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| Korea | |
| Defector Said to Call North Korea Rulers Unstable | |
| 2003-10-31 | |
| I think we figured this out by ourselves. North Korea’s highest-ranking defector told U.S. lawmakers on Thursday that Pyongyang’s isolated communist government is "profoundly unstable" and cannot be trusted to adhere to a new nuclear weapons deal. Do tell. Rep. Christopher Cox quoted Hwang Jang-yop, the 81-year-old former confidant of Kim Il Sung, the North’s late leader, and a mentor to Kim’s son and successor, Kim Jong-il as saying: "The regime, albeit it takes great pains to show us it is stable, is in fact profoundly unstable." I do believe that this guy is the father of one of our favorites, the Juche idea. Looks like he didn’t buy into his own program. "In his view, Kim Jong-il controls directly only about 300 people at the top of the pyramid," the California Republican, who heads the U.S. House of Representatives Republican Policy Committee, told reporters. Hwang, answering questions through an interpreter, was critical of President Bush’s offer of a security guarantee to Pyongyang in the context of six-party negotiations under which the North would be required to verifiably dismantle its nuclear weapons programs. "Perhaps you can say, ’Kim Jong-il we’ll leave you alone if you stop your nuclear program.’ I don’t think there is righteousness in that. On top of that, I don’t think any promise that is made by Kim Jong-il would be of any significance," Hwang said. Ask Bill and Jimmah about that. But Madeline Albright thought he was "charming". "I don’t understand how we can guarantee the continued existence of a dictator that abuses human rights and how that can actually be democratic." Say, that’s a good point. Hwang is making his first visit to Washington since escaping North Korea six years ago. The bus service really sucks where he lives. The former secretary of the ruling North Korean Workers Party has been kept under heavy guard by the South Korean government since he defected during a visit to China in 1997, leaving his family behind. Good luck. I’ll write if I find work... Some played down Hwang’s value, saying the U.S. government had already interviewed him in South Korea. But one official told Reuters: "He provided good information on the situation in North Korea, most notably the pursuit of nuclear weapons." The trip is considered sensitive because it took so long to persuade Seoul to let Hwang visit the United States and because it occurs as China is trying bring the North back into talks on the nuclear issue. Hwang’s wife and daughter allegedly committed suicide after he fled the country and there are reports his son is now in a prison "hospital" after a mining accident last week — all attempts to encourage Hwang’s silence, a U.S. official said. A mining accident? Did the sacred Mt. Poopoohoo fall on him? Hwang, in numerous meetings with U.S. officials, said he made "suggestions" for opposing the North Korean dictatorship. But he declined to specify those ideas publicly. A struggle between dictatorship and democracy is underway on the Korean peninsula and Americans in alliance with other democracies "have a historic mission to see to it that that struggle is completed" in favor of democracy, he said. Cox said Hwang told lawmakers in a closed-door meeting there is "widespread dissatisfaction" in North Korea but strict regime control has prevented organized opposition. Still, Hwang "believes there could be rapid collapse of the regime if conditions are ripe," Cox said. Maybe is the psychopathic little midget has a "work accident"? After taking office in 2001, the Bush administration dragged its feet on negotiating with Pyongyang in part because hard-liners believed squeezing the impoverished country could force its collapse. The prevailing U.S. view seems to be that while the North will collapse at some point, that does not seem imminent. Maybe when every Nork has starved to death...
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| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #4 North Korea’s highest-ranking defector told U.S. lawmakers on Thursday that Pyongyang’s isolated communist government is "profoundly unstable" and cannot be trusted to adhere to a new nuclear weapons deal. Hmph. It wasn't necessary to interview a defector to make this assessment. Common sense would be enough to make a sane person come to the same conclusion. The prevailing U.S. view seems to be that while the North will collapse at some point, that does not seem imminent. Then we WAIT. Time is not on their side. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-10-31 12:41:37 PM |
| #3 He's 81 years old .com and has nothing left to lose. His family is virtually dead and his homeland is dying (NK). He defected during a time when around 2 million NK's died from starvation. I think he wanted to defect, but had the safety of his family to think about. After the famine, he might have realized how many people lost their families and took action. Or he could be trying to save his own wrinkled skin, but either way we get what we want. |
| Posted by: Charles 2003-10-31 12:24:10 PM |
| #2 I'll be they took turns and shot each other. Yeah, this is the guy who figured his Juche was getting old and it was time to save his skin. Grrrr. I don't really want us to save his sorry ass, but I guess we hafta - so milk him dry and do whatever it takes so that others are not dissuaded from defecting. Defining those "ripe conditions" and the actions needed to make that shit happen is his entry fee into the program. Slimy SOB. |
| Posted by: .com 2003-10-31 10:05:22 AM |
| #1 "Hwang’s wife and daughter allegedly committed suicide after he fled the country" So broken up they shot themselves in the back of the head? |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-10-31 9:37:21 AM |