Yesterday, North Korean leader and junk-food enthusiast Kim Jung Un ended a three-week absence from public-life to visit an opening ceremony of a fertiliser factory, of all things.
Kim: I want my reappearance to be extra special
Staff: Of course, dear leader. Should we organise a large rally or military parade?
Kim: Hmm… are there any poop factories opening up?
Staff: Poop factories? You mean fertiliser factories?
Kim: Did you just correct me?
Staff: Of course not, dear leader. I will take you to the best new poop factory in town
Kim: Good citizen
Now, the authenticity of these photos cannot be verified, because it’s North Korea we’re talking about, but if Kim really is back, then today’s headline might seem alarming to many people:
Has the Supreme Leader come back just in time to watch World War 3 unfold?
But maybe it’s not as scary as we think. Maybe, this is all about a man trying to show how powerful he is.
North & South Korea Suddenly Had Gunfire This Morning (3 May) at the DMZ
North and South Korea exchanged gunfire along their tense land border on Sunday (3 May), according to the South’s military.
North Korean troops fired several bullets at a South Korean guard post in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) between the two countries at 7:41 am local time.
After issuing a warning broadcast, South Korean troops responded by firing two shots towards North Korea.
No injuries were reported.
For those who don’t know, the DMZ is a big-ass border separating the two Koreas. Even though it’s called the demilitarised zone, it has around 2 million mines and is guarded by barbed wire fences, tank traps, and combat troops on both sides.
The South Korean military later said that the North’s gunshots were “not deemed intentional”, and now both sides are in talks via a military communication line, Yonhap News reported.
I’m not sure how one can fire multiple gunshots at an opposing guard post “unintentionally”, but ok.
Even it was intentional, why now? And why fire at some random guard post out of the blue?
See How Big My Guns Are
According to Choi Kang, vice president of the Asian Institute for Policy Studies, this is nothing more than a show of power.
“Yesterday, Kim was trying to show he is perfectly healthy, and today, Kim is trying to mute all kinds of speculation that he may not have full control over the military,” Choi said.
“Rather than going all the way by firing missiles and supervising a missile launch, Kim could be reminding us, ‘Yes I’m healthy and I’m still in power’.”
In other words, he’s a bit like your friend who likes to post pictures of his biceps on Instagram whenever he’s feeling insecure.
Presumably, Kim is severely lacking in the bicep area, which is why he decided to show how powerful he is by randomly firing some shots at a guard post.
But this is mere speculation, you say.
Sure, except for the fact that the exact same thing happened in 2014.
According to The Straits Times, the two countries have previously exchanged fire within the DMZ, including in 2014 when Kim was unseen in public for more than a month.
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Coincidence? I think not.
In 2018, the two Koreas began easing military tensions on their border as part of their agreement in September 2018, but most of the deals have not been acted on by North Korea.