Saturday, April 16, 2011

Pining for the Fiords

Friday, apparently, was the birthday of Kim Il-sung. Not that his death 17 years ago has dampened the celebrations:

Visitors paying their respects at the memorial palace housing the body of North Korea's late founder patiently waited through security checks and scans along a winding corridor. Their shoes were dusted before they stepped through a fierce wind tunnel to sweep away any remaining specks.

After walking through a series of rooms with "The Song of Gen. Kim Il Sung" playing in the background and pausing before a massive marble statue of the president, visitors were ushered into the darkened vestibule where he lies on a bed of black marble, his body draped in red and his eyes closed as though he were simply taking a nap.



But apparently, he's not dead. He's resting.

"Hello Kimmy! Kimmy!!! Wake up!" Yes, I'd call that a dead dictator.

Somebody must explain to the North Koreans that he's expired and gone to meet his maker. He's a late dictator.

Oh, and a slug is hardly a replacement.