Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Latest Breaking News

Bosonic

(3,746 posts) Tue Jan 1, 2013, 08:17 AM Jan 2013

North Korea's Kim Jong-un makes rare new year speech [View all]

Source: BBC

The North Korean leader has delivered a new year's message on state TV, the first such broadcast for 19 years.

Kim Jong-un, in power since 2011, spoke of the need to improve the economy and also to reunify the Koreas, warning that confrontation only led to war.

The speech came less than a month after the conservative Park Geun-hye was elected president of South Korea.

In 1994, Mr Kim's grandfather, Kim Il-sung, spoke on radio and TV. His son, Kim Jong-il rarely spoke in public.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20880301

15 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

North Korea's Kim Jong-un makes rare new year speech [View all] Bosonic Jan 2013 OP

He looks so alone and lost up there...... secondwind Jan 2013 #1

secondwind Diclotican Jan 2013 #3

He's so ronery AnnieBW Jan 2013 #15

I don't see how people still consider North Korea a communist country. It's a monarchy with a red craigmatic Jan 2013 #2

Because the NK govt owns everything. Angleae Jan 2013 #10

it's a religion, economic system, and political system. the party is the mechanism which works the craigmatic Jan 2013 #13

sexiest man alive... babydollhead Jan 2013 #4

He's a sexy sexy dictator. UnrepentantLiberal Jan 2013 #11

I didn't know NK used the Gregorian calendar slackmaster Jan 2013 #5

slackmaster Diclotican Jan 2013 #6

They use that calendar but officially have a different zero point for the year Posteritatis Jan 2013 #7

Yeah, I had a dim recollection of some date related to the late Great Leader slackmaster Jan 2013 #9

"The message coincides with UN Security Council discussions on how to punish Pyongyang Adsos Letter Jan 2013 #8

And here I thought he was sincere. UnrepentantLiberal Jan 2013 #12

Given Park Geun-hye was elected as the next president davidpdx Jan 2013 #14