Word: pyongyang
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...would Pyongyang make such a change? As usual, parsing the reasons the North Korean government does anything is murky business. But Pyongyang watchers in Seoul believe the crackdown comes for two main reasons. First, there has been a widening gap between the haves and the have-nots in North Korea, partly due to the prevalence of relatively free markets, says Cheong Seong-chang, senior fellow at the Sejong Institute, a think tank in Seoul. Since 2000, the bigger traders in North Korea have come to live a life "almost as lavish as South Koreans," says Cheong. "They have big refrigerators...
...PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA Pyongyang International Film Festival An outgrowth of nonaligned propaganda, this biennial event, set to return in September 2010, is the best opportunity for filmmakers to make their mark on the Hermit Kingdom (supposedly with the blessing of No. 1 movie fan Kim Jong Il). Festivalgoers may be closely monitored, with ceremonies fronted by cheerleading Kimettes, but filmmaker Nick Bonner, whose Koryo Tours helps organize the festival and foreign guests, says "the impact is stunning" - as when masses of North Koreans crowded to view Bend it Like Beckham. See pyongyanginternationalfilmfestival.com...
...countries that have never before been represented." These include Cambodia, Turkey, Burma and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K.). Representatives of the latter have been "in conversation" with APT6 lead curator Suhanya Raffel via an intermediary - the Beijing-based British filmmaker Nicholas Bonner. His connections with the Pyongyang-based Mansudae Art Studio helped secure 70 works: paintings, prints and mosaics influenced by the socialist-realist styles of Russia and China. Raffel says their inclusion recognizes "different, parallel art histories that have developed in the region in local specific ways...
...vessel sustained heavy damage. Officials in Seoul said the shooting was triggered by a North Korean patrol boat that had strayed more than a mile into South Korean territory; the North said the South was the aggressor. Analysts did not expect the incident to spark further conflict, suggesting that Pyongyang may be seeking attention before Obama visits Seoul on Nov. 19. North Korea recently sent signals that it may be willing to return to six-party talks on disabling its nuclear program...
...More intriguing is the presence of North Korea, a team that, despite the odiousness of the regime in Pyongyang, carries more than a little World Cup goodwill. The country's last appearance in the tournament was in 1966 in England where, as complete outsiders with 1000-1 odds to win the trophy, its team shocked the world by reaching the quarterfinals, beating Italy along the way and capturing the hearts of the English public. The current North Korean team lacks flair, but has shown a dogged resilience in qualification matches. A latter-stage match-up against South Korea, though unlikely...