Lovers in North Korea

So I guess anyone who keeps up with world events has heard the momentous news by now: North Korea's "Dear Leader," Kim Jong-Il has died. What does this mean for the future of the peninsula where I hold employment? It's way too soon to say. So far it's been business as usual around here, though reports are that the South Korean military is on alert and monitoring the situation closely.

There is one funny thing to come out of all this, though. The successor to Kim Jong-Il appears to be his son, whose Romanized name is given as Kim Jong-Un in the non-Korean media. In Hangul, however, his name is 김정은, which would be Romanized as "Kim Jung Eun" by most modern systems (and as "Gim Jeong Eun" by my personal Romanization system).

What's so funny about that, you ask? Well, remember my review of Lovers in Paris? The lead actress in that drama was named...Kim Jung Eun. She's fairly well-known in Korea, and even hosted a talk show that went off the air shortly before I arrived here. It appears that her name will no longer be associated with a charming female entertainer, but a tyrannical male despot.

Look at her picture. Doesn't she look likable? Compare that to this guy:

I like the first 김정은 better.