Democracy gone Astray: Kim Jong Un

Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.

This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Showing posts with label Kim Jong Un. Show all posts

Sunday, October 08, 2023

Belarus leader proposes three-way partnership with Russia and North Korea

Alexander Lukashenko has expressed interest in creating a trilateral partnership with Russia and North Korea amid rumours that Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un were negotiating an arms deal to sustain Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The Belarusian leader made the remarks during a summit with Putin in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, where the two held their seventh face-to-face meeting this year.

Vladimir Putin’s meeting with Kim Jong-un has been dismissed by the US as an act of desperation by the Russian leader. Although few details have emerged about the leaders’ discussions, the summit in the Russian Far East could preface new and worrying developments in the war in Ukraine and for Kim’s military ambitions. As the North Korean leader continues his tour of military facilities in Russia, here are five takeaways from the summit.

Putin and Kim Jong-un exchange rifles as North Korean leader continues Russia tour

Kim Jong-un has visited a factory that builds advanced fighter jets, as his tour of Russia moves into its third day and the Kremlin revealed he and Vladimir Putin had exchanged gifts of rifles during their summit this week.

Two days after meeting Putin at a space base in Russia’s far east, where they discussed satellite technology and – possibly – a deal to provide North Korean arms for the war in Ukraine, Kim’s armoured train arrived in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where he visited a factory that makes Russia’s most modern fighter jets, Russian news agencies reported.

The situation is dire when you’re boasting of closer ties with North Korea, but Vladimir Putin in 2023 finds himself in just that situation with nothing left to lose.

The Russian fanfare before the summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un has rivalled the anticipation for his meetings with western leaders, where he would attempt to woo or spar with opponents such as Barack Obama or Angela Merkel.

Joe Biden has Air Force One; Rishi Sunak a fleet of RAF jets and helicopters. But when Kim Jong-un makes one of his rare journeys outside North Korea, he has an armoured train in which to while away the hours.

The North Korean leader’s dark green train crossed the Russian border on Tuesday in advance of talks between Kim and Vladimir Putin on supplying the Kremlin with munitions for the war in Ukraine.

Kim Jong-un has arrived in Russia on his armoured train for a rare summit with Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible deal to supply North Korean arms for the war in Ukraine.

The train arrived at Khasan station, the main rail gateway to Russia’s far east from North Korea, where Kim was filmed alighting and meeting the Russian environment minister, before continuing to travel north.

Kim Jong Un’s ‘Moving Fortress’ North Korea train: What to know

A luxurious yet battle-ready massive green train has rolled across North Korea’s border into Russia carrying leader Kim Jong Un to a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

Since taking power in 2011, Kim has made seven international trips and crossed the border into South Korea twice, using a train emblazoned with a yellow strip for the majority of his overseas travel.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first-ever summit in 2019.

Kim travelled to Vladivostok in his armoured train where the men spent two days enjoying folk dances, feasting on borscht and reindeer dumplings, and toasting the burgeoning relationship between their two countries.

At that time, broadly supportive of the United Nations sanctions imposed on Pyongyang over its weapons programme, Putin promised to do what he could with China and the United States to break the impasse in denuclearisation talks.

Kim Jong Un will visit Russia “in the coming days,” the Kremlin announced Monday following speculation about an upcoming visit by the North Korean leader.

Kim’s visit will take place “at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin,” the statement said.

After a year and a half of fighting in Ukraine, Russia needs to replenish its supplies of ammunition for what could be a long war of attrition. Along with ramping up its domestic arms production, Moscow is turning to an old ally with a vast arsenal — North Korea.

Estimates say the reclusive and isolated Asian country has tens of millions of artillery shells and rockets that could give a huge boost to the Russian army.

U.S. officials expect North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to visit Russia in the coming days to seal a possible deal on munitions transfer with President Vladimir Putin. That would be a remarkable reversal from the 1950-53 Korean War, when the Soviet Union provided the communist North with weapons and ammunition.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling for Russia and North Korea to intensify their ties amid rumors that he could meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the coming days.

“I am convinced that thanks to our joint efforts we will continue to strengthen … bilateral ties on all fronts,” Putin said in a letter addressed to Kim on Friday, quoted by AFP and North-Korean media.

Vladimir Putin must be feeling fairly desperate if he’s relying on Kim Jong-un for friendship and support. There’s a reason why North Korea’s unpredictable dictator is among the world’s most ostracised leaders.

Nobody likes him and he don’t care, as the saying goes. Yet Russia’s despised, isolated war-criminal president is in much the same leaky boat these days, slowly sinking, calling out for help.

North Korea’s Kim marks founding day with parade, promises to China, Russia

Kim Jong Un has marked the 75th anniversary of the founding of North Korea with a parade of paramilitary forces and promises to deepen ties with China and Russia.

The North Korean leader attended the midnight parade on Friday in Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square which was also attended by a visiting Chinese delegation and Russian diplomats, the country’s state Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Saturday.

Vice President Kamala Harris said it would be a “huge mistake” for Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim John Un to meet following a warning by U.S. officials that arms negotiations between the countries are “actively advancing.”

Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that the two leaders are planning to meet this month in Russia, likely in Vladivostok. Putin is seeking more weapons for his country’s war in Ukraine, and Kim is looking for “advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines” and food, according to the Times.

Putin’s reaching out to Kim Jong-un is a desperate move – and potentially a dangerous one

Reports that North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong-un, may visit Russia soon to meet Vladimir Putin – probably to discuss the supply of North Korean weapons for Putin’s war in Ukraine – point to a rather remarkable transformation of Russian-North Korean relations. During the cold war, North Korea was Moscow’s key ally in north-east Asia. But at that time, the North Koreans were, at best, poor supplicants to a mighty superpower. Today, Kim’s hermit kingdom stands tall and proud as Russia’s partner in crime.

Kim Jong-un will reportedly travel to Russia this month to meet Vladimir Putin and discuss the possibility of supplying weapons to the Kremlin for the war in Ukraine.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said details of the expected meeting were still unclear, but added that it was likely to take place in the Russian port city of Vladivostok, given its proximity to North Korea.

The US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, warned that supplying weapons to Russia “is not going to reflect well on North Korea and they will pay a price for this in the international community”.

Xi Jinping to meet Kim Jong-un in first state visit to North Korea

Chinese president Xi Jinping will make his first state visit to North Korea this week in an attempt to defuse tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear programme, months after the last denuclearisation summit ended in failure.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said Xi, the first Chinese leader to visit North Korea in 14 years, would meet the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, on Thursday and Friday.

North Korea’s official KCNA also announced the visit, but gave no details.

Vladimir Putin Invites Kim Jong Un to Moscow

Amid U.S. and European sanctions that are driving Russia into the arms of its Asian neighbors, President Vladimir Putin has invited the North Korean leader to Moscow next year to mark the 70th anniversary of the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

The invitation may figure into the high-stakes geopolitical and economic game Russia has found itself in after the imposition of U.S. and European sanctions and other global changes that have destabilized the Russian economy.

Kim Jong Un 'Re-Elected' To Top Post, Surprising Absolutely No One

The only news coming out of North Korea that is hardly ever shocking are the country's "election" results.

Pushing the terminology of democracy to its very limit, North Korea's parliament "re-elected" Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un as the head of the country's military body, Agence France Press reports on Wednesday. The announcement of Kim's victory was made by North Korean state media, which added that "all the deputies and participants in the session broke into stormy cheers of 'hurrah!', extending the highest glory and warmest congratulations to him."

Why It Matters That North Korea’s Leader Just Killed His Uncle

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is often inextricably linked with the Kim who is in power at any given time, a legacy that goes back to the end of the Second World War when the family’s scion Kim Il-Sung first declared North Korea a communist state in his image. The trappings of the cult of personality that has surrounded Kim, his son Kim Jong-Il, and grandson — and current leader — Kim Jong-Un has provided the country with the only modicum of stability available under such a regime. That same devotion to the Kim family has also been the regime’s greatest weakness, as illustrated in Thursday’s announcement of the execution of Kim Jong-Un’s uncle proves.

Democracy gone Astray