23 March 2010
I regret that work obligations prevented me from meeting Lee Ae Ran during her recent visit to Washington, but the Mainichi Shimbun has a nice article about her here.
An Asian casino magnate with a multitude of sleazy associations has been denied a gaming license in Atlantic City:
A March 2003 e-mail from a private investigation firm hired by MGM Mirage that found that “Stanley Ho was linked closely to the two major triads operating in Macau, the 14K and Sun Yee On.” The same report alleged Stanley Ho has “strong ties” to North Korea, is partners in a casino there, and told Russian officials in January 2003 that he could “facilitate the movement of Saddam Hussein, his family and other senior Iraqi leaders to North Korea.”
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North Korea rejects the U.N.’s calls for an end to human rights violations, including public executions, torture, and forced labor.
Don Kirk wonders why we’ve heard so little from Robert Park. I think it’s pretty obvious that Park is traumatized by whatever happened to him in the North, and I’m not sure it’s appropriate to be calling press conferences for him until he’s ready for that, emotionally.
Ha Tae-Kyung, a former leftist political prisoner and now President of Open News, sums up President Lee’s North Korea policy this way:
President Lee Myung-Bak Administration’s policies toward the North are an improvement from the past. However they are lacking in policies to accelerate internal change in North Korea. Since North Korea is a secretive country any information from the outside will have a huge effect. It is therefore crucial to widely spread outside news within the country. Currently news broadcasted to North Korea is only available on short-wave so the majority of North Koreans are unable to hear them. If the government will permit civilian news broadcast to North Korea through AM frequency then it can catalyze internal North Korean change with an uprising of North Korean citizens. [Open News]
Shall I do the honours then, as no-one seems to notice and obviously Joshua, being the gentleman, can’t link to the article either.
http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00100&num=6126
The consistency of OFK is certainly impressive, which imo seperates the wheat from chaff. NK Zone started off nice, but sunk like a stone within two years (where are you Rebecca?), so well done.
How ironic then that Curtis the ‘chosen-un-hana-da marcher’ is also mentioned and actually comments.
Ernst, Enough already. I know Curtis. You don’t. You’re dead wrong.
But thanks for linking that article just the same.
I’m curious about something. Now, I don’t know this Curtis gentleman from Adam, but Ernst, you’ve certainly come out with some interesting claims about him of late.
For all I know you could be right, but how about providing maybe just a wee bit of evidence or information which might back up these statements? I believe in one of your earlier posts, you even mention refer to a video which apparently backs up a link between himself and Alejandro Cao de Benos..now, that would be pretty god damn important information….but then you didn’t provide a link. I mean this would be really really interesting if you would only provide anything at all to back it up, anything at all. Can you?
Curtis went to North Korea with Cao’s Korean Friendship Association. It’s on YouTube. I wouldn’t have done that with or without Cao, but it doesn’t mean Curtis sympathizes with Cao’s agenda. Trust me — he doesn’t.
Daniel,
if you go to YouTube and type in Friends of Kim you can watch a 70 min Cao de Benos treasure hunt through NK. It’s a bit long winded at times, but some parts are well worth it, especially all these Europeans praising NK as it’s the best place in the world. One can’t help thinking these muppets to be full reincarnations of folk drinking their last fruit juice in Jonestown.
But anyway, I am picking here on Curtis, sorry, but he joined Cao’s ‘Yankee Go Home’ trips not on one, but actually two occasions. Now, I am not suprised that five years later, he tries to play down his presence there, probably saying he was a bit low on money or so, but my best guess is that he was probably a bit low on morale. Towards the end of Friend of Kim, all of a sudden you hear these silly Europeans falling over each other and play down their presence in NK, because they rightly are and should be embarassed by it.
However, Curtis, for good measure, goes the following year yet again joining the anti USA brigade once more. Same thing for Mr. Doctor David and his suitcases full of medicine (courtesy of the US Tax payer) as he was on these trips twice too.
It’s not like Cao is the only way of getting into the worker’s paradise, there are many other travel joints which would have essentially shown them exactly the same sights. I am just pointing out that their delusional faces are caught on camera – right next to a ‘US Go Home’ sign. C’est tout.
Ernst:
The point you are trying to make is pretty idiotic in my opinion. Have you followed Curtis’ page? Along with this one and Daily NK, its the only NK page I regularly follow because it consistently provides good material.
Can you honestly say that Curtis’ participation in a staged rally (or two) somehow overshadows his contributions in englightening the free world about what goes on in NK? I suppose an extra body in a march theoretically marginally adds to its propaganda value internally, but this is a big stretch. No one (externally) who watches the video you’ve referred to will leave with a better impression of the regime.
For a foreigner (and especially an American) to get into the country, certain compromises were/continue to be necessary (e.g., giving the regime a bit of foreign currency), and I admit I’ve taken the trip. Playing along doesn’t mean you support the regime any more than an undercover spy would. People who actually go to the country collect valuable insight and interest, which I think often outweighs the impact of the few hundred dollars pocketed by the regime (Curtis is a case in point).
I think whether travel to NK should be encouraged is a fair topic for discussion, but the issue is in no way clear-cut.
My 2 cents.