Flumesday.com - U.N. Hits North Korea with Luxury Ban

U.N. Hits North Korea with Luxury Ban
In response to North Korea's testing of a nuclear bomb in October, instead of instituting any serious military or diplomatic measures, the U.N. Security Council has decided to strip North Korea of its luxury items this holiday season. This U.S.-led punishment will deprive North Koreans of their iPods, Marlboros, Stratocaster guitars, and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. When I read this, I immediately pictured North Koreans riding around on Harleys with electric guitars on their backs and cigarettes dangling out of their mouths. And then I snapped out of it. The North Korean people don't have shit. The average yearly salary in the Communist nation is less than $1000. But the most interesting deprivation measure by the U.N. is the banning of the Cognac that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il likes to sip on. According to the Washington Post, Kim spends up to USD$800,000 a year on rare Cognac. I suppose the U.N. thinks that cutting off Kim's Hennessy pipeline will get him to think straight. But really, the U.N. is either trying to make a statement or is just plain stupid if it thinks denying North Korea luxury items will make Kim curb his nuclear program. First of all, as G.W. political psychology professor Jerrold Post points out, "Part of the support he musters with his followers is having the courage to stand up and forge forward. So lack of luxury won't end North Korea's weapons program unless they use Hennessy to fuel their rockets." And also, the U.N. is underestimating Kim Jong Il's ability to get what he wants despite the sanctions. I will share my favorite Kim Jong Il story to demonstrate this point. Kim Jong Il, besides being a practicing alcoholic, is a major film buff. Reportedly, he has a film collection of over 20,000 titles. In the late 70s, Kim, then the son of the country's ruler Kim Il Sung, decided he wanted to be a film producer. But North Korea, at that time, lacked any sort of studios or experienced film directors or any other resources to make a film. So instead of training directors and building a film industry, Kim decided he would kidnap a director and actor from South Korea, and have them make films for North Korea. South Korean director Shin Sang Ok and his well-known actress wife Choi Eun Hee were abducted by Kim's cohorts and held captive in North Korea for 7 years to make films. After directing 7 movies for Kim, Shin and his wife escaped back into South Korea in 1986. Shin only went public with his story a few years ago. So the moral of this story is this: This Christmas season, if Kim Jong Il wants to get Hennessy and Marlboros, it shouldn't be a problem.

•Washington Post: Hitting Kim Jong Il Right In The Cognac
•Guardian: Producer From Hell (4/4/2003)