Further Proof Of L.A. Times/North Korea PR Campaign
I have posted an excerpt from Talk Radio host and author of the bestselling book: Blog, Hugh, Hewitt.
In it, he records a series of questions he posed to Barbera Demick, Los Angeles Times reporter responsible for the propaganda piece that the newspaper printed last week.
The uproar caused by the pro-North Korea article has been loud and prolonged, largely due to the attention being drawn to the article by Mr. Hewitt on daily radio show as well as many writers posting to their blogs.
In my opinion, her responses show that Ms. Demick has a clear understanding of North Korea and the violent, depraved, and harsh government ruled by Kim Jong Il. She also acknowledges the mass deaths, as well as the forced abortions of North Korea's people.
This leads me back to my earlier post where I concluded that the government of North Korea must have contracted the Los Angeles Times to roll out an image improvement campaign.
Her 'article' fails to address any of the verifiable facts that are in direct contradiction to the claims made by the North Korean 'businessman' (read: spy). So one can only conclude that the Los Angeles Times is willingly choosing to ignore the obvious untruths made in the interview.
I wonder what Ms. Demick would be capable of writing should she be tasked with actually reporting on the real circumstances in North Korea? Her answers to Mr. Hewitt's questions show a depth of knowledge that could provide a useful perspective should she actually be allowed to write something true.
Excerpt:
"I contacted Ms. Demick to request an interview on my radio show, and to pose some preliminary questions. Here is her response, which I promised to print in its entirety. The response from Ms. Demick is below. I have forwarded three additional questions and will post her replies when they arrive. The article she references on Kim Jong Il's excessive food tastes is from June 26, 2004, but is not available without a charge. If you post a reaction to her responses, please send me the link:
"Hello. I still need to get permission from my keepers to appear on the program, but I suspect it will not be forthcoming. Sorry about that. Here, though, are my answers to your questions.
Best, Barbara Demick
Do you think Kim Jong Il is an evil man?
- We reported last summer that Kim Jong Il spent millions importing
gourmet foods, cookbooks and chefs for himself while his countrymen
were starving. One can judge from there.
Do you think Kim Jong Il and his government are responsible for the
famine of the '90s.
- Yes
How many people does your research tell you died in the famine?
- Up to 2 million, about 10 percent of the population
Did Kim Jong Il and his government obstruct international relief
efforts during the famine?
- Yes
Do you believe Kim Jong Il and his government breached the 1994
Agreement with the United States by secretly pursuing nuclear
weapons via uranium enrichment?
- technically, no, but in spirit, yes. The original agreement had several loopholes, which is why the administration now is insisting on CVID (Complete, Verifiable, Irreversible Dismantlement)
How many Japanese and Koreans do your researches suggest the Kim Jong Il regime and his father's regime had kidnapped over the past forty years?
- Around 20 Japanese. South Korean intelligence says 486 of their people.
Has North Korea been forthcoming about these kidnap victims?
- Only about some of the Japanese
Is Japan correct to insist on an accounting of these kidnap victims?
- Yes
You have reported on the allegations of chemicals being tested on
prisoners in the North. Do you believe these accounts?
- I believe the guy I interviewed for a story that ran March 2004.
Can't vouch for the others.
Do you believe the accounts that pregnant North Korean women,
caught attempting to escape from North Korea, are subjected to
abortions as punishment? Do you believe the accounts that North
Korean women, caught attempting to escape from North Korea, are forced to watch their children executed?
- Yes to the first. Not sure if it's a direct punishment for trying
to escape the country, but NK women prisoners who are pregnant are
required to abort. I'm not sure about the latter.
If North Korea were to open its borders and pursue an economy with
the same policies as South Korea, do you expect it would be as
successful as the South has been in building an industrial base and economic growth?
- No
Is Kim Jong Il capable of launching an attack on the South or on
Japan without warning?
- Conventional, no. Asymmetrical, yes.
How many people do you estimate are kept in the prison camps of
North Korea and how would you describe conditions there.
- The State Department says 150,000 to 200,0000 are held in
extremely harsh conditions.
Do you believe the man you met with in Bejing and interviewed for
Thursday's story was an intelligence operative of the North Korean
government?
His job is to bring foreign investment and development aid into
North Korea. As all North Korean business is owned by the Workers'
Party, government or military, he is a government official -- or
agent, as it were. He spoke in ways that other people would get
imprisoned for, which means, not necessarily that he was a spook,
but definitely that he is elite with some kind of tie to the top
that is his source of protection."
I have sent Ms. Demick some follow-up questions, and will publish her responses when they arrive."
posted by Rick Fine at 9:01 PM
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