North Korea Erases Executed Official From the Internet

itwbennett writes "The North Korean state propaganda machine has edited and deleted hundreds of news articles that mention Jang Song Thaek, the former top government and party official and uncle to leader Kim Jong Un, who was executed Thursday. Earlier this week, Jang was arrested in front of hundreds of senior members of the ruling Worker's Party of Korea and denounced for numerous alleged acts against the state and Kim Jong Un. From arrest to trial to death took only four days and the unprecedented fall from grace is widely being interpreted as an attempt by Kim Jong Un to keep officials loyal and scared."

Comments

Word unlocked.

[SuricouRaven]

The term 'Orwellian' tends to be overused a bit these days. But, having read 1984, this is something straight out of that book. The adjective is appropriate in this situation: Go ahead and use it.

Re:Word unlocked.

[phantomfive]

It's the North Korean Happy Fun Time Hour! Be sure to clap for Dear Leader very enthusiastically!

You might be joking, but one of the accused's crimes was, in fact, to not clap enthusiastically enough. It's almost like they are trying to parody themselves.

Re:Word unlocked.

[kallisti]

In a book on the life of Shostakovich, there was an anecdote about Stalin giving a speech at a farm collective. After he finished, there was a thunderous applause that continued on and on for over half an hour. No one wanted to be known as the first one to stop clapping.

Re:Word unlocked.

[Anonymous Coward]

It's the North Korean Happy Fun Time Hour! Be sure to clap for Dear Leader very enthusiastically!

You might be joking, but one of the accused's crimes was, in fact, to not clap enthusiastically enough. It's almost like they are trying to parody themselves.

Who got accused of what? You can't find any evidence of this supposed uncle on reputable web sites. Only tinfoil-hatted conspiracy theorists believe that Kim Jong-Un ever had an uncle!

Re:Word unlocked.

[ttucker]

Just remember that Germany voted for Hitler. History can and does happen again, unless we care to learn from it.

Re:Word unlocked.

[Penguinisto]

Funny thing is, the language in this case isn't so much "inflammatory", as much as it is descriptive. See also The Memory Hole.

(I wonder if NoKo actually calls the folks tasked with this job the Korean equivalent of "Ministry of Truth" as well...)

Re:Word unlocked.

[UnknowingFool]

Well if you remember 1984, the main character's job was to re-write history removing individuals from books, news stories, etc.

Re:Word unlocked.

[arth1]

He murdered his uncle for political reasons and doesn't want everyone to know about it, that kind of behaviour predates 1984 by several millennia.

This is not insightful. He murdered his uncle and erased him from history, and very much wanted every North Korean politician, military and ambitious individual to know about it. It's a demonstration of utter ruthlessness designed to ensure obedience.

When you work for a man capable of doing that to his own uncle, you tread lightly. And that's what he wants. He knows that you and everybody else knows the charges were false - he wants you to know that. But never say it. And if you're in North Korea, you won't.

Re:Word unlocked.

[Anonymous Coward]

Um, no. Hitler did not win any election.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_presidential_election,_1932

Re:Word unlocked.

[vux984]

He knows that you and everybody else knows the charges were false

I'm with you on everything in your post but this. Were they false?

I don't pretend to be up on North Korean politics, but I recall reading when Kim Jong Un came to power that some of his family members, Aunts and Uncles wielded a lot of power, and that Dear Leader himself had to tread pretty lightly to maintain the balance of power.

It could well be that his Uncle was making a play for power. Or it could be that Kim Jong Un has consolidated enough support for himself that he can openly move against his opponents. Just saying, ... not that I think Kim Jong Un is some 'force for good' in North Korea, but I'm pretty skeptical that his Uncle was innocent of anything.

Re:Word unlocked.

[JustOK]

You know who else voted for Hitler?
Hitler!

Re:Word unlocked.

[JustOK]

What they don't show is that the bell ringer was shot on the first ring because it was too early. The bell kept ringing because he was...a dead ringer

Re:Word unlocked.

[arth1]

He knows that you and everybody else knows the charges were false

I'm with you on everything in your post but this. Were they false?

Oh, yes, I am pretty sure they were false. And that the uncle was guilty of a great many things, but not those he were charged with.
Kim Jong-Un's point wasn't to get him convicted for things he did - the point was to get him convicted, killed and erased on a whim. For that to be truly effective, Kim would need charges that were blatantly false, and some that weren't even against any laws. Which is exactly what he appears to have done.

It's a truly despicable Machiavellan ploy. The consolation is that few excessively ruthless leaders tend to rule for very long.

Re:Word unlocked.

[gtall]

"The consolation is that few excessively ruthless leaders tend to rule for very long.", Ya, I think the calculation of the flunkies runs something like "this guy is a lunatic and I might be next, let's all make him next first."

Re: Word unlocked.

[Anonymous Coward]

True, but give him a break. He's also the guy who killed Hitler

Re:Word unlocked.

[Chryana]

As soon as all the corrections which happened to be necessary in any particular number of The Times had been assembled and collated, that number would be reprinted, the original copy destroyed, and the corrected copy placed on the files in its stead. This process of continuous alteration was applied not only to newspapers, but to books, periodicals, pamphlets, posters, leaflets, films, sound-tracks, cartoons, photographs -- to every kind of literature or documentation which might conceivably hold any political or ideological significance. Day by day and almost minute by minute the past was brought up to date. In this way every prediction made by the Party could be shown by documentary evidence to have been correct, nor was any item of news, or any expression of opinion, which conflicted with the needs of the moment, ever allowed to remain on record. All history was a palimpsest, scraped clean and reinscribed exactly as often as was necessary. In no case would it have been possible, once the deed was done, to prove that any falsification had taken place.

George Orwell, 1984

Re:Word unlocked.

[Nimey]

What makes you think that most people who invoke 1984 have even read it?

Re:Word unlocked.

[Trepidity]

The consolation is that few excessively ruthless leaders tend to rule for very long.

I guess it depends on your definitions of both "long" and "excessively", but the 20th century had a pretty good number. Stalin might be the best example, in power for around 30 years. And Francisco Franco was in power for nearly 40 years.

Re:Word unlocked.

[Anonymous Coward]

False. Hitler did not win election, he lost in 1932. He was made Chancellor in 1933 by then President Hindenburg as a concession to the Nazi Party which did win some elections to the Reichstag. When Hindenburg died, Hitler was unchallenged and then took complete power.

Re:Word unlocked.

[formfeed]

[...] I recall reading when Kim Jong Un came to power that some of his family members, Aunts and Uncles wielded a lot of power, and that Dear Leader himself had to tread pretty lightly to maintain the balance of power.

It could well be that his Uncle was making a play for power. [..]

One possibility.

The other possibility:
Dear Leader had finally enough power not to listen to his uncle anymore. And his economically more experienced uncle might have told him that some of his new power moves are contra-productive. Like taking South Korean workers hostage and ruining future chances of needed cash flow.
- I imagine that disrespectful uncle might have said things like: "You know, some of the stuff you're doing is pretty dumb, even for North Korean standards." And Dear leader might have responded: "Oh uh, insurection!"

Re:Word unlocked.

[DigiShaman]

Fidel Castro, and Pol Pot to name a few extra.

Re:Word unlocked.

[drkim]

He murdered his uncle for political reasons...

...but - tell the truth - around the holidays, haven't you ever felt like killing someone in your family?

Re:Word unlocked.

[ttucker]

No, he did not win, but you have mistakenly stumbled upon the point. Do you see anything disturbing about the fact that he had 36% of the vote?

Re:Word unlocked.

[Megol]

And that isn't something new - the first example that comes to mind is the systematic removal of Pharaoh Akhenatons name after his death. The only difference is that nowadays there are photos and videos to edit too.

Arrest To Death in 4 Days for J.S. Thaek

[rmdingler]

They exercised his right to a speedy trial all right.

Re:Arrest To Death in 4 Days for J.S. Thaek

[Beavertank]

Due process, for one. And the fact that guilt is rarely obvious enough to justify a lightning quick death.

Re:Arrest To Death in 4 Days for J.S. Thaek

[Jeremi]

The moment guilt is obvious, what's the point of spending 15 years on death row and cost millions in tax dollars?

I won't comment on North Korea, but in the USA there have been at least 311 cases where "guilt was obvious" but in fact the person had not committed the crime they were convicted of.

If you're willing to accept that your proposal would cause the state-sponsored killing of hundreds of innocent people, okay, but you should say so explicitly.

Re:Arrest To Death in 4 Days for J.S. Thaek

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

The people advocating such schemes tend not to be 'willing to accept' so much as 'overtly gleeful about' a bit of the old collateral damage, so long as it isn't real people or anything.

Re:Arrest To Death in 4 Days for J.S. Thaek

[bob_super]

I guess my sarcasm didn't show. I should have put "obvious" between quotes. We are talking about a son and grandson of dictators.

I am actually against both the death penalty and life without parole, but I do recognize that in the rare exceptions of some truly over-the-top crimes where the defendant is very proud of his guilt, it should be both available and a whole lot quicker.
A lot of the innocence project's work was on crimes where I do believe the death penalty should be applicable. The US system is broken. There's a reason why so many states have banned the death penalty.

History repeating itself?

[aphelion_rock]

"is widely being interpreted as an attempt by Kim Jong Un to keep officials loyal and scared."

Sounds like Stalin all over again....

"The purge was motivated by the desire to remove dissenters from the Communist Party and to consolidate the authority of Joseph Stalin. " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Purge

Re:Obummer's exit plan

[MightyMartian]

How soon before what's left of your pathetic, useless brain leaks out the one nostril you don't pick?

Re:House of Cards

[MightyMartian]

Yes, my heart goes out for Kim Jong Un, truly a victim of circumstance...

giving new meaning to the phrase

[themushroom]

"You have disappointed me. From hereon: You're dead to me."

Re:House of Cards

[bondsbw]

Maybe if he killed himself, everyone would win.

Jang Song Strisand?

[Kaenneth]

I never heard of him before this article; now he's indelible.

catch-22

[themushroom]

You make a good point. This will be really embarassing for his memoirs: "I learned everything about leadership from my un--... uh, my dad." Of course he could spin this as having gifts from his deity since he can't admit his uncle existed and schooled him.

Also, whatever the North Korean version of Thanksgiving will be pretty awkward from henceforth.
"Auntie, you look good..."
"Eat shit, you little bastard."

Re:Obummer's exit plan

[Ralph Wiggam]

Senator Obama voted for warrantless NSA spying 4 months before he was elected President. Try paying attention some time.

Sympathy?

[Charliemopps]

This guy was one of the top brass in NK. Lets keep in mind how many millions of tortures and death he's likely responsible for. The worlds better off without him, and we can only hope NK becomes unstable soon. Those poor people that live there, my God. How can we still have such a place on this earth.

How does that work?

[Daetrin]

How is he supposed to serve as a lesson to others if they're busy purging all records of him?

"Remember what happened to Jang Song Thaek before you think about crossing me!"
"Who? I don't remember him at all."
"Exactly!"

Sounds a bit more like bad comedy than a real threat.

Re:How does that work?

[MozeeToby]

Whispers are more powerful than shouts.

You'll never understand until you experience it

[Taco Cowboy]

The term 'Orwellian' tends to be overused a bit these days. But, having read 1984, this is something straight out of that book

Millions of Jews died in the hand of the Nazis. Those who went through holocaust hell but survived fully comprehend the meaning of "LIBERTY".

Many people tried to scale the Berlin wall but was shot to death. Those who were successful fully appreciate the importance of "LIBERTY".

Some brave souls from North Korea risk everything and went through a very dangerous journey crossing the very heavily guarded border into China. To them, "LIBERTY" is worth much more than all the gold in the world.

They do not need "1984" to tell them the horror. They have experience it first hand.

I had befriended several holocaust survivors when I was in the United States (back when many of them were still alive, in the 70's) and I found that, for them, the same thing happen : Mere words could never justify the horrors that they had gone through.

The scars that they had was much worse than the scars that I have. They had their family slaughtered right in front of them, and yet, when I asked them to describe how they feel, they just shook their head.

They couldn't.

It's not the "hurt" that stopped them from telling me what happened. It's that SPOKEN WORDS itself is not sufficient.

Now, when I see people like you justifying your "understanding" the horror with a fiction, I sadly shake my head.

"1984" is but an old fiction.

You guys might find it useful, but to us who had been through the horror, that book does not even come close to the actual experience.

To us, "LIBERTY" means much more than life itself.

To some of you, that word is, a word.

That is why I mourn for the loss of "LIBERTY" of the United States of America but too many born and bred Americans themselves don't even understand what they have lost.

I humbly ask for your forgiveness because English is not my mother tongue. There are times, like now, I am at a total loss of words to describe how I feel.

All I can say is this --- You will never understand the importance of "LIBERTY" until you have lost it.

Re:You'll never understand until you experience it

[AK Marc]

1984 is a way to help those who don't know the definition to understand. You find it offensive that someone might understand liberty without having gone through what you did?

No fool

[waimate]

That Kim Jong Un is no fool. When executing relatives, always do it just *before* xmas, not *after*. That way you save on buying a present.

Re:Obummer's exit plan

[couchslug]

You modern right-wingers collectively can't muster the balls of Timothy McVeigh (who failed to kickstart anything because the rest of you are gutless) so all you do is snivel on the internet, forward Faux News articles, and grumble like a bunch of blue-haired biddies in your little circle jerk of mutual affirmation.

You don't do shit, so quit bitching. You rant about the "Greatest Generation" but you aren't a bump on their collective posterior.

YOUR GOPs relentless incompetence and pathetic candidates are why Obama (who I also dislike) is in office in the first place! YOU got him elected twice.

The refusal of modern so-called "conservatism" to do anything other than preach like the White Trash Christian Taliban you are at heart while gargling the balls of rich people who wouldn't be caught dead with you is a disgrace.

Re:House of Cards

[real gumby]

Dictators rarely die of natural causes

His father and grandfather died in the saddle of natural causes.

And actually, unfortunately, plenty of others do too, e.g. Franco, Salazar, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot... And if you include the ones ousted but not killed (e.g. Duvalier, Amin, Pinochet) the list gets even longer.

(not killing dictators is actually important because if killing them is the only way to get rid of them they will hold on more tightly. The means of bribing them by letting them keep some ill-gotten gains is justified by the ends).

Re:Obummer's exit plan

[Jack9]

> And? Check the official vote rolls [senate.gov]. He didn't vote for it. His name isn't even in the list. Want to try again?

Please try to get the facts correct.

The FISA Amendments Act of 2008 (also called the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 Amendments Act of 2008, H.R. 6304

The roll call is here:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00168 (vote 168 not 236 which you linked to)

His name is on that list from 2008. You linked to the extension vote in 2012...of course his name isn't on it as a voting SENATOR.
Obama's the PRESIDENT at that time.