Public backlash has caused Elle to pull an image of a North Korea soldier from the online version of Joe Zee's September "A to Zee" column about military trends.
We're a bit late to this, which is a shame, because the paintings sampled here are some really nice pieces of work by North Korean artists. As explained on the Koryo Tours blog, they were part of an exhibition called "The Beautiful Future" that, sadly, ended on October 3. (Surely they'll be brought out again sometime in the future.)
Our friends at Koryo Tours made the above time-lapse. Especially noteworthy are the scenes from the Mass Games and of Kim Il-sung Square, which appears completely empty at almost all times.
Dennis Rodman has returned from Pyongyang. No Kenneth Bae (of course), but Reuters reports he "spent quality time" with Kim Jong-un, and has pictures (above) to prove it. That's something. The hilariously mismatched friends apparently watched a basketball game, according to KCNA news agency.
Dennis Rodman arrived back in North Korea today for the first time since March, when he became the first American to meet Kim Jong-un since the marshal took power. Rodman was greeted at Pyongyang Airport by the Associated Press, to which he said:
If it bleeds, it leads -- and if it contains porn, firing squads and Kim Jong-un, play it up! (Whether it's true or not is a different matter.)
The Independent, a British newspaper, has managed to squeeze all these things into one glorious headline:
Kim Jong-un, who studied in Switzerland when he was a lad, enjoys skiing, so much so that he wants to build a ski resort in his home country. (Or is it because South Korea's getting the 2018 Winter Olympics and he can't be seen as falling behind?) Kim picked out a spot, ordered the military to complete construction by the end of this year, and has reportedly made multiple on-site checks. Everything appears to be going smoothly -- except one big, huge hurdle: international sanctions.
North Korea scholar Andray Abrahamian was rudely informed recently that his Barclays bank account, which he's held for 20 years, had been cancelled. And all because he works for a Singaporean non-profit that dares to engage North Korean citizens.
"Mr. Kim Jong Un! Channel 4 News, UK!” yelled the journalist at the back of Kim Jong Un’s head.
The Great Marshall stopped. He slowly turned and smiled, his visage a million shining suns. The room, which had been full of raucous cheers, came to a hush. In perfect English he replied, “Yes? How may I help you?”
Just kidding. That last part didn’t happen.
![Evidence That Diaoyu Islands Really Do Belong To China, On Nicholas Kristof’s NY Times Blog [UPDATE]](http://beijingcream.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Diaoyu-Islands1-150x150.jpg "Evidence That Diaoyu Islands Really Do Belong To China, On Nicholas Kristof’s NY Times Blog [UPDATE]")
