North Korea Archive

It turns out Kim Jong Il really did suffer a stroke in October, according to François-Xavier Roux, the French doctor who treated him, as quoted by Le Figaro: Kim Jong Il was the victim of a stroke, but he was not operated on. He’s doing better now. The photos that were just released seem to me to be current and authentic. It seems to me that Kim Jong Il is running North Korea. I can’t say any more, I’m constrained by medical confidentiality and state secrecy. (Translated from the original French.) The Kims apparently have a long history of seeking […]

PYONGYANG, North Korea — Listless saleswomen loiter against stacked shelves at this most exclusive of department stores. An entire section is filled with sleek white washing machines, driers and flat-screen panel TVs produced by Haier, a low-cost Chinese appliance company. But the saleswomen outnumber customers in the echoing mall and there is little sign of commercial activity. Two taxis wait at the main gate, but neither their drivers nor any customers are to be seen. The iconic image of NorthKorean soldiers standing guard at the 36th Parallel, the line that has separatedNorth from South Korea for over half a century […]