Kim Jong Il is looking thin, possibly due to pancreatic cancer. While his health is in question and the issue of succession looms large, I find it fitting that the cruel dictator of North Korea, who sacrificed up to 10% of his country’s population by funding a nuclear program instead of buying the food necessary to prevent a 4 plus years long famine, now looks a little more like his subjects.

While seeing this dictator in poor health brings up conflicting emotions of pity and elation, objectively speaking, the death of a dictator who jailed, tortured, starved, and murdered millions of human beings in order to retain absolute power may prevent more death in North Korea and also prevent a possible confrontation with the rest of the civilized world if in fact his successor is, at the very least, sane. It is sad that North Korea had to endure so much pain under the boot of Kim Jong Il and his father, let’s hope that, one way or another, their suffering ends soon.

-AG