North Korea: Rodman, assassins and a new song

Now, it’s time for another round-up of all the North Korean wackiness that’s taken place this week.  As usual, the DPRK has its share of tales to tell and this time I present three key stories.  First and foremost, Dennis Rodman is looking to help release a US prisoner from North Korea.  Second, a tale of North Korean traffic officer heroics.  And finally, a new official propaganda video from the rogue state, complete with bad production.

As some of you may have read in my article last week (or just heard on the news), a U.S. citizen was taken prison last year by North Korea under suspicion of “crimes against the state.” We've been wondering what exactly happened, which was finally revealed, if the North Korean government is to be trusted, to be a case of the man spreading anti-state propaganda.  But whatever his crimes truly may be, sports star Dennis Rodman has stepped up to ask Kim Jong-un to “…do me a solid…” and let the guy go.  Whether that has any affect on Kim’s decision remains to be seen.

Next in line, a potential assassination attempt against the North Korean leader may have taken place.  As the story goes, a female traffic cop was just given a high-ranking medal known as the ‘Hero of the Republic’ award. This award is usually reserved for wartime heroes or those that make significant contributions to the state. 

She was also thanked for “…safeguarding the security of the headquarters of the revolution…”  Many think that to be code for saving Kim Jong-un’s life. Apparently, staged car accidents are a common way of assassinating people and the speculation is that she prevented an accident and inadvertently saved the leader.  It just goes to prove, even Kim Jong-un can be a nice guy sometimes, especially when you save his butt.

And, last but not least, a brand new piece of propaganda from the DPRK.  They’ve released a video, complete with a new official North Korean song by the name of “Let’s Go Forward”.  From the outside, however, something looks to be a little bit off.  Check it out at the link below:

 나가자 조선아 병진 앞으로

It seriously looks like something straight out of 1984 with the production values of a late-night, independently made television commercial.  Beneath the surface, however, the message may be more sinister.  The lyrics emphasize a move toward a new Kim Jong-un led policy called ‘byungjin’, which basically means “progress in tandem”.  That tandem refers to a mix of economy and military power.  We all know that the North Korean economy is a mess, so that only leaves one thing.  Let’s hope their weapon-building skills are as lousy as their video production skills.

Rodman and Kim Jong-un photo courtesy of swide.com