The Casey Lartigue Show!

  On December 11, 1969, a North Korean agent hijacked a plane from South to Nouth Korea. For much of the past 20 years, Hwang In-Cheol, son of one of the people on that airplane, has been campaigning to have his father released. Yesterday he led a rally at Imjingak's Freedom Bridge (near the DMZ) to call on North Korea to reveal the truth about what happened to his father and to release him. For much of those 20 years, Mr. Hwang has been on his own, although he has partnered with some organizations. In recent years Freedom Speakers International has been with him anytime has called on us (although sometimes we do call on him to see if he has any plans and if there is anything we can do to help). He definitely wasn't alone yesterday! About a dozen South Koreans and I joined him yesterday. I was the other featured speaker, although obviously, this is not the kind of event that you want to speak at, it would be much better for the family to be reunited or at least to have closure....

I will be the guest moderator of a 10 Magazine book forum with author Blaine Harden about the book Escape from Camp 14. The book is about Shin Dong-Hyuk, an escapee from North Korea. now, there is an even a music video by Ooberfuse featuring Shin, titled "Vanish the Night." Shin Dong-Hyuk escaped North Korea. There's an international best-selling book about him... now, a music video.

In a "man-bites-dog" story that news editors and bloggers love, North Korea and Iran attacked Canada’s human rights record at UN forum . A few thoughts: 1) North Korea and Iran are correct! Canada does have problems and it may have some legitimate human rights abuses. Even some "First Nation" people in Canada went to Geneva to complain about Canada's human rights record. North Korea and Iran making that point is similar to the Soviet Union attacking America in the past about the treatment of black Americans. It was the moral equivalency game--"Oh, sure, we keep 98 percent of our population enslaved to the state. But look at what you are doing to 12 percent of your population." So, yes, North Korea and Iran are correct. But it brings to mind something Jesse Jackson used to say: "Content without context is pretext." Meaning, information without context doesn't tell us very much. Or as economists like to ask: "Compared to what?...

On Expertise and Ethics: Tourism in North Korea Does visiting North Korea as a tourist provide any useful insight? by Alexander James  , April 27, 2013           In the words of Hong Yin-chel, Head of the Publicity Bureau for North Korea’s National Tourism Administration, “tourists from the whole world” are now welcome in North Korea. Notwithstanding Mr. Hong’s enthusiasm, North Korea remains a rather niche destination for holiday makers. Receiving just 75-80,000 tourists in 2011 (in contrast, nearly ten million tourists visited South Korea that year) nuclear weaponry, rather than sightseeing, still characterizes North Korea in the eyes of many. So who actually goes to North Korea on holiday? Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of tourists are Chinese. Said to be lured by “the popularity of movies and songs from the DPRK in their...

* Average [South] Korean Turning Overweight * N. Korea Opens 1st Fast-Food Restaurant I predicted more than a decade ago that if North Korea ever allowed McDonald's to open a branch that it wouldn't be long before NPR and South Korean media/intellectuals complained about North Koreans becoming overweight (as opposed to those who eat grass to keep from starving). I'm sticking by that prediction: According to the Korea Times : "South Korea used to be known as a nation of slim people thanks to its diet of fruits and vegetables. But the reputation has become a thing of the past as a growing number of Koreans are becoming obese due to the widespread popularity of high-calorie and high-fat Western foods, as well as a lack of exercise." In unrelated news, N. Koreans who have been eating grass may finally have a chance to eat fast-food . As the Korea Herald reminds us: "North Korea suffers from chronic food shortages, with private analysts saying that about 1 millio...

" A system where you can't live but you can't leave is the definition of hell ." --Christopher Hitchens, on North Korea World disregards N.K. labor camps That's what Blaine Harden of the Washington Post is saying . It seems that the real point is that the world doesn't know what to do about the N.K. labor camps. Lunactics with weapons are keeping their own folks hostage and they've got a huge army ready to attack a civilized country south of it. A few days ago there was a different story...about N.K. refugees who had escaped to South Korea talking about missing North Korea. Of course, not enough to return... This reminds me of the point I've heard from blacks about the good old days of Jim Crow. Again, of course, I haven't heard blacks talking about wanting to return to those days... CJL