Mick Hartley

An item from South Korea's Chosun Ilbo:

North Korean singer Kim Ok-ju is the unchallenged queen of the crackpot country's official entertainment scene.

At a recent concert for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, she sang no fewer than 22 out of the 26 songs in her breathy voice, a slightly deranged smile while the orchestral arrangements surged and swooned around her.

A stalwart of all official entertainment troupes of the Kim Jong-un era, Kim Ok-ju was at one time a member of the Unhasu Orchestra, where she performed with the leader's wife Ri Sol-ju.

She even performed in Seoul during a North Korean troupe's visit in February 2018.

She continues to dominate the stage in North Korea even though her long-time bandmates have mysteriously vanished, regaling the nomenklatura with such a propaganda favorite as "We Call Him Father."

And here she is, performing this nauseating ode to Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un with tears in her eyes and a catch in her voice.

As I've said on a number of occasions, there is no culture in North Korea beyond worship of the Kim dynasty.