I GPS You: Kim Jong-il Dots China

I already knew this because I'm really a spy for South Korea (and just for the record - I'm the one actually singing on all those Rain CD's you love).

North Korea's hardline leader Kim Jong-il appears to have entered China, his isolated state's biggest benefactor, for a rare trip abroad as tensions are running high on the peninsula, reports said Monday.

China has the most influence in curbing the North's military grandstanding and Kim's previous trips to his neighbor have led to steps that have reduced security concerns for the economically vibrant region.

The trip to China would be the first in four years and comes at a time when Seoul is considering ways to respond to a suspected North Korean attack on one of its naval ships. South Korea lost 46 sailors in what could be one of the deadliest strikes since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Read more here.

More on the New York Philharmonic

While I know some of you out there think I'm a cold heartless cynic - it's not true. I'm not the only one who thought the NY Philharmonic's journey to North Korea was a sham:

Chosun Ilbo: Philharmonic Concert Seen as 'Half Success' for Kim Jong-il

What did North Korean leader Kim Jong-il gain from the New York Philharmonic's concert in Pyongyang? Why didn't he attend the performance as expected? Pundits said that the orchestra's performance was a "half success" for Kim. Kim Sung-han, a professor at Korea University, said, "The performance gave us the impression that North Korea is a 'normal country' where cultural activities are possible." Kim Keun-sik, a professor of North Korean Studies at Kyungnam University, said, "Attracting worldwide attention, the orchestra conveyed a message calling for the normalization of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and North Korea."

WSJ: How Pyongyang Plays the West

The timing is fortuitous, since the months from February to April mark the annual highpoint of the North's personality cult ritual. And two or three years from now, the regime will almost certainly publish a new installment of Immortal Leadership, a series of novels celebrating the main triumphs of the Dear Leader's rule. The story will be simple: Kim tests nuke, Washington protests, Kim hangs tough, Washington sends musicians to entertain him. And isn't that a fairly accurate version of events?

All right - maybe I am a cold heartless cynic - at least I'm in good company though.

NY Philharmonic: Can you end the conflict in Darfur too?

I'm a supporter of the arts on all fronts and know the power that music and theater can have, but let's be honest about this - the NY Philharmonic going to North Korea isn't a historical cultural event - it's just a publicity campaign for everyone involved.

North Korea - who took down its Anti-American posters and rhetoric before the Philharmonic dropped in to Pyongyang - gets to use this "event" as propaganda to show the world that even with their abysmal human rights record, stalled nuclear disarmament talks, and "Military First" policy, that they're open to cultural diplomacy - and really - maybe they aren't that bad after all.

I can see it now. There's Kim Jong Il relaxing with some poor girls he keeps skinny with a healthy does of poverty, the NY Philharmonic playing in the background, and Il touting the new "softer side of North Korea".

Just the thought makes me want to wet myself.

Then there's the NY Philharmonic. Musicians who hope that they can help build connections with North Koreans to bring the countries closer together - and while I don't doubt the real feelings some of the musicians have in going there - they've really just been bamboozled and hoodwinked by people like Lorin Maazel and others for the sake of publicity and the thought of being mentioned alongside with ping pong balls.

Do they realize that according to a UN report there's only 55 TV sets for every 1,000 people in North Korea and that only a fraction of people they hope to reach will even see it?

Who knows though, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the NY Philharmonic, by playing one glorious night to be shown, edited, cut, and then re-edited, really can help bring the U.S. and North Korea together.

At least it won't hurt ticket sales.

Next stop for the NY Philharmonic: Curing AIDS and ending the conflict in Darfur.

North Korea agrees to disable nuclear facilities

While already in the works this just came in from the NY Times:

The agreement sets out a timetable for North Korea to disclose all its nuclear programs and disable all facilities in return for 950,000 metric tons of fuel oil or its equivalent in economic aid.

Negotiators reached agreement on a draft plan in Beijing on Sunday after four days of six-nation talks. The United States had said on Tuesday that it endorsed the plan but was waiting for approval from other nations involved in the negotiations.

Protesters demonstrate, South Korean President gets set to walk across into North Korea for summit

Protesters of the summit (Lee Jin-man)

A historic event, President Roh Moo Hyun of South Korea will meet with Kim Jong Il in North Korea. This will be only the second time that both a South and North Korean President will have met in a summit - and will be the first time that a South Korean president will actually walk across the border.

More news on the South Korean President’s visit:

• President Roh Moo Hyun of South Korea to meet with Kim Jong Il in North (IHT)


• Roh to Visit Gaeseong Industrial Park (Korean Times)


• Summit Highlights Korean Economic Gap (Associated Press)

Not everyone is happy though about the summit:

Mixed feelings over Korea’s summit

Close to the heavily fortified border that divides the Korean peninsular, a small group of South Koreans are taking it in turns to bow deeply towards the barbed wire.

A few hundred, many of them now very elderly, gather here every year to offer prayers to loved ones from whom they have been separated for more than half a century.