Kim Jong Il's Grandson Gives an Interview
blogs.wsj.com
blogs.wsj.com
And in response to "propaganda comments" on the article, as a Korean American I know that the strongest sentiment in Korea is still towards unification. I've never understood that (and still don't, to some degree) but watching this video gives me a glimpse of that. When I hear this kid speak, I see me. It leaves me unexpectedly hopeful for the future.
Kim Jong-nam is the father of Kim Han Sol and he's long been a critic of North Korean regime. He still lives with massive state handout safe and sound.
I'm surprised Kim Jong-nam's been left alone.
Ordinary North Koreans wouldn't hear about this unless the North Korean government allows it to be published, so as long as he doesn't go around doing stuff that cause direct domestic problems for the regime, the only reason they'd have for going after him or his son at this point would be a personal vendetta.
If they were to go back and start walking around Pyongyang criticizing the regime to ordinary people or otherwise engaging stirring up domestic trouble, sure.
I doubt North Korea would show this domestically, but that doesn't mean they would find it unacceptable for export to other countries if it increases sympathy and brings on another round of aid. They have been alternating between provocations and pity for decades now...
What I do know is that this young man has inherited a horrific past, and if what he said in the interview is true he is attempting to make up for it. That is all any of us can do. People are born into situations, and that isn't anyones fault. It's what we do with that situation that matters.
I hope for his sake, and North Korea's sake that he is able to follow through with the goals and dreams that he shared.
I'm going to take a wild guess that this kid will be the following things by the end of 2013: TED speaker, bestselling author, Anderson Cooper guest, a regular fixture on magazine "Most Intriguing People of 2012/2013" lists; short-liat candidate for Time Magazine's Person of the Year.
I don't mean to be cynical, but we can all smell the media frenzy about to descend on him. And, while I applaud his speaking out against the horrors of his family dynasty, I have to keep in mind that a) he's been living a luxurious, sheltered existence in Macau on the ill-gotten gains that dynasty secured, and b) he has virtually nothing to lose by going public, as his father was disinherited from the dynastic succession a few years ago. (One wonders if he wouldn't be toeing the Kim party line, were he the next heir apparent to the Supreme Leadership).
All of that being said, I do share your sincere hope that he can, in some way, be a catalyst for change and improvement in the conditions of the North Korean people. He does seem to be sincere in his desire to effect change, and as such, I am forced to shelve my cynicism if he has any hope whatsoever of being an agent for that change.
He speaks English quite a bit better than his interviewer. He sounds like an American.
Its equally interesting that Elisabeth Rehn's English is so heavily accented, as I have a general perception that Europeans are generally excellent at English (I've met several Germans and Swedes that I couldn't hear any accent on at all), especially someone of her background.
Definitely off topic, but interesting to note. Just shows how my perceptions and assumptions can be very wrong. Great interview.
When I lived in Thailand I met lots of Thai people who spoke perfect unaccented English for this reason. Whether they had an American or English accent depended on if they went to Bangkok Patana School (British) or International School Bangkok (American).
No, it's very possible to never lose your accent. I have German/Swiss landlords who have lived in the US for decades, and they still struggle with English, as well as Southeast Asian and Mexican folks who do the same. I'm sure I'd be the same way if I up and moved to Russia, for example.
Most foreigners never lose their accent, while children of non-native speakers learn the local language without their parents' accent. Natives of Germanic languages, as someone else pointed out, tend to be better at English than natives of Romance languages. And some native Greeks can speak with such a perfect Spanish accent that when their vocabulary lags behind they sound slightly aphasic (until they tell you that they are actually learning the language).
It also depends education: Portugal and Greece used subtitles on tv whereas France, Spain and Germany usually dub foreign films. This makes a difference between the students from those nationalities one encounters, say, in Britain.
I know of a Japanese whose Spanish, learned in a couple of years as an adult, has far less Japanese accent than his English, learned and practiced since primary school.
And now that I'm at it: as with the deaf/mute confusion, when teaching, or just speaking, to a non-native speaker, remember that, rather than having a sticky tongue, they might just not be able to hear the sounds you are saying. This causes much frustration because you repeat the same word ten times, assuming that they can hear the difference, but they cannot. The solution is to point out explicitly in which sound the difference occurs.
Apologies for the dogmatic speech, it's the foreign-sounding generalisation I have a general perception that Europeans are generally excellent at English that triggered it :-)
I very strongly doubt this is true and I must object because this holds up the old alleged "fact" that at a certain age "you're just too old" to learn something new and I detest this with a passion.
Off the top of my head, Gary Marcus' "Guitar Zero" does an excellent job of de-bunking this.
As far as critical developmental periods for people without birth defects, there are many accounts of feral children that were never able to learn speech. There really is evidence for a critical developmental period for speech functions.
It could also be that one was more motivated to change the accent, or otherwise got more practice, than the other.
But never mind that possibility, because Stephen Pinker is a fundamentalist about nativism.
As a side note, I know a lot of people that are excellent at English but have an accent. I don't think all people make it a priority to get rid of their accent (or to gain an accent), especially if they don't live in an English speaking country.
Then you haven't met the multitude of Germans who do not dare speak a word of English and would never watch or read anything in English and buy the German version of video games despite being taught English as their first foreign language in school for no less than 6 years.
Yes, there are a few exceptions amongst the younger ones who watch movies and TV shows in English and typically they go to the other extreme and are fluent speakers but they are rare.
> In various posted messages on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, he expressed guilt for his family’s role in the suffering of the North Korean people.
Sorry - what I meant to say is 'volunteer and help the people of his country'.
Personally I applaud this effort and I hope we see more of it - and it would be great for this young man to go to North Korea and work as a diplomat or something. But people should see this and future actions from him for what they are - carefully crafted maneuvers by the North Korean government.
Why is everyone so surprised that his English is excellent and that he is very confident? His clan pretty much owns and runs a whole country and rulers and their families generally have everything available to them, in every dictatorship all around the world since the beginning of time. Including the best modern education available.
If anything, it is surprising how outspoken he is against the regime and thereby his own family and the entitlement that allowed him to be where he is now but then again, "quod licet iovi, non licet bovi" and sons typical hold a special value anyway.
King George VI must have led a deprived and impoverished life to be so insecure and inarticulate in public. ;)
In a smaller arena, some of the CEO's I have worked under have shown signs in insecurity also. So, I don't think confidence necessarily comes from power and wealth.