yeo Jeong-woo played by Park Hyung-sik, who had promising prospects in their careers, but fell into a slump due to different circumstances.

Ha-neul and Jeong-woo were high school rivals who despised each other and parted ways after high school. But when they are forced to quit their jobs as doctors, they end up living together at Ha-neul's house.

Cast: Yoon Park, Gong Seong-ha, and Oh Dong-min

Where to watch: Netflix

https://youtu.be/xCwAwwm4-sY

Director: Hyun Jong Oh

4. Love Song For Illusion (2024)

Synopsis: The story follows Yeon Wol played by Hong Ye-ji, who hides her identity and becomes an assassin to avenge her family. Her mission is to assassinate the king but she falls into a trap set by an unknown person. She wakes up the next day with no memory of her past and is appointed as the crown prince's concubine.

Director: Lee Jung-seob

Cast: Park Ji-hoon, Lee Joo-won, Hwang Hee, and Ji Woo

Where to watch: Viki

https://youtu.be/3vkGu5R1IKo

5. A Killer’s Paradox (2024)

Synopsis: The series follows the story of Lee Tang played by Choi Woo-shik, who was discharged from the army six months ago, struggles with his life and dreams of visiting Canada. He works at a convenience store and relies heavily on his parents for support.

One night, he is assaulted by a customer, leading to a violent confrontation and the subsequent murder of the customer. Tang is guilt-ridden and prepares to turn himself in, but discovers his victim was a serial killer.

Dutiful detective Jang Nan-gam, remains uncooperative and keeps investigating. It is unclear if Nan-gam is onto him, but Tang continues to kill, revealing his hidden talent for accidentally offending evildoers.

The story explores the question of whether Tang is serving justice or evading it.

Director: Lee Chang-hee

Cast: Son Suk-ku, Lee Hee-Joon, Kim Yo-han, and Jung Yi-seo

Where to watch: Netflix

https://youtu.be/X2rXQ0rEfPI

[intriguingpeoplebyangelafloyd]

KIM JONG-NAM

10 May 1971 - 13 February 2017

Kim Jong-nam who usually travels alone was assassinated at the Malaysian Airport in 2017 with nerve agent VX by two young women, most likely on his brother’s orders. A woman in white ran up to him and covered his mouth with a wet cloth; he started feeling dizzy and informed airport officials who took him to the medic. He was then slumped on a chair, and was taken to the hospital where he died.

            Four suspects left the airport and travelled back to Pyongyang. The two women, who directly murdered him, stated they were set up, after being told it was for a TV prank.

#kimjongnam #kimjongun #northkorea

[yhwhrulz]

Today's selected anniversaries: 13th February 2024

1891:

Frances Coles was killed in the last of eleven unsolved murders of women that took place in or near the impoverished Whitechapel district in the East End of London. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitechapel_murders

1961:

Geode prospectors near Olancha, California, discovered what they claimed to be a 500,000-year-old rock with a 1920s-era spark plug encased within (pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coso_artifact

2017:

Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was assassinated using VX nerve agent in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jong-nam

[saotome-michi]

Reblogging as there seems to be renewed interest on this case. Also recommend the author's article on Kim Jong Nam's assassination.

I encourage everyone to read this article. It is thoroughly researched and investigates the circumstances surrounding Otto Warmbier’s imprisonment and death, while also illustrating the spine-chilling cruelty of the North Korean government and how USA-North Korea relations have become what they are now. 

Otto Warmbier A”H

[kellymagovern]

Assassins (2020) dir. Ryan White

[businessinsider]

Mystery children and sibling rivalries — this is Kim Jong Un's family tree

[vilaspatelvlogs]

Kim Jong Un के सौतेले भाई Kim Jong Nam के 'हत्यारों' ने 'Assassins' डॉक्यूमेंट्री में सुनाई 'नई' कहानी

Kim Jong Un के सौतेले भाई Kim Jong Nam के ‘हत्यारों’ ने ‘Assassins’ डॉक्यूमेंट्री में सुनाई ‘नई’ कहानी

लॉस एंजिल्स: साल 2017 में नॉर्थ कोरिया के तानाशाह किम जोंग उन के सौतेले भाई किम जोंग नाम की मलेशिया की राजधानी कुआलालंपुर के इंटरनेशनल एयरपोर्ट पर नर्व एजेंट से हमला कर हत्या कर दी गई थी. इस मामले को लेकर अमेरिकी फिल्म डायरेक्टर और डॉक्यूमेंट्री मेकर रेयान व्हॉइट ने ‘असासिन्स’ नाम से एक डॉक्यूमेंट्री बनाई है, जिसमें किम जोंग नाम की हत्या से जुड़े कई पहलुओं की जांच की गई है. इस डॉक्यूमेंट्री में…