North Korea

North Korean antiaircraft artillery teams parade through Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on Tuesday to celebrate the nation's 60 anniversary. Leader Kim Jong Il did not attend the closely watched parade amid speculation that he may be ill. As leader, Kim attended parades for the 50th and 55th anniversary of the state founded by his father..

Incapacity of the man N Koreans call the “Dear Leader” would have serious implications for the international effort to get N Korea to abandon nuclear weapons. Its' powerful military is known to have been opposed to the measure, many analysts believed it was proceeding mainly due to Kim’s support for the process and the backing of moderates in his foreign ministry.

North Korea began taking apart its Soviet-era Yongbyon nuclear plant last November as called for in a disarmament-for-aid deal it struck with five regional powers. When North Korean diplomats notified their U.S. counterparts of the suspension of disarmament this year, they did so in a note that explained the move was being taken “due to pressure from the relevant agencies.”

Kim has held absolute power in the Stalinist regime, and the wording of the note set off alarms that his control over the disarmament scheme may be in question. Under Kim, the North's already anemic economy has taken a turn for the worse, while the Pyongyang leadership has used the threat of its military arsenal to squeeze concessions out of regional powers.

Late night Quips

"President Bush says we need more time to determine if what (North Korea) detonated was a nuclear device. Well sure, that makes sense, because Bush doesn't want to rush to judgment when it comes to weapons of mass destruction." --David Letterman

"North Korea conducted a nuclear test and the blast was so small that many scientists are saying it was a dud. Apparently, the nuclear bomb didn't work well because it was made in Korea." --Conan O'Brien

"President Bush said today we should be patient with North Korea and use diplomacy and not rush into any kind of military actions. You know what that means? No oil over there." --Jay Leno

"North Korea is making several demands in exchange for giving up their nuclear program, including a promise from America not to attack them. Which is a little strange because for us to attack them we would have to have slam dunk proof that they have weapons of mass destruction. I mean, for Gods sakes people, we're not maniacs. It would have to be an air-tight case. We wouldn't just come in there and start bombing you." --Jon Stewart