It seems North Korea's new leader Kim Jong Un is carrying on his father's strange tradition: mixing a fascination with American culture with a hatred of the United States.
Kim has made it quite clear that his country's February nuclear test marks a new phase of confrontation with the United States, which Pyongyang has described as "the sworn enemy of the Korean people."
Yet that hasn't stopped Pyongyang from welcoming a few dignitaries from this "sworn enemy" nation, including a top Google executive and a few basketball stars.
No one knows if it's all part of an organized effort to woo North Korea into diplomacy by appealing to its leader's interest in American culture. Yet one thing is for sure: This love-hate relationship has sparked some odd stories out of the Hermit Kingdom. Here's a look at some of the most recent ones we've come across:
1. Kim Jong Un: Dennis Rodman's new BFF
2. Google executive urges country with barely any electricity to embrace the Internet
3. Famous Americans apparently aren't the only ones heading to Pyongyang
In the wake of the Schmidt and Rodman visits, Bloomberg Businessweek looked at just how many Westerners are heading to North Korea for its closely monitored, government-run tours. Surprisingly, it found a nearly 20% increase in visits since 2011.
4. Get your North Korean education ... in Tokyo
5. Dreaming of annihilating the United States, to the tune of 'We Are The World'
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/02/world/asia/strange-north-korea/
