posted on Oct, 13 2006 @ 09:48 AM
Know thine enemy.
That should be the first tenant of any responsible foreign policy. And it should be the first endeavor us armchair quarterbacks ought to do before
delving in what or what not the U.S. should do in regards to N.K.'s test.
So this thread will be a rundown of anything anyone can find on the traits or personalities of Kim Jong-Il -- from the general to the specific (ATTN
CIA, NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO ACTUALLY CONTRIBUTE TO ATS INSTEAD OF JUST MONITORING US).
I will start the ball rolling with what I found:
From noted psychologist Jerrold Post
- Kim inherited charisma and demagogury from father Kim Il-Song
- But not a fighter, nation-builder or ideology-creator like his father
- Suffers from major insecurity -- "Succeeding a father of God-like stature is psychologically impossible"
- Calls for poverty and sacrifice among populace while he lives hedonistic lifestyle
- Kim spent upwards of $800,000 annually on Hennessy Cognac between 89-99 while av citizen makes $900 a year
- Uses junior high girls in "joy brigades" as prostitutes for senior officials
30% of NK's GDP spent on military
Born in Siberia gulag where his father was groomed by the
soviets
An estimated 150,000-200,000 persons are believed to be held in detention camps in remote
areas for political reasons
NK Assessment
- The "Great Leader's" son, the 52-year-old "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il, is his successor and is regarded by some as at least as dangerous as his
father. Indeed, he is not only seen as just as ruthless and hostile, but also a very strange personality. Some observers have speculated that he might
even be psychotic. He is also blamed, rightly or not, for managing some of the terrorist acts of the North Korean state
- Kim Jong Il is known as a bizarre personality, surrounded perhaps by sycophants
- It is not certain what he might do in a stressful crisis or wartime situation, particularly if he felt his power and life threatened
- Unfortunately, irrational leaders do appear on the world scene from time to time. Further, as the saying goes, just because you are paranoid, does
not mean someone is not out to get you. North Korean fears of preemption are not entirely misplaced, especially if their behavior appears both
irrational and very threatening as Pyongyang approaches entry into the nuclear club. Shrill, bizarre, and threatening North Korean behavior could
prompt others to take preemptive action
[Korean citizen's] bodies were underdeveloped and malnourished due to the famine and the fact that Kim Jong Il routes
humanitarian aid to the military, while starving his own people
It was reported on CNN last night that Kim Jong-Il has a movie studio lot behind his palace that rivals that of Universal Studios lots. It's where
his propaganda machine makes movies for the leader. He also apparently has a massive video collection of some 20,000 titles -- all from Hollywood or
S. Korean cinema.
Some of his favorite
movies include Friday the 13th (should we be worried today?), Sean Connery's James Bond, Amistad (and other Oscar-winning movies) and Gone with
the Wind.
[edit on 13-10-2006 by behindthescenes]
[edit on 13-10-2006 by behindthescenes]