Why The Deal Will Work This Time

Many people are criticizing the new deal between the US and North Korea saying that the fuel that will be given to north Korea will just be used to reactivate the Yongbyan Reactor. But this time they're wrong. Why? Because the US had the upper hand in negotiations. We had a weapon. It's called freezing assets. The other two times that an agreement was reached with North Korea, the US didn't have much of an upper hand. We were the scared ones; North Korea had nothing to lose. But this time we froze Kim Jong-il's assets that are used to buy many luxury items. We also put an embargo on luxury goods that were being sent to north Korea. Kim Jong-il couldn't buy his scotch anymore; nor could he buy his movies or boats or luxury cars. That was the last straw. It was either live without these luxury items or give into the US' demands. Kimmy boy chose the second option.

Now North Korea can get its energy and Kim Jong-il's luxuries while the US and the rest of NE Asia can live without the fear of North Korea having the Bomb. In this situation, everybody wins. And who knows, maybe Bush's popularity will rise above 40% for the first time in a while. And hell, maybe the troop surge will work. The next question is whether or not neo-Stalinism is dead after this agreement.

Movies About the DPRK!

There are two movies about North Korea that are being shown right now. The first is called Abduction: the Megumi Yokota Story. It's a documentary about 13-year old Megumi Yokota who was abducted by North Korean agents in 1977 so she could help the North Korean military learn Japanese. This was one of the many kidnappings that took place in Japan.

The other movie is called Crossing the Line. It tells the story about Joe Dresnok, one of the only American soldiers to defect to North Korea. Dresnok had a very abusive childhood and dropped out of high school. After serving a sentence for theft he joined the Army. He was stationed in West Germany where he met his wife who later left him after two years. Dresnok was moved to Korea to guard the old DMZ. Facing a court martial after an incident in one of the many villages of "comfort" women near the base he defected to North Korea. In this film he tells his story but doesn't say much about the regime. It's going to be at the Berlin Film Festival, so watch out all of you Berliners!