North Korea

Welcome Back to the World, Dear Leader

The hermit kingdom is poking its nose out of its shell. Senior State Department officials are surprised by how North Korea has begun to reach out to other countries over the past few months. Pyongyang recently established formal diplomatic ties with Italy, Brunei and the Philippines, and is discussing normalized relations with Japan and Australia. "Dear Leader" KIM JONG IL, who celebrated his 58th birthday last week by opening a consulate in Hong Kong, is even warming to the old enemy--he held a personal meeting last October with Hyundai executives from South Korea. According to U.S. diplomats, Kim finally realized that...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!