North Korean General Loses Star, Keeps Life

Personally, I’m always intrigued by the disgruntlement of armed men who often come into close contact with Kim Jong Il:

Recent photos of a North Korean general close to leader Kim Jong-Il showed that he has been demoted for reasons, which were unclear, a South Korean newspaper reported Friday. The JoongAng Daily published photos of General Kim Myong-Guk released last June and this week. The earlier picture showed Kim with the four stars of a full general, while this week’s photos showed just the three stars of a colonel-general.

“We’re trying to verify whether he has been demoted,” South Korean unification ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-Joo told AFP. Kim, 70, heads the operations bureau of the North’s joint chiefs of staff.

One theory is that General Kim was demoted over North Korea’s beating in the last naval clash with the South.