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North Korea

North Korea

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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Those ‘fake’ North Korean ICBMs may actually be able to reach Seattle

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea is the butt of many jokes. Its military parades, for one, offer an eclectic mix of the clownish and terrifying. With blocks of goose-stepping soldiers in Soviet-style uniforms, tanks in formation, and a pudgy young dictator looking on, the scene is fitting for a cheesy 1960s propaganda broadcast — or even the next Austin Powers movie.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Nov 10, 2013

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Propaganda balloons carry rumors of a North Korean porno

SEOUL, South Korea — For more than 60 years, North and South Korea have been divided along the demilitarized zone, or the DMZ. Barriers — political, legal and physical — often prevent South Koreans from communicating directly with their northern brethren.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Oct 19, 2013

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Did North Korea really kill off 20,000 political prisoners? (VIDEO)

SEOUL, South Korea — In 2009, American minister Robert Park crossed into North Korea to protest what he called a “genocide” in the country’s six prison camps. Of course, the regime detained and later released him, making him one of six Americans held in North Korea in recent years.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Oct 16, 2013

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Tour de North Korea

SEOUL, South Korea — It’s not every day that 47 Western bikers can ride through the world’s most reclusive state. Yet as part of a race that began in China, athletes zipped through North Korea’s port town of Rajin this week, Reuters reports. Traffic was blocked off, and the cyclists given an unusual stint of freedom to move around the area. (Not that there’s much traffic in North Korea anyway.)

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Sep 27, 2013

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Syria’s other key ally: North Korea

SEOUL, South Korea — The Obama administration’s push for a military strike against Syria is in full swing, highlighting not only the use of chemical weapons but the regimes that support Assad.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Sep 8, 2013

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