Hermit Kingdom

The only time I visited North Korea, Kim Jong-Il was the dictator and Madeleine Albright was the U.S. secretary of state. I was part of her press entourage when she traveled to the Hermit Kingdom at the end of 2000.

Just weeks ago, news organizations were turning to zany North Korea for the kind of story that dependably blossoms in the Hermit Kingdom: the wacky, wild tale of an isolated nation's amusing backwardness. The headline: "Kim Jong-un travels with personal toilet."

South Korea and the United States remained on high alert for any North Korean missile launch on Thursday as the hermit kingdom turned its attention to celebrating its ruling Kim dynasty and appeared to dial down rhetoric of impending war.

The only time I visited North Korea, Kim Jong-Il was the dictator and Madeleine Albright was the U.S. secretary of state. I was part of her press entourage when she traveled to the Hermit Kingdom at the end of 2000.

Just weeks ago, news organizations were turning to zany North Korea for the kind of story that dependably blossoms in the Hermit Kingdom: the wacky, wild tale of an isolated nation's amusing backwardness. The headline: "Kim Jong-un travels with personal toilet."

South Korea and the United States remained on high alert for any North Korean missile launch on Thursday as the hermit kingdom turned its attention to celebrating its ruling Kim dynasty and appeared to dial down rhetoric of impending war.