22-14=?... The Mystery of the "New Camp"

There's far too much groundless speculation about North Korea going on in the world today, even more than we had all become accustomed to. So let me say one thing about this link: satellite photos do not confirmation make, and I am reserving judgement.

However! One thing is for sure: a "completely controlled zone" such as Camp 22 is what British people subjected to the rule of Prime Minister David Cameron might recognize as a "Ronseal deal"... in other words, it does exactly what it says on the tin. That does not include freedom, and they must therefore have gone somewhere.

New Year, Same Old Fog

The endless analysis of the first televised New Year's address by Kim Jong-un means that whoever wrote it achieved his or her aim. Here's some more. The take away: 

Scholars such as Patrick McEachern, the author of Inside the Red Box: North Korea’s Post-Totalitarian Politics, are right to assume that much about North Korea has rusted heavily since the 1970s when, as Suh notes, Kim Il-sung fully consolidated what could legitimately be called his totalitarian rule over North Korea. However, arguably less has changed than many scholars seem keen to believe, and this is why all it takes is a KCNA article to send US policymakers to the bar, and a rhetorically fluffy New Year’s address to get every journalist from London to Lima reaching for the reset button just 19 days after the launch of Gwangmyungsung-3.

South Korea Goes to the Polls

 South Korea has gone to the polls this morning. With the belief appearing to be that if more than 73% of people turn out to vote then "progressive" Moon Jae-in will win, while less than 70% will make it a win for the conservative darling Park Geun-hye, the day's left wing papers ran with exhortations to vote. In the case of Hankyoreh this meant a piece of abstract art extolling the virtues of standing in line in the cold; meanwhile, the Kyunghyang channeled the death of Emily Davison in 1913 instead.

I took the temperature of democratic fervor in Jangan-dong at 7AM, and can confirm that it was resolutely lukewarm. However, we can expect it to heat up during the day. Will it reach 73%? currently the statistics suggest not, but we'll see.

On the right, Mrs. Green shows her dedication to the good fight, perhaps also channeling Miss Davison following her marriage to a Brit? Who knows. Note to the bottom right a statement declaring that Unified Progressive Party candidate Lee Jung-hee is not on the ballot. Just say no to extremist socialism, kids.

Phones, Phones and More Phones?

A pithy moment from my latest piece for SinoNK, which you can read more of right here:

However, the pain is actually quite a long way short of being over. In a moment of uncharacteristic efficiency, the actual cell phone shop is often directly outside the communications office, but in a moment of karma-balancing inefficiency, it doesn’t open much, carries a limited amount of product and is pitifully understaffed. As a result, queues are long, as are waits. Assuming an individual lives long enough to reach the front of such a queue, he or she is finally offered the opportunity to hand over another $70-$100 and depart the scene with a brand new phone.

Can't Get There from Here

Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sunshine policy, and Moon Chung-in is all for it! But I and my good friend Steven Denney are less enthusiastic here.