North Korea to display Kim Jong-il's body permanently (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

North Korea has announced that the body of late leader Kim Jong-il will lie in state permanently at a palace in the capital, Pyongyang.

His body will be displayed at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace alongside his father, Kim Il-sung.

There are also plans to build memorial towers for him, state media said, and his 16 February birthday will be marked as a "Day of the Shining Star".

Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack on 17 December at the age of 69.

His body was put on display at the palace before his elaborate funeral on 28 December.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16523768




Yeah, that worked out so well for Lenin ....

[MADem]

1. That is just disgusting. It's a husk, a shell. So stupid. nt

[Javaman]

2. I didn't care to read the article but did NK mention

anything about the "dear leader" being so perfect that he will never rot?

LOL

There was a book that came out a few years back written by chairman mao's personal doctor.

He relates the story of when mao died and how the underlings panicked and called moscow to find out how they preserved lenin's body.

moscow laughed at them.

[David__77]

3. Mao wanted to be cremated. His wife wanted that too.

It wasn't until Mao's closest supporters including his wife were arrested that the decision was made to ignore Mao's wishes and build the "memorial." They built it as a fig leaf to conceal their abandonment of his policies - ingenious.

[Javaman]

5. That's pretty interesting...

I find that period of Chinese history absolutely facsinating.

I'm a bit of a cold war geek.

[mainer]

4. Ho Chi Minh is still on display under a glass case

I've seen it in Hanoi. It looks more waxy than real. Apparently the communist world has experts who do this sort of thing for leaders.

[Judi Lynn]

13. They must have shared their secrets with US ally, Philippine President Fernando Marco's wife:

Fernando Marcos

~snip~
1973 - A new constitution allowing Marcos to stay in office indefinitely and to rule by decree is introduced. The result is confirmed by a fraudulent referendum enabling him to continue as president until the end of martial law and to arbitrarily appoint all government officials, including members of the judiciary. Imelda Marcos is made governor of Manila and minister of human settlements and ecology.

~snip~
Politically prisoners are routinely tortured by the military. "Disappearances" and murders of suspected political activists are common, with over 500 cases being recorded for the period 1975-80. Meanwhile, inflation and unemployment rise while already low living standards drop.

The brutality of the regime and the stagnating economy causes may Filipinos to turn to the communists for protection and support.

~snip~
1993 - Marcos's embalmed body is returned to the Philippines and placed on permanent display in a mausoleum in his home town. Imelda Marcos refuses to allow his body to be buried, saying that despite the Philippine Government's objections it should be interred at the 'Cemetery of Heroes' (Libingan Ng Mga Bayani) in Manilla.

More:
http://www.moreorless.au.com/killers/marcos.html

[Hugabear]

6. I'm halfway surprised the rethugs didn't do that for Reagan

They do seem to have built up a cult around him.

[sakabatou]

7. They wanted a way to reanimate his corpse

Preservation methods like that don't do well for zombies.

[smirkymonkey]

14. I always thought he WAS a reanimated corpse even when he was supposedly alive.

He kind of had that "enbalmed" look about him.

[Posteritatis]

8. I wonder what percentage of communist (or even just "communist") leaders get displayed like that.

The percentage seems fairly high.

[Yavin4]

9. Why Not Freeze him in Carbonite?

Like what Jabba did to Hans Solo:

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

10. Skipping over the morbidity, and into the realm of humanity,

you have ask yourself: How much longer will the N Korean people be forced to endure the darkness of totalitarianism?

[Fearless]

11. Probably until they are able to...

Rise up against their army or else until an outside power intervenes on a human rights issue on a massive scale. In other words, don't hold your breath.

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

18. Emoticon

That little expression, sitting there...at the end of your response--which gives consideration to the only rational possibilities; is sadly, the only honest deduction one can construe from them.

[Rex]

12. You know Stalin and Lenin shared a room

or still do and are on full display.

[former9thward]

17. Just Lenin now.

I have been to the Lenin Mausoleum in Red Square. Lenin is there looking a ghostly white. Stalin used to be there but when he fell out of favor in the 50s they buried him directly behind the Mausoleum. He is first in line of communist leaders who are buried along side of the Kremlin including the only American, John Reed. I have also been to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum in Hanoi. He looks weird and frozen. Such a waste of resources for poor countries.

[tabasco]

15. LOL.

What a shame to humanity that place is.

[Old Troop]

16. I'm thinking animotronic Kim.

You put in the appropriate number of coins and he sits up and tells you how your love-life will be.

[treestar]

19. Such a strange place

It's got to break down some time.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

20. I'd bet that visitors to the memorial will be under surveillance

to make sure they exhibit a sufficient amount of weeping, wailing, hair pulling, etc.

Kabuki mourning seems to be a requirement there. An insufficient display will be dealt with harshly.

[Earth_First]

21. Kim Jong (eeew! that stinks!) n/t