The Knucklehead of the Day award

Today's winner is South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung. He gets the award for the following.

According to the testimony of North Korean defectors, one side of the May Day Stadium where the performance takes place often smells of urine. That’s because students are not allowed to leave their positions while practicing the flash card performance. So they simply urinate while sitting down in their seats. Many children are said to end up getting bladder infections. One wrong move and children are clubbed and punished in groups. Kim Hyun-sik, former professor at Kim Hyung Jik College of Education, said the Arirang performance was “soaked with the blood and tears of the North Korean people.”

Regarding questions as to whether the South Korean president should attend such a performance marred by allegations of child abuse, South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung retorted whether the lengthy training of South Korean children for a play or sports event could be viewed as abuse was uncertain. Regarding North Korea’s human rights violations, Lee pretended not to know, saying human rights issues should be interpreted according to the unique circumstances of a particular society. He added that there was no concrete evidence of human rights violations in the North.

As GI at ROK Drop says 'Absolutely and utterly unbelievable. This is on par with denying the Jewish Holocaust of World War II.' No evidence? That means this woman's tales are all a lie then. Lets not forget the recent famines that has killed thousands or millions of North Koreans while Kim Jong-Il builds his military.

Either Lee is a complete idiot, or has a case of raging political blindness. One thing is sure, South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung is today's Knucklehead of the Day.

A big thank you to GI at ROK Drop. His milblog which concentrates on news out of Asia, is one of the better kept secrets in the blogosphere.

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