The more images the North Koreans release of Kim Jong-il the worse he looks:

North Korea on Tuesday released a video clip of leader Kim Jong-il looking frail but healthy. The official Korean Central Television broadcast no footage of Kim between last August, when he apparently had a stroke, and November, when he resumed duties.

According to the South Korean government, Kim could barely move his left arm when he had just begun resuming his official duties, but this has improved. “It seems to corroborate the observation that the left side of Kim’s body had been paralyzed but got better,” said a government official. Footage does not show him walking very quickly, which leads to a speculation that the North Korean government is trying to hide the fact that his leg is still troubled.

“North Korean TV released the video clip right before they aired the launch of the satellite, for propaganda purposes of praising Kim’s leadership,” a government source here said. “It seems that the North Korean government wanted to air a preview before Kim shows up in the first general meeting of the Supreme People’s Assembly on Wednesday.”  [Chosun Ilbo]

In some other Kim Jong-il news, North Korean media said he wept after the recent rocket launch:

North Korea’s state-run media reported Tuesday that Kim Jong-Il shed tears of regret during the country’s controversial rocket launch because he could not use the launch funds to provide aid to his people, the AFP reported.  (………..)

Kim “felt regret for not being able to spend more money on the people’s livelihoods and was choked with sobs,” AFP quoted ruling communist party paper Rodong Sinmun as saying.

“Chants of jubilation are reverberating throughout the country on the news that our satellite is beaming back the ‘Song of General Kim Il-Sung’ and the ‘Song of General Kim Jong-Il,’” the paper said, according to AFP.  [Fox News]

If the North Koreans want to release some video, then show me the video of Kim Jong-il crying because that is the only way I would believe this obvious propaganda.  Anyway it is interesting though that the state media is actually admitting that they are letting people suffer so they can put up a satellite of no worth to the people.  Here is a good rationale why the regime is doing this:

Brian Myers is an analyst in North Korean political propaganda at South Korea’s Dongseo University. He says North Koreans are used to the portrayal of their leader as too preoccupied with national defense to worry about the economy. He adds, the media reference to Kim Jong Il’s tears may have been a response to South Korean government public statements about the expense of the launch.

“Ten years ago, I think this criticism would probably not have bothered Pyongyang very much, because the country was more or less sealed off from the outside world,” Myers said. “But, now, hundreds of thousands if not more North Koreans are accessing outside sources of information. And, I think this puts the Kim Jong Il regime under pressure to respond very quickly to the propaganda offenses of the other side.”   [Voice of America]

This is just all the more reason why I have been advocating for defector radio stations broadcasting into North Korea because they are effective in getting the truth out.  These stations will inform those that are listening  that the rocket launch failed to even put a satellite in orbit thus countering the regime propaganda.  Heck the next balloon launch these guys do should be filled with leaflets advertising this fact.