Kim Jong-Il

North Korean Luxury Tastes Likely to Change under Successor

Filed under: Men's Style, Luxury Shopping

Obviously, much about North Korea, and especially Kim Jong-il, is left to the realm of speculation. It's hard enough to know what's going on inside the secretive country, especially given the risks of relying too heavily on defector testimony, and the Dear Leader tends to insulate himself from the outside world. There are rumors, of course, that he has a taste for Cuban cigars and upscale spirits, but confirmation is notoriously difficult to attain.

Nonetheless, it seems the man loves to spend. It's said that 20 percent of North Korea's budget goes to support his lifestyle, including the Omega watches he wears.. In a fit of generosity, he set up top officials with newly imported 160 Mercedes-Benz sedans.

According to a defector (so take it with a grain of salt):

The defector says Kim Jong-il was impressed when Chinese diplomats knew to his tastes: "During his visit to China in 2005, Kim Jong-il was delighted to see bottles of Perrier that Chinese officials had prepared for him and asked his aides how the Chinese knew he liked Perrier."

Questions about Kim Jong-il's health have led to an increased focus on his likely successor, son Kim Jong-un. Not much is known about him ... except the fact that he likes to kick around in Nikes. One can only expect his tastes to mature when his old man dies and the kid ascends to the top spot.

Gallery: Arirang Mass Games Preparation in North Korea

[photo by yeowatzup via Flickr]

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Tags: dprk, kim jong il, Kim Jong Il - North Korea - World Leader, kim jong un, Kim Jong-Il, kim jong-un, mercedes, mercedes-benz, north korea, perrier

Philatelist Fantasy: New North Korean Stamps Collectors' Dream

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

What takes a mere stamp collection into the realm of the unattainable? Forget concerns of auction strategy and desirable lot. Instead, make arrangements and hop a plane ... if you can. North Korea has issued new stamps – "one souvenir sheet and three sheetlets" – to commemorate Kim Jong Il's unofficial trip to China last month. Doubtless, this would be a unique addition to any stamp holdings.

The stamps have the North Korean and Chinese flags, according to the Korea Central News Agency, and are inscribed with:

"Commemoration of the unofficial visit of the great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il to the PRC," "May 5 - May 6, Juche 99 (2010)," "Commemoration of the unofficial visit of the great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il to the northeastern part of China," "May 3 - May 7, Juche 99 (2010)" and "Epoch-making event in the DPRK-China friendship history."

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Tags: china, chinese, kim jong il, Kim Jong-Il, north korea, stamp, stamp collections, stamps

Asian Art Fuels Political Speculation

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

There have always been connections between art and politics. Whether you scan the crowd behind Plato and Aristotle (where you'll see Ptolemy wowing a small crowd) or step back from Pablo Picasso's "Guernica" in Madrid, you'll see messages subtle and overt. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that portraiture is telegraphing who North Korea's next leader will be.

Homes and business establishments in North Korea tend to have two portraits on display: Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. A third is now ready for public display: Kim Jong-un. He is Kim Jong-il's third son and is rumored to be next in line for the top position in the country, according to "Rescue the North Korean People! Urgent Action Network," which usually goes by the much more compact acronym RENK. The group says that the portraits are ready to go, and "we assume that these will be distributed on Kim Il-sung's birthday, which falls on April 15."

Other signs that Jong-un is likely to take the lead next in North Korea also fall distinctly into the "lifestyle" category. His birthday, January 8, has been made a national holiday. This year, it was celebrated, at least quietly, with a collection of songs dedicated to him. Also, anyone who has the same name as the new leader has been instructed to change it.

Interestingly, the portrait will offer a first look at Jong-un for many, especially outside North Korea. So far, only two photos have been found: one at age 11 (furnished by his former Japanese cook) and another at age 16 (shot when he was in boarding school in Switzerland).

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Tags: artwork, Kim Il Sung, kim jong il, Kim Jong-Il, kim jong-un, north korea, politics

North Korean Fashion Sees "Revolutionary Upsurge"

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Fashion spending is increasing in some parts of the world ... and where you'd least expect it. According to the Korea Central News Agency, North Korean women have been buying dresses like crazy. I guess when your currency isn't defined by market movements, you can engineer any outcome you like (except in times of famine).

Not exactly known for its propensity for hype, unless it involves ballistic missiles or American defectors, the KCNA reports, "Korean dress shops in Pyongyang are bustling with customers in the current spring season."

In what sounds like a .. um, planned ... statement, a worker in the Ryonghung Korean Dress Shop observes, "All of them [i.e., customers] gasp their admiration for the graceful and fascinating costumes on show in the sample room."

This news report is a traditional tool in the North Korean media, which seeks to portray an image of confidence and self-sufficiency (called "juche") even in the face of reality. The only thing missing was "on the spot guidance" from Kim Jong-Il.

So, broader economic problems aside, North Korea is seeing a "revolutionary upsurge ... which give[s] off national lyricism and aroma in spring."

I read it in the KCNA, so it must be true.

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Tags: dprk, fashion, kim jong il, kim jong-il, KimJong-il, KimJongIl, north korea, NorthKorea, pyongyang