We've got Kim Jong by the balls now...!!
inmytree
Posts: 4,741
watch the little fucker cave....we've got him right where we want him...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061129/ap_on_go_pr_wh/nkorea_ipod_diplomacy_9
U.S. bans sale of iPods to North Korea
By TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer 23 minutes ago
The Bush administration wants North Korea's attention, so like a scolding parent it's trying to make it tougher for that country's eccentric leader to buy iPods, plasma televisions and Segway electric scooters. The U.S. government's first-ever effort to use trade sanctions to personally aggravate a foreign president expressly targets items believed to be favored by Kim Jong Il or presented by him as gifts to the roughly 600 loyalist families who run the communist government.
Kim, who engineered a secret nuclear weapons program, has other options for obtaining the high-end consumer electronics and other items he wants.
But the list of proposed luxury sanctions, obtained by The Associated Press, aims to make Kim's swanky life harder: No more cognac, Rolex watches, cigarettes, artwork, expensive cars, Harley Davidson motorcycles or even personal watercraft, such as Jet Skis.
The new ban would extend even to musical instruments and sports equipment. The 5-foot-3 Kim is an enthusiastic basketball fan; then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright presented him with a ball signed by Michael Jordan during a rare diplomatic trip in 2000. Kim's former secretary, widely believed to be his new wife, studied piano at the Pyongyang University of Music and Dance.
Experts said the sanctions effort — being coordinated under the United Nations — would be the first ever to curtail a specific category of goods not associated with military buildups or weapons designs, especially one so tailored to annoy a foreign leader. U.S. officials acknowledge that enforcing the ban on black-market trading would be difficult.
In Beijing on Wednesday, U.S. and North Korean envoys failed to reach an agreement on when to resume six-party disarmament negotiations on Kim's atomic weapons program. Japan's Kyodo News agency cited unidentified people at the talks as saying that Kim demanded the U.S. freeze sanctions on luxury goods and other items imposed after the North's first nuclear test on Oct. 9.
The population in North Korea, one of the world's most isolated economies, is impoverished and routinely suffers widescale food shortages. The new trade ban would forbid U.S. shipments there of Rolexes, French cognac, plasma TVs, yachts and more — all items favored by Kim but unattainable by most of the country.
"It's a new concept; it's kind of creative," said William Reinsch, a former senior Commerce Department official who oversaw trade restrictions with North Korea during Bill Clinton's presidency. Reinsch predicted governments will comply with the new sanctions, but agreed that efforts to block all underground shipments will be frustrated.
"The problem is there has always been and will always be this group of people who work at getting these goods illegally," Reinsch said. Small electronics, such as iPods or laptops, are "untraceable and available all over the place," he said. U.S. exports to North Korea are paltry, amounting to only $5.8 million last year; nearly all those exports were food.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the trade group for the liquor industry, said it supports the administration's policies toward North Korea. The Washington-based Personal Watercraft Industry Association said it also supports the U.S. sanctions — although it bristled at the notion a Jet Ski was a luxury.
"The thousands of Americans and Canadians who build, ship and sell personal watercraft are patriots first," said Maureen Healey, head of the trade group. She said it endorsed the ban "because of the narrow nature of this ban and the genuine dangers that responsible world governments are trying to stave off."
Defectors to South Korea have described Kim giving expensive gifts of cars, liquor and Japanese-made appliances to his most faithful bureaucrats.
"If you take away one of the tools of his control, perhaps you weaken the cohesion of his leadership," said Robert J. Einhorn, a former senior State Department official who visited North Korea with Albright and dined extravagantly there. "It can't hurt, but whether it works, we don't know."
Responding to North Korea's nuclear test Oct. 9, the U.N. Security Council voted to ban military supplies and weapons shipments — sanctions already imposed by the United States. It also banned sales of luxury goods but so far has left each country to define such items. Japan included beef, caviar and fatty tuna, along with expensive cars, motorcycles, cameras and more. Many European nations are still working on their lists.
U.S. intelligence officials who helped produce the Bush administration's list said Kim prefers Mercedes, BMW and Cadillac cars; Japanese and Harley Davidson motorcycles; Hennessy XO cognac from France and Johnny Walker Scotch whisky; Sony cameras and Japanese air conditioners.
Kim is reportedly under his physician's orders to avoid hard liquor and prefers French wines. He also is said to own an extensive movie library of more than 10,000 titles and prefers films about James Bond and Godzilla, along with Clint Eastwood's 1993 drama, "In the Line of Fire," and Whitney Houston's 1992 love story, "The Bodyguard."
Much of the U.S. information about Kim's preferences comes from defectors, including Kenji Fujimoto, the Japanese chef who fled in 2001 and wrote a book about his time with the North Korean leader.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061129/ap_on_go_pr_wh/nkorea_ipod_diplomacy_9
U.S. bans sale of iPods to North Korea
By TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer 23 minutes ago
The Bush administration wants North Korea's attention, so like a scolding parent it's trying to make it tougher for that country's eccentric leader to buy iPods, plasma televisions and Segway electric scooters. The U.S. government's first-ever effort to use trade sanctions to personally aggravate a foreign president expressly targets items believed to be favored by Kim Jong Il or presented by him as gifts to the roughly 600 loyalist families who run the communist government.
Kim, who engineered a secret nuclear weapons program, has other options for obtaining the high-end consumer electronics and other items he wants.
But the list of proposed luxury sanctions, obtained by The Associated Press, aims to make Kim's swanky life harder: No more cognac, Rolex watches, cigarettes, artwork, expensive cars, Harley Davidson motorcycles or even personal watercraft, such as Jet Skis.
The new ban would extend even to musical instruments and sports equipment. The 5-foot-3 Kim is an enthusiastic basketball fan; then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright presented him with a ball signed by Michael Jordan during a rare diplomatic trip in 2000. Kim's former secretary, widely believed to be his new wife, studied piano at the Pyongyang University of Music and Dance.
Experts said the sanctions effort — being coordinated under the United Nations — would be the first ever to curtail a specific category of goods not associated with military buildups or weapons designs, especially one so tailored to annoy a foreign leader. U.S. officials acknowledge that enforcing the ban on black-market trading would be difficult.
In Beijing on Wednesday, U.S. and North Korean envoys failed to reach an agreement on when to resume six-party disarmament negotiations on Kim's atomic weapons program. Japan's Kyodo News agency cited unidentified people at the talks as saying that Kim demanded the U.S. freeze sanctions on luxury goods and other items imposed after the North's first nuclear test on Oct. 9.
The population in North Korea, one of the world's most isolated economies, is impoverished and routinely suffers widescale food shortages. The new trade ban would forbid U.S. shipments there of Rolexes, French cognac, plasma TVs, yachts and more — all items favored by Kim but unattainable by most of the country.
"It's a new concept; it's kind of creative," said William Reinsch, a former senior Commerce Department official who oversaw trade restrictions with North Korea during Bill Clinton's presidency. Reinsch predicted governments will comply with the new sanctions, but agreed that efforts to block all underground shipments will be frustrated.
"The problem is there has always been and will always be this group of people who work at getting these goods illegally," Reinsch said. Small electronics, such as iPods or laptops, are "untraceable and available all over the place," he said. U.S. exports to North Korea are paltry, amounting to only $5.8 million last year; nearly all those exports were food.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the trade group for the liquor industry, said it supports the administration's policies toward North Korea. The Washington-based Personal Watercraft Industry Association said it also supports the U.S. sanctions — although it bristled at the notion a Jet Ski was a luxury.
"The thousands of Americans and Canadians who build, ship and sell personal watercraft are patriots first," said Maureen Healey, head of the trade group. She said it endorsed the ban "because of the narrow nature of this ban and the genuine dangers that responsible world governments are trying to stave off."
Defectors to South Korea have described Kim giving expensive gifts of cars, liquor and Japanese-made appliances to his most faithful bureaucrats.
"If you take away one of the tools of his control, perhaps you weaken the cohesion of his leadership," said Robert J. Einhorn, a former senior State Department official who visited North Korea with Albright and dined extravagantly there. "It can't hurt, but whether it works, we don't know."
Responding to North Korea's nuclear test Oct. 9, the U.N. Security Council voted to ban military supplies and weapons shipments — sanctions already imposed by the United States. It also banned sales of luxury goods but so far has left each country to define such items. Japan included beef, caviar and fatty tuna, along with expensive cars, motorcycles, cameras and more. Many European nations are still working on their lists.
U.S. intelligence officials who helped produce the Bush administration's list said Kim prefers Mercedes, BMW and Cadillac cars; Japanese and Harley Davidson motorcycles; Hennessy XO cognac from France and Johnny Walker Scotch whisky; Sony cameras and Japanese air conditioners.
Kim is reportedly under his physician's orders to avoid hard liquor and prefers French wines. He also is said to own an extensive movie library of more than 10,000 titles and prefers films about James Bond and Godzilla, along with Clint Eastwood's 1993 drama, "In the Line of Fire," and Whitney Houston's 1992 love story, "The Bodyguard."
Much of the U.S. information about Kim's preferences comes from defectors, including Kenji Fujimoto, the Japanese chef who fled in 2001 and wrote a book about his time with the North Korean leader.
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
This gave me a good laugh.
LMAO!
i live without an ipod, segway, plasma screen, cognac, cigarettes, a watch,any type of car expensive or inexpensive. and yep no overpriced vanity artwork for me either. and to top it off i don't ride a harley nor do i own a jetski.
this threat is so empty but so typical.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
It is, in fact, not typical. It is, in fact, the first time sanctions have been imposed to personally target a leader of a nation. These items are things the Lil' Kim likes. This sanction proposal is something that was designed to only cause him grief. I think it is funny, giving him the diplomatic finger.
You live without those things, I live without many of those things. Most North Koreans live without these things. The intent was to target the little guy running communist Korea, not to cause the people of his nation any hardship.
i meant typical as in going after consumer goods and determining worth that way.
and yes, lord knows targetting that little despot in no way causes any hardship for the people of north korea. :rolleyes:
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
And those that don't get the cheap copies made in Taiwan or China!!!!
The article says they suffer from food shortages, etc. Do you think they're gonna worry about an iPod or a plasma tv????
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
hans brix ... i am so sick of that man...
yeah!!!!!!! the south park guys.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
jeez louise ... you honestly think that is the intent? Of course I don't think it will keep him from getting an iPod. It is a personal slap in his face, so I found humor in it.
Some of you people need to stop for a second and see this for what it is. It is a funny, diplomatic fuck you to Lil' Kim. Nothing more. No harm to his people. No real change in Lil' Kim's lifestyle. No companies will be hurt by this. It is much more symbolic than practical.
It will in no way impact Kim....he will get what he wants when he wants it....he'll simply have one of his buddies in another country buy it and ship it...and right now he's laughing his arsch off and giving the American people the finger....just another example of this administrations inaffective actions to pander to American voters.
Yes Kim will get iPods. That is not in dispute. I haven't seen a single person argue the opposite side and is completely tangential to the point of the sanction.
some of us on MT board realize this is ineffective diplomacy and it's not subtle...its silly and makes us look like we're stupid..and we really don't have any leverage at all over this guy......why??? Oh yea....we're in Iraq fighting an imaginary enemy? (-;
Aren't all of those things Made in China, anyway? The movies and computer shit is all bootlegged in China. And can't he just send someone into South Korea and buy that shit?
Is this just the Bush Administration's attempt at humor? Because it is kinda funny.
Hail, Hail!!!
What is the point? Your right, this storyline is not about imposing sanctions on the country of North Korea, but specifically attempting to imposed sanctions on one person, the leader of another country. How childish does that make Bush look.
Here's the outside looking in point, if Bush couldn't prevent him from getting plutonium, what makes you think Bush can prevent him from getting a damn ipod, plasma tvs or any type of alcohol he wants in whatever quantity he wants? The diplomacy got lost so who really looks silly in this story?
This story would be funny if the world wasn't laughing at U.S.
http://www.wishlistfoundation.org
Oh my, they dropped the leash.
Morgan Freeman/Clint Eastwood 08' for President!
"Make our day"
exactly what i was thinking.....
But, you've got to admit... this shit IS funny. They CAN'T be serious... can they?
...
Is it April 1st, already?
Hail, Hail!!!
why not...?
you want to know why we wont attack north korea?
well they could shoot a nuke at seoul within seconds for starters. do you really need this explained to you?
full out attack isnt an option. you should be appaulding that move from bush. sure its laughable to take away ipod shipments but fuck we cant attack them
you guys are easily amused
That finger might mean something if these products were made in the U.S.A by american labor forces and not just carried the label assembled in the U.S.A.
blt?
Huh? I thought you said we already lost on the diplomacy front, and you're concerned that the world is laughing at us. But if the products were made in the USA your opinion would be different? I don't get it.
Pretty much ... What this post actually is yet another attempt to make Americans look stupid. Its not like these folks actually wish the sanctions against North Korea would be more effective. Some of them probably worship Kim's "admirable attempt to defeat capitalism" (cue Rage against the Machine tune here).
And if this post sounds snarky ... Well, sure ... It IS snarky. A lot of people on here think that the best way to combat bad American politics is to embrace another version of bad politics, one that happens to be on the other end of the political spectrum. It gets hard to read after awhile.
I would agree with you that this is a diplomatic effort if it meant something, if it were less than nothing. Posturing like this means absolutely nothing. Diplomacy is usually more successful in sit-down face to face talking. Even if Kim is a crazy little turd, Americanism obviously appeals to him (in his own strange little way), so lets find a time and place for our leaders to have a chat with him.
all posts by ©gue_barium are protected under US copyright law and are not to be reproduced, exchanged or sold
except by express written permission of ©gue_barium, the author.