Why ferry when you can fly?

SHENYANG, China, Dec. 26 (Yonhap) — North Korea has sent chartered flights to Dalian, China, to ferry pro-Pyongyang Korean residents living in Japan, local civil aviation authorities said Tuesday.

Chinese authorities said North Korea’s Air Koryo flew into the port city on Nov. 22 and twice more on Dec. 1 and Dec. 10.

Air Koryo does not maintain regular flights to the city on the Liaodong Peninsula.

Airline officials said the flights were arranged to transport students from a school run by the General Association of Korean Residents (Chongryon), who wanted to visit the communist country.

It said there are no plans to continue the chartered flights.

The use of chartered flights comes after Tokyo banned the Mangyongbong-92 ferry from docking in Japanese ports in July. The ship had been the only regular passenger link between the two countries. The Japanese government initiated the ban after Pyongyang launched ballistic missiles into the East Sea.

Air Koryo operates regular weekly flights to Beijing on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and flights to Shenyang in Liaoning Province on Wednesday and Saturday.

Granted, chartering flights is a lot more expensive than ferry, it shows that North Korea is adapting quite well despite the sanctions. Here, the elites are getting their luxury items at Dadong, China, a short drive away. Notice the total lack of cooperation by China when it comes to enforcing the sanctions. Maybe the Chinese cannot enforce them, maybe they are not willing. Perhaps the UN, which passed these resolutions, ought to do some enforcing of their own and get their member states in line.

I know who to call when I need some illustrations on the cheap

“Far, far away, unknown and untouched by human civilization, lies a peaceful island covered in snow and ice. On this white island, deep inside a small secluded forest, is a tiny village inhabited by little animals. No one knows how they came to live on the island, but they naturally came to live together in the village situated in the little valley where the sunshine is warmest and the cold wind is least harsh.”

Thus begins the wildly popular South Korean cartoon series “Pororo the Little Penguin”—whose heroes and catchy theme are omnipresent throughout South Korea. Less widely known, however, is that the series has been produced in part by highly skilled animators in neighboring rival North Korea, one of the most isolated, impoverished, and technologically backward countries on Earth.

Already suffering severe cash and food shortages since the mid-1990s, North Korea drew an international outcry and mandatory U.N. sanctions when it tested a nuclear device Oct. 9. And yet the world’s most reclusive country has meanwhile emerged over the last decade as a significant player in the global business of animation and cinema—exporting cartoons throughout Asia, Europe, and North America.

Analysts say Pyongyang’s animation expertise likely reflects the patronage and personal involvement of the country’s all-powerful leader Kim Jong Il, a noted film aficionado whose personal video collection is said to comprise tens of thousands of titles.

Even in conditions of extreme economic hardship, sometimes famine, the North Korean film industry is believed to produce around 60 movies a year. Kim’s government has concentrated on exporting cartoons and feature films abroad, contacting potential buyers and inviting representatives from the film industry to the Pyongyang Film Festival every other year.

Choi Jong-Il, President of Iconix Entertainment, the Seoul-based company that makes “Pororo,” described North Korean animation as “robust.”

North Korea: We produce your countries’ high-quality propaganda films cheaper than Pixar.

I like to everyone a Merry Christmas. Please remember that this winter could be another famine for many North Koreans in North Korea and China. Do not feel guilty, but do what you can to help those in need. Enjoy your holiday, for millions of Chinese and North Korean Christians can only celebrate in secret.