North Korea demands an ass-kicking at the hands of South Korea.

[Telarus]

Not sure if this is the thread, but I remember Cain mentioning that this (or something like it) may happen.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's uncle is removed from powerful role and two of his associates publicly executed for corruption
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2517475/North-Korea-Kim-Jong-Uns-uncle-removed-powerful-role.html

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Not sure if this is the thread, but I remember Cain mentioning that this (or something like it) may happen.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's uncle is removed from powerful role and two of his associates publicly executed for corruption
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2517475/North-Korea-Kim-Jong-Uns-uncle-removed-powerful-role.html

Yep.  Lil Kim is now a puppet.

[Cain]

I think it was another thread, but yes.  The military have successfully resisted the Korean Worker's Party attempts to rein them in.  Kim's not entirely impotent, but he's far more figurehead than Father of the Nation.

[Cain]

South Korea still doesnt quite have the hang of freedom, though it may have the hang of FREEDOM:

In order to save the system and prevent further defection, they will use me for political propaganda. And then they will give me harsh punishment, harsher than those given to ordinary citizens, and will place me where I will not be able to have contact with any outsiders.

I mean, I think wanting to defect back to North Korea is pretty crazy, but, you know, it's not my life.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/13/21889289-execution-of-kim-jong-uns-uncle-recalls-grandfathers-lethal-era?lite

[LMNO]

I mean, the holidays are rough on families, but having your Uncle executed is a bit much.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I mean, the holidays are rough on families, but having your Uncle executed is a bit much.

It completely changes my mind about Lil Kim.  He's not a puppet, he just owned the joint.

[Cain]

He's still a puppet.

The Korean military orchestrated this.  Taek was the key liason to the Chinese government.  China wants to strengthen the Korean Workers Party, to open the country to trade and foreign investment.  That would significantly weaken the position of the military, who control most of the economy.  Taek was the man behind the throne, the key power broker among the civilian leadership of the country.

Now the military don't have anyone to stop them pulling Jong-Un's strings.  Game, set, match.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

He's still a puppet.

The Korean military orchestrated this.  Taek was the key liason to the Chinese government.  China wants to strengthen the Korean Workers Party, to open the country to trade and foreign investment.  That would significantly weaken the position of the military, who control most of the economy.  Taek was the man behind the throne, the key power broker among the civilian leadership of the country.

Now the military don't have anyone to stop them pulling Jong-Un's strings.  Game, set, match.

See, I'm thinking that if the army was driving this, they'd stick to the original Kim's methods...Imprisonment for high officials, but not death.  Reason?  If the young bastard chokes on a chicken bone or something, they have a relative to install.

But if you're Kim, it makes more sense to kill the guy, as he is nothing but a threat.

I could be wrong, of course. 

[Cain]

This article explains the conditions in North Korea quite nicely

http://newfocusintl.com/insider-perspective-removal-jang-song-taek/?utm_source=buffer&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=buffer8f42c&utm_medium=twitter

The betrayal of Choe Ryong Hae, who had been appointed to lead the KPA General Political Bureau as the right hand man of Jang Song Taek in 2012, was fatal for Jang. Although Choe Ryong Hae's appointment as a leading military figure looked good, he had no military experience or military education, and was consequently ostracised among military circles. Moreover, with powers of military appointment and guidance in the hands of the OGD, Choe held no enforceable powers. Acknowledging that he was at the mercy of military forces, Choe turned his allegiance to the OGD.

It is in this context that while the removal of Jang Song Taek may suggest that Kim Jong Un's power has been cemented, the opposite is in fact the case. Kim Jong Un's opportunity to rely on his uncle Jang Song Taek and aunt Kim Kyong Hui has been curtailed by those loyal to his father Kim Jong Il and the OGD.

The OGD controls the personal bodyguards of Kim Jong Un, which makes them the most powerful institution in North Korea: the office of protecting Kim Jong Un goes hand in hand with the ability to control directly his contact with the outside world. However influential the power of Jang Song Taek and the Ministry of People's Security, this was an issue in which there was no competition as long as Kim Jong Un was head of state. When even his meetings with his aunt and uncle Kim Kyong Hui and Jang Song Taek have had to go through the OGD, Jang Song Taek's removal was not insurmountable.

There is always a discrepancy between a North Korean player's surface or public role and their de facto powers. This was the discrepancy perfected by Kim Jong Il in order to play off rivals and check their powers. One who publicly held authority over a vertical structure was not allowed de facto powers in that role; and one with such de facto powers was not allowed to hold a corresponding public role. This was Kim Jong Il's 'cross-shaped rule', which in Kim Jong Un's time has become a 'cross-shaped nightmare' for many.

Kim Jong Un has lost an option and a faction to play on, and is surrounded more firmly by those who emphasise military policies. We envision that North Korea's external and internal policies in the next few months will reflect this development.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Oh, okay.

[LMNO]

I'm not sure if I want this story to be real or not.  Probably not.

http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/asia-report/china/story/jangs-execution-bodes-ill-china-20131224

Jang was stripped naked and thrown into a cage, along with his five closest aides. Then 120 hounds, starved for three days, were allowed to prey on them until they were completely eaten up. This is called "quan jue", or execution by dogs.

The report said the entire process lasted for an hour, with Mr Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader in North Korea, supervising it along with 300 senior officials.

[Cain]

Strait Times are pretty legit, as news goes.  It probably happened.

[East Coast Hustle]

Everyone else is reporting that it didn't happen. As Cain said, Straits Times are pretty legit. IMO the most legit newspaper in the world for getting the straight dope from. So I'm'a go with "everyone else is wrong/lying" on this one.