The Chinese president has arrived in North Korea. The world is watching

June 9, 2026 — 5:00am

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In the absurdist 2004 political satire Team America, North Korea’s then leader sings a solo. Kim Jong-il, in marionette puppet form, performs I’m So Ronery.

The world, he laments, doesn’t appreciate his brilliance, which makes him so lonely. But while it must be one of the silliest movies ever made, its timing was spot on.

The movie’s release marked the end of an intense phase of multinational diplomacy designed to end North Korea’s nuclear program.

George W. Bush called Kim a “tyrant” for his intransigence. Kim’s regime returned the favour by calling Bush a “political idiot”.

Pyongyang was, indeed, entering a long season of international isolation. Kim went all out to build nuclear weaponry and missiles. Even North Korea’s friendly neighbour, China, disapproved of its rogue nuclear efforts.

International sanctions hurt, but most of North Korea’s economic pain was self-imposed because its political isolation was complemented by its juche policy of economic self-reliance, which has kept most of the population in a state of perpetual hunger.

This is tragically quixotic; look south and witness the flourishing of South Korea, one of the wealthiest and freest nations in the world.

You might have noticed that the only fat person you ever see in photos from North Korea is the ruler, who, today, is Kim’s son, Kim Jong-un, who took power in 2011.

Undeterred, Kim Jnr pursued the regime’s nuclear ambition with renewed energy, all the while issuing blood-curdling threats to rain fire on America and its “running dog”, South Korea.

US then-president Barack Obama reacted with a policy called “strategic patience”, a euphemism for strategic........

© The Sydney Morning Herald