Monkey-man

A harsh call from ABC News:

From Caesar to Stalin to Saddam, history is replete with despots erecting graven images of themselves.

In Iraq, for example, it was joked that there were more statues of Saddam Hussein than citizens.

North Korea certainly does not lack the odd bust of its founding leader Kim il-Sung. The capital Pyongyang is riddled with them.

But oddly enough, until now, there have been none of his son, the current primate of Pyongyang, Kim Jong-il.

Unintended humour aside, ABC news reports on speculation concerning an imminent leadership change:

With reports he is putting some of his hapless officials in front of firing squads, it would appear that the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il is in good health and complete control.

But reports emerging from the North this week suggest that Kim Jong-il is either close to death or preparing for an imminent hand-over of power.

With Kim anointing monkey-man junior his successor nothing is going to change.