The best represents the optimal.
To gain the best requires constant work to stay above the worst. In the case of
Kim Jung-Un, he serves as the best of the worst. Suffering from economic
mismanagement, North Korea relies heavily on international aid. In addition to
economic mismanagement, North Koreans lack the basic human rights that many
people enjoy. A dominant belief that the leader of North Korea serves as a
deity grants power to the Worker’s Party of Korea. The North Koreans live under
some of the worst standards. In contrast, the leader enjoys a lavish lifestyle.
Former North Korean ruler, Kim Jong-Il, enjoyed 700,000 $ of cognac a year
along with the controversial shark fin soup, probably in front of his
television playing one of his 20,000 DVDs[1].
The key difference between Kim Jong-Il, apart from the obvious age difference
(Kim Jong-Il being 52, and Kim Jong-Un being 28), revolves around the social
technological and cultural differences between North Korea and the rest of the
world. Although Kim Jong-Un’s power provides him with any possession available,
the lack of freedom to indulge in the cultural and technological advances of
other countries will ultimately create a political problem for Kim Jong-Un.
It is true that Kim Jong-Un is
rich enough to buy anything, but you cannot buy the NBA (or the American
culture that defines the NBA), a strong passion of the new North Korean leader.
A fierce basketball player and fanatic, Jong-Un even spotted some pictures with
Kobe Bryant[2].
His passion for basketball leaves him with only two possible ways to keep up
with the season: internet or cable. North Korea has no food, and I doubt
internet and cable available to the North Korean people. Kim Jong-Il enjoyed
cognac and movies, but he could buy these pleasures with little contact to the
outside world, discreetly. The internet and cable, however, require a link to
the outside world. The link may remind Kim Jong-Un of what his country lacks.
The pleasure, the culture, and the advances of other countries may sway Jong-Un
against the country that remains backwards relevant to many other countries.
Caving into his curiosity for
the west, Jong-Un’s older brother lost preference with his father, and the
privilege to succession. Embarrassment followed the news of Kim Jong-Il’s
eldest, Kim Jong-Nam, capture at the Tokyo Disneyland with a fake passport. The
prominent propaganda of North Korea’s supposed superiority lost a follower. His
dark glasses, pressed suit and elegant surroundings encourage his defection
from an oppressive ideology[3].
In his voice, there seems to be no disappointment in a loss of favor with his
father. He might even pity his younger brother because apart from the great responsibility,
Kim Jong-Un is stuck. Jong-Nam carries the stigma of his upbringing, but enjoys
the pleasure of his money- mostly in places much better than North Korea.
As the United States, and other
countries around the world, advance with the coming years, North Korea remains
stagnant. The people focus more on surviving adversity than on the advancements
that exist outside of North Korea. In fact, the people do not know past the
controlled media’s reports of the occurrences on the outside. Knowledge of the
outside would create a fight for the ability of survival, the access to more
efficient services, and the introduction of an easier life. Though North
Korean, Kim Jong-Un knows of the outside, and he loves it. His pleasures permeate
the love of basketball, but the fact that he is stuck in North Korea will only create
a conflict in his mind. In a matter of time, Kim Jong-Un might want to leave it
behind like his older brother, and when that time comes, we will see how the
world and the political structure of North Korea reacts. But, if you were in
the same shoes, what would you pick: The red pill or the blue pill? Being a
demigod or being free?
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