The Mainstream Media praises Murderous Propagandist
Several mainstream news sources have written positively about the sister of North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-Un. Kim Yo-Jong was pictured at The Winter Olympics in Seoul, sitting next to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. The New York Times wrote an article titled “Kim Jong-un’s Sister Turns On the Charm, Taking Pence’s Spotlight”(i), in which the author endorsed the title of "North Korea’s Ivanka" - comparing her to Donald Trumps daughter. The article went on to claim Kim Yo-Jong "outflanked" Mike Pence in "Diplomatic image-making", and criticises Mike Pence for his "old message" of the United States continuing to impose heavy sanctions on North Korea. Kim is then commended for her message of "reconciliation", noting she delivered a message on behalf of her brother to South Korean president Moon Jae-In, inviting him to visit the North Korean capital.
The praise for Kim then moves on to her looks, commenting on her “no-nonsense hairstyle and dress, her low-key makeup and the sprinkle of freckles on her cheeks.”. Other news outlets took the same route, the Sydney Morning Herald referring to her as "silent and sphinx-like"(ii), BBC calling her "Sweet but with a tomboy streak" (iii) and Yahoo referring to her as “North Korea’s political princess”(iv), mentioning that “Women are a rarity in the top political echelons of the deeply patriarchal North”. Expert on North Korea, Michael Malice, commented that these news articles will likely be translated into Korean and used as evidence that Western media praises NK government officials.(v)
Malice alluded to a North Korean movie which NK officials falsely claimed was receiving rave reviews by reputable international sources, only in this case said officials wouldn’t be lying. Several of the aforementioned outlets correctly reported what Kims role is within the North Korean government, though none of them were swayed from essentially doing her job for her: Kim leads North Korea’s Propaganda and Agitation department, laying down monthly guidelines for the state media.(vi) A relevant historical detail unmentioned by news outlets in their praise of the North Korean propagandist is the events which unfolded last time South Korea hosted the Olympics. In 1987, North Korea expressed their desire to co-host the 1988 Olympic games in Seoul. When Seoul refused, North Korea saw it as an attempt to divide the peninsula and initiated a violent reaction.(vii) Two North Korean agents planted a bomb on a South Korean commercial airliner headed to Seoul, disembarking the plane at the first stop over in Abu Dhabi. The bomb then detonated above the Andaman Sea, killing all 115 passengers and crew.(viii) This is not the only atrocity committed by the Jong-Un family that news outlets don’t deem worth mentioning. According to the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, between 80,000 and 120,000 people are currently held in North Korean concentration camps, meaning 1 in 185 North Koreans are political prisoners.(ix) Punishable offences are categorized as “Wrong-doing”, “Wrong-thinking” and “Wrong associating”, or simply “Anti-state”.(x) The HRNK claims that up to three generations of a prisoners family may also be incarcerated. Prisoners are forced to hold poses for hours as a form of torture, starved to the point of relying on wild rats and snakes for nutrition, placed in 120cm x 100cm ‘solitary confinement’ chambers, and forced to carry their fellow dead prisoners to the crematorium. One former prisoner states that: ”The only nation where people are being born into prison camps, where generations are incarcerated in prison camps, where they are born, live, and ultimately die is North Korea”(xi) The woman responsible for assuring North Koreans stay docile in this horrific dictatorship is Kim Yo-Jong, though rather than mention any of the atrocities her family commits, the media commented on her looks and diplomacy. The New York times might as well be remarking on the beauty and temperament of Eva Braun. Sources: (i):https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/11/world/asia/kim-yo-jong-mike-pence-olympics.html (ii)http://www.smh.com.au/world/silent-and-sphinx-like-kim-s-sister-steals-pence-s-diplomatic-thunder-20180211-p4yzzj.html (iii)http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36210695 (iv)https://www.yahoo.com/news/kim-yo-jong-n-koreas-political-princess-055652961.html (v)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Srg1O7uzldY&t=26m50s (vi)http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?num=13352&cataId=nk01500 (vii)https://www.businessinsider.com.au/south-korea-2018-winter-olympics-north-korea-threat-2017-12/?r=US&IR=T (viii)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Flight_858 (ix)https://www.nkhiddengulag.org/
(x)https://www.nkhiddengulag.org/introduction.html (xi)https://www.hrnk.org/events/image-gallery-photos.php?album=42#prettyPhoto[gallery]/3/
