THE HEIR

is out and about mingling with the people.

Much like his grandfather was wont to do, Kim Jong Un has begun to appear making field visits throughout the DPRK. Kim Jong Il did this too, but he seldom seemed to be able to muster the enthusiasm about the visits that his gregarious father naturally seemed to possess.

Does Kim Jong Un look like his grandfather or what?

UPDATE: A brief article on this phenomenon here.

MOONCAKE

The "fruitcake of China"?

I've never been a huge fan of them. But then again I've never cared for fruitcake either.

WHAT A POLAROID CAN DO IN NORTH KOREA

Interesting.

LMB TO MAKE A U-TURN

or is already in the process of making one on North Korea policy.

So writes the ever-readable Aidan Foster-Carter in 38 North.

Worth reading if for no other reason than the fascinating glimpse into the inter workings of the ROK government under President Lee and the influence of an unlikely academic--Immanuel Wallerstein--on the ROK's North Korea policy.

HOYAS IN BEIJING

You probably have heard the reports and seen the pictures (or video) of the brawl that took place when the Georgetown men's b-ball team played the PLA Bayi Rockets.

Victor Cha (who has written about sports in Asia before) provides a much needed antidote to the hyperbole that has surely followed the event on both sides of the Pacific. A snippet:

Despite the widespread play of the video clips in the US, things calmed down considerably after the event. No one was seriously hurt. The coaches and player representatives from the two teams were immediately in contact after the incident to express sincere regrets and worked together through the night to find a proper way of reconciling. Senior levels of the Chinese government offered to help the team in any way possible. The Bayi coach and two players the following morning met Coach Thompson and two of the upperclassmen on the team. It was a very friendly meeting and they talked about future events where Chinese youth might come to participate in summer basketball clinics in the US. The two groups exchanged gifts at the end of the meeting and there were no hard feelings on either side.