public protests in the streets outside the convention and chaos inside the hall. The opposition claims that there exists a North Korean elite that controls almost all of the country's wealth and political power and the average North Korean suffers from stagnant wages. Mr. Kim counters that if there are any economic problems in North Korea, they are caused by foreigners who are sneaking into the country to take advantage of a 'workers paradise' and imports from low-wage countries like China and the US.

Kim's promises to build walls on the southern and northern borders to keep out immigrants who would harm the standard of living of his North Koreans and put tariffs on imports from the US and China "who are raping our country" seems to have swayed the SD's to back the the charismatic but unpredictable candidate.

The coming general election between Mr. Kim and an as yet un-named opposition candidate who is said to favor shrinking the military and reversing the country's long-standing isolationist policy promises to be an ugly and bruising campaign. (Past campaigns have been so ugly and bruising that by election day only one candidate has still been alive - Mr. Kim, his father or his grandfather. The mystery opposition candidate is said to hope that this trend will not continue.)

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