Having finished today's classes (5 hours!), I settled down in front of my computer, and began to read the New York Times, as I am wont to do. I immediately jumped up again as I read this article:
The cable television network YTN estimated that up to 3,000 people had been killed or injured in huge explosions that followed the collision of a train carrying gasoline and a second carrying liquefied petroleum gas.
I immediately dashed over to NKZone (relevant posts
here and
here) and
the Marmot's Hole for more information.
Everywhere is rife of speculation about the causes of the catastrophe. These are questions that will probably never be answered, because of the secretiveness of the North Korean government. More important, of course, will be the effects this has on the North Korean regime. Since the government is essentially totalitarian (as defined by
Hannah Arendt; it has both the senseless violence, the conspiracy theories about a dangerous external enemy, and the focus of the will of a great, all-seeing leader), I doubt the loss of 3,000 people will create a revolution, or even much protest. It might shake up the leadership a bit, but essentially, I believe everything will stay the same.
Now if only Kim Jong-Il had been in the station nine hours later...