Kim Jong Il Has Died
Kim Jong Il has died, and the year of upheaval continues up to the very end.
But of all of the deposed dictators we've seen this year, Kim Jong Il inspired more than his fair share of macabre humor. During his time in power there were salacious stories of "pleasure squads" and of three-day binges, his legendary consumption of fine Scotch, his unusual appearance, and of course his unforgettable portrayal in Team America. Kim was typically regarded as more buffoonish than evil; more Goldfinger than Stalin.
Yet to his millions of subjects, living under his totalitarian vision on North Korean soil, the subject of Kim was no laughing matter. Nor to the millions in South Korea whose families were displaced by partition and war, or to the many Japanese kidnapped over the years during one of Kim's capricious whims. I can imagine that Kim's death will trigger a deep emotional response throughout both Koreas and through the Korean diaspora, not to mention fear and trepidation in Japan and other countries living under Pyongyang's nuclear shadow.
So it'll be interesting to see how the media proceeds in dealing with the question of whether it is ok to joke about Kim. My sense from following the story on Twitter is that it is.
More thoughts in the coming days.
