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Comment by irahul | Hacker News Reader

That's an interesting and a well-written story. But yet, I find his "I pray for Kim Jong", "I don't want him to meet a tragic end" et al. a bit strange.

I don't know, it seems like denial and rationalization. A dictator got his family killed(possibly tortured before killing them), there is nothing he can do about it, so he is trying to find solace by believing he doesn't want Kim Jong Il hurt; and to justify why he thinks so, he is imagining good and innocence, when none exists.

He is well aware of things Kim Jong Il did to his family and common masses, and yet he is trying to imagine good in him - I can't find a rational explanation for his line of reasoning.

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Because in the end, him meeting a tragic end all to appease the author's anger does no good. While if Kim Jong can open up it would have a larger and more positive impact. Just a matter of trying to break the cycle of violence.

> Just a matter of trying to break the cycle of violence.

What "cycle of violence"? Hasn't North Korea been run brutally by the same family for 50+ years? That is what needs to be broken, and it's far more likely to come to an end in a violent/tragic downfall than in a peaceful handover of power to his son.

In this case the 'cycle of violence' goes back thousands of years.

I don't know that it's so hard to believe that someone could get past a base desire for revenge and take a more thoughtful approach? Especially considering that the author seems to be a religious person (he talks about praying daily, his mother wanting him to become a minister, etc.), I think it's completely possible that he could suppress a desire for vengeance and instead express forgiveness.

> base desire for revenge and take a more thoughtful approach?

> desire for vengeance and instead express forgiveness.

Forgiveness for someone who gets people tortured and killed, which includes your wife and children, isn't thoughtful, let alone "more thoughtful."

I think that his forgiveness isn't for the dictator, it's for himself.

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