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Kim Il Sung

Kim Il Sung

Scorched Earth Doctrine

IN FEBRUARY 1951, New York Times correspondent George Barrett, traveling with an American armored column, stumbled on the ghostly remains of a Korean hamlet that had been bombed out by US aircraft.

By Geoffrey Cain
Los Angeles Review of Books

May 11, 2015

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Kim Jong Un and the birth of a personality cult

SEOUL, South Korea — Next month will be a big one for North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, as his nation hosts various conspicuous, cultish festivities. On Dec. 12, North Korean state media will probably memorialize its satellite launch one year ago, an early boost to Kim Jong Un’s prestige.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Nov 20, 2013

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The Real North Korea

For a glimpse into life in North Korea, take a peek into the country’s math textbooks. “During the Fatherland Liberation War [North Korea’s official name for the Korean War] the brave uncles of Korean People’s Army killed 265 American Imperial bastards in the first battle,” reads one question.

By Geoffrey Cain
The Christian Science Monitor

May 10, 2013

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Can you solve North Korean math?

SEOUL, South Korea — I’m now reading an advance copy of Andrei Lankov’s upcoming book, “The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia,” due out from Oxford University Press on May 8.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Apr 24, 2013

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Happy Birthday, Kim Il Sung!

SEOUL, South Korea — Today is the 101st anniversary of the birthday of North Korea’s “Great Leader,” Kim Il Sung. For North Koreans, it’s pretty much the most important holiday of the year, along with Kim Jong Il’s birthday on Feb. 16. They’ll get three days off.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Apr 15, 2013

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Kim Jong Un, the Nigerian

SEOUL, South Korea — Today is April 10, the date of the fake apocalyptic ultimatum that North Korea gave to foreign embassies in Pyongyang and expatriates in South Korea. The regime essentially advised them to pack up and leave, or else they can’t be protected regardless of whatever happens after today.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Apr 10, 2013

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Honoring the Great Leader with a ballistic missile?

South Korean media are reporting that Korean and US intelligence satellites have spotted North Korea moving what appears to be medium-range ballistic missiles to its east coast. Meanwhile, the regime said on Thursday that it has the “final approval” to launch “merciless” military assaults against the US, including the use of nuclear weapons.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Apr 4, 2013

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South Korea: A president and a peninsula divided

GWANGJU, South Korea — It is a chilly day in Gwangju, the cradle of South Korea’s political left, and home to what was once a boisterous democracy movement that fought military rule in the 1970s and 1980s.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Feb 25, 2013

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