KIM JONG-II

His face has always aroused me a curiosity: is it original or a caricature by some comic-book artist? Round, flabby, all Mongolian features, but with some added element that makes it somewhat unreal. There is a hint of ruthlessness if you look at it closely.

They say he's a communist dictator(a term in contradiction). But he has real balls. Consider his foreign ministry's recent statement: We have manufactured nukes to cope with Bush adminstation's evermore undisguised policy to isolate and stifle the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Reminds me of Cuba's Fidel Castro, another challenger to George W. Bush. But Castro is a revered figure, and has the proven ability to scare off Bush and Co.

I wonder if Kim Jong-II has as much guts and intellect to fight the superpower.
MRINAL BOSE