On my program last night, writer Christian Caryl picks up on something he blogged about a few days ago:
As of today, it can be assumed that the most powerful man in North Korea is Kim [Jong Un]’s uncle, Chang Song Taek, widely regarded as the designated regent. Chang, who is 65 (health status unknown), has going for him both strong family ties Continue reading The Most Powerful Uncle in the World is the One with the Nukes
It’s from Christian Caryl, a Senior Fellow at the Legatum Institute and a Contributing Editor at Foreign Policy magazine, writing at the blog of the New York Review of Books. And I say it’s encouraging because of lines like these that suggest there is some hope for limited change in the Hermit Kingdom:
After all, isn’t the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea a staunchly totalitarian state where nothing ever changes? Actually, no. You could have gotten away with writing that just a few years ago. But too much has happened in North Korea in the interim . . . Continue reading An encouraging take on Kim Jong-Il's death: Signs of change!