We Have Always Been at War with Eastasia

I so did not see this one coming:

Reuters source: North Korea is seeking permanent peace treaty with SKorea, U.S. to formally end Korean War

— Michael van Poppel (@mpoppel) August 24, 2012

That’s via SooperMexican, who adds, “This is rather surprising, given the antagonistic stance North Korea has taken against South Korea and the US.” No kidding. He goes on to ask:

But what would peace even mean?

North Korea is known for a brutally oppressive government that brainwashes it’s citizens to mindlessly worship the state. Just recently in the Olympics, a North Korean athlete was heard to say in a rare interview:

“I believe the great Kim Jong Il looked over me. … I am very happy and give thanks to our Great Leader for giving me the strength to lift this weight. I believe Kim Jong Il gave me the record and all my achievements. It is all because of him.”

Notice it’s Kim Jong Il he thanks, not the current leader, Kim Jong Sung. He is literally crediting a dead leader for his excellence in the Olympics.

Is this new regime open to real reforms?

Probably not. And when I searched Google News for anything more than Poppel’s tweet, this is all I could come up with:

North Korea on Friday called for an end to the hostile relationship between Pyongyang and Washington while reiterating it will pursue for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

That’s hardly the same thing as a permanent peace treat with Seoul, with whom Pyongyang is still technically at war (us, too).

So what the hell is going on north of the DMZ? As usual, nobody really knows.