There’s some evidence of increased European consciousness about North Korea. I’d hesitate to call it a positive sign, though. I mean, really–just exactly what does Europe stand for these days, principle-wise?

Remember that summit spirit, back before the audits, resignations, and suicides? It produced some nifty slogans, but real life tends to me more complex. The South Koreans may not be ready for reunification if this is how they treat North Koreans. From the author’s tone, I suspect plenty of South Koreans are ashamed. These early examples may forecast a very difficult reunification if South Korean swindlers and carpetbaggers, sensing an easy mark, flood into the North and confirm the worst...

Of course, it isn’t just North Koreans who find some South Koreans to be less than welcoming, and South Koreans are realizing that it’s costing them money. The hordes of foreigners who never came back to Korea after the Olympics, the World Cup, or their military service might have had a number of reasons for that, but this appears to be one of them: Some other experts point to the problem of Korea’s tendency to be a closed society against...

. . . but I’d bet someone a cup of coffee that before the end of January, we’ll hear that the real cause of the tsunami was secret U.S. nuclear testing, or some other equally goofy blood-in-the-matzo conspiracy theory. Takers? Americans–The New Jews! UPDATE: Umm, I think I’ll call this guy crazy instead. Another Korea blogger no less–the seeing eye blog–is angling to win me my year’s supply of macchiato. I’d never actually read his blog, but what a hoot,...

The Nomad has two must-reads today. First, he informs us about China’s plans to build up its fleet, presumably to prepare for its solemn responsibilities as head of the Peoples’ Co-Prosperity Sphere. Shades of 1913? He also links to this piece by David Schofield in the Asia Times, making his oft-repeated point that pouring more money into the coffers of the North Korean government will only buy us more of the same behavior it bought us before. If you don’t...

Andrew Petty has a superb piece out today on Tim Peters, probably the most effective and least-known conductor on the underground railroad. Don’t miss it, and if you’re in a giving mood (and haven’t already maxed out your charity here), consider a gift to his organization, Helping Hands Korea.

The Yomiuri has an interview with Jack Pritchard, who seems to be running for the job of shadow ambassador-at-large to North Korea. Or maybe I should say, for North Korea. A regular reader informs me that in person, Mr. Pritchard is a fine human being, but as a diplomat, he may have just crossed over from “inept” to “dangerous” by publicly advising the North Koreans exactly how to hold on to a ten-bomb nuclear arsenal: Pritchard: The problem that we...

. . . but I’d bet someone a cup of coffee that before the end of January, we’ll hear that the real cause of the tsunami was secret U.S. nuclear testing, or some other equally goofy blood-in-the-matzo conspiracy theory. Takers? Americans–The New Jews! UPDATE: Umm, I think I’ll call this guy crazy instead. Another Korea blogger no less–the seeing eye blog–is angling to win me my year’s supply of macchiato. I’d never actually read his blog, but what a hoot,...

The Nomad has two must-reads today. First, he informs us about China’s plans to build up its fleet, presumably to prepare for its solemn responsibilities as head of the Peoples’ Co-Prosperity Sphere. Shades of 1913? He also links to this piece by David Schofield in the Asia Times, making his oft-repeated point that pouring more money into the coffers of the North Korean government will only buy us more of the same behavior it bought us before. If you don’t...

Andrew Petty has a superb piece out today on Tim Peters, probably the most effective and least-known conductor on the underground railroad. Don’t miss it, and if you’re in a giving mood (and haven’t already maxed out your charity here), consider a gift to his organization, Helping Hands Korea.

The Yomiuri has an interview with Jack Pritchard, who seems to be running for the job of shadow ambassador-at-large to North Korea. Or maybe I should say, for North Korea. A regular reader informs me that in person, Mr. Pritchard is a fine human being, but as a diplomat, he may have just crossed over from “inept” to “dangerous” by publicly advising the North Koreans exactly how to hold on to a ten-bomb nuclear arsenal: Pritchard: The problem that we...

The Yomiuri has an interview with Jack Pritchard, who seems to be running for the job of shadow ambassador-at-large to North Korea. Or maybe I should say, for North Korea. A regular reader informs me that in person, Mr. Pritchard is a fine human being, but as a diplomat, he may have just crossed over from “inept” to “dangerous” by publicly advising the North Koreans exactly how to hold on to a ten-bomb nuclear arsenal: Pritchard: The problem that we...

I may be several months behind on this, but these before and after photographs have astonishing resolution. Scroll down to the bottom right-hand corners and click the “expand” icons. Is it me, or did the pictures we saw last spring have anything approaching this magnification? I’d also like to see a picture of what it looks like today. This boneyard pic is pretty cool, too. Much, much more here.

The L.A. Times is giving reports of Kim Jong Il’s demise the Big Sneer: But the speculation may have less to do with political forces inside North Korea than outside. In particular, President Bush’s reelection has emboldened critics of the North Korean regime in the United States and in Asia who want Kim ousted. The North Korean Human Rights Act, passed in October, allocates up to $24 million to promote better conditions for North Koreans, and has revitalized an activist...

I may be several months behind on this, but these before and after photographs have astonishing resolution. Scroll down to the bottom right-hand corners and click the “expand” icons. Is it me, or did the pictures we saw last spring have anything approaching this magnification? I’d also like to see a picture of what it looks like today. This boneyard pic is pretty cool, too. Much, much more here.

Who are the real reformers in North Korea? Forget Kaesong. It might just be these people.

From the Chosun: North Korea is one of the world’s foremost providers of missile technology, but experts say there is still no evidence that Pyongyang has shared its suspected stocks of nuclear materials or chemical and biological weapons. “You’d have to export a lot of these things to make a significant difference, that’s something that would be highly observable, and again, something that countries themselves might be able to accomplish without having to rely on North Korea,” [the expert] noted....

The Christian Science Monitor has a fairly detailed and balanced report on South Korea’s Fugitive Slave Act Anti-Human Smuggling Initiative. South Korea, North Korea, and China–one big, happy co-prosperity sphere.