{"id":699,"date":"2010-04-22T07:52:34","date_gmt":"2010-04-22T12:52:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bourdaghs.com\/blog\/?p=699"},"modified":"2010-05-16T10:17:13","modified_gmt":"2010-05-16T15:17:13","slug":"maybe-it-was-all-just-a-north-korean-plot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bourdaghs.com\/blog\/?p=699","title":{"rendered":"Maybe it was All Just a North Korean Plot?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tokyo newspapers are reporting that former yokozuna Asashoryu, who retired in disgrace earlier this year after winning the January sumo tournament, was part of an official Mongolian delegation that visited Pyongyang earlier this week. Huh?<\/p>\n

Full story here<\/a> (Japanese-language only). <\/p>\n

Then again, I’ve just discovered that Wikipedia has a length entry on “Mongolia-North Korea Relations.”<\/a> I quote:<\/p>\n

Unofficially, North Korean visitors show significant interest in studying Mongolia’s economic reforms; according to the Mongolian side, North Koreans see them as non-threatening because they are a fellow non-Western country and went through similar experiences under communism. Mongolia’s efforts to introduce free-market capitalism to North Korea also have a component of self-interest. The Trans-Siberian Railway, an essential link in the potential continuous rail transit route from South Korea to Europe, passes through Mongolia; North Korean economic liberalisation which allowed South Korean shipping to pass through its borders would remove the major stumbling block to such a route, providing economic benefits for Mongolia. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You learn something new everyday….<\/p>\n

[Updated on May 16, 2010 to replace broken links]<\/p>\n