Kim Jong-Un’s return, and other unsettling news from the DPRK

Brazil is experiencing a period of public discontent towards the recent re-election of Dilma Rousseff, since nearly half the population favored her rival. The reactions ranged from wearing black to mourn the “death” of the country to threats to those who voted for PT and its representative. One accusation was that the current political administration would lead Brazil into a dictatorship.

Ironically, this coincided perfectly with a fresh batch of news from a real dictatorship, North Korea, where citizens have no say at all in choosing their leaders, and the symbolic gesture of mourning the nation’s death could lead to execution. The nation’s Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-Un, has recently returned to public life after being absent for more than a month. Although his whereabouts during that period are unknown, it is has been announced that Un underwent surgery to remove a cyst from his right ankle and was in recovery. This disappearance had the international community worried since the unpredictable Un has complete control over North Korea’s nuclear weapons and the country has previously threatened that it would be ready to use said weapons.

Sources also say that up to 50 executions have occurred so far this year, bringing the number closer to last year’s estimate. Among those 50 were a number of officials that were caught watching South Korean soap operas. The rise of executions in North Korea is a clear attempt to further solidify Un’s reign through terror, especially since the brutal execution of his own uncle last year.