Profile: Kim Jong-il
I know I'm an object of criticism in the world, but if I am being talked about, I must be doing the right things
Kim Jong-il | | Either that, or you're a spectacular lunatic. When they make those twirly motions next to the ear, they're saying you're a nutbug. |
The little that is known about Kim Jong-il, North Korea's leader, conjures up a caricature of a diminutive playboy, a comic picture at odds with his brutal regime. Diplomats and escaped dissidents talk of a vain, paranoid, cognac-guzzling hypochondriac. He is said to wear platform shoes and favour a bouffant hairstyle in order to appear taller than his 5 feet 3 inches.
But analysts are undecided whether his eccentricities mask the cunning mind of a master manipulator or betray an irrational madman. Mr Kim may well encourage the myth-making surrounding him precisely in order to keep the Western world guessing. North Korea has little to bargain with, and ignorance breeds fear.
Balance and photo at the link. |