The Emperor’s New Face

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il apparently had age spots removed from his face to look healthy but is becoming more and more fretful and dependent on old friends or family, the National Intelligence Service said in a report at the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee on Tuesday. [Chosun Ilbo]

You’d think a man with absolute power would set higher expectations than this:

No word on the whereabouts of his plastic surgeon, but then again, I’m sure there’s a built-in incentive to compliment the quality of his work.

And in more substantive news guesswork, the Chief of the National Intelligence Service says that His Dessicated Majesty is increasingly isolated from everyone but his inner circle (all that on-the-spot guidance notwithstanding, apparently) and worried about popular unrest after he managed the impressive accomplishment of making the North Korean economy even worse.