U.S. Bans Sale Of iPods To North Korea

Plasma TVs, Jet Skis Also On List Of Luxury Sanctions Aimed At Kim Jong Il

(AP)  The Bush administration wants North Korea's attention, so like a scolding parent it's trying to make it tougher for that country's eccentric leader to buy iPods, plasma televisions and Segway electric scooters.

The U.S. government's first-ever effort to use trade sanctions to personally aggravate a foreign president expressly targets items believed to be favored by Kim Jong Il or presented by him as gifts to the roughly 600 loyalist families who run the communist government.

Kim, who engineered a secret nuclear weapons program, has other options for obtaining the high-end consumer electronics and other items he wants.

But the list of proposed luxury sanctions, obtained by The Associated Press, aims to make Kim's swanky life harder: No more cognac, Rolex watches, cigarettes, artwork, expensive cars, Harley Davidson motorcycles or even personal watercraft, such as Jet Skis.

The new ban would extend even to music and sports equipment. The 5-foot-3 Kim is an enthusiastic basketball fan; then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright presented him with a ball signed by Michael Jordan during a rare diplomatic trip in 2000.

Experts said the effort — being coordinated under the United Nations — would be the first ever to curtail a specific category of goods not associated with military buildups or weapons designs, especially one so tailored to annoy a foreign leader. U.S. officials acknowledge that enforcing the ban on black-market trading would be difficult.

The population in North Korea, one of the world's most isolated economies, is impoverished and routinely suffers widescale food shortages. The new trade ban would forbid U.S. shipments there of Rolexes, French cognac, plasma TVs, yachts and more — all items favored by Kim but unattainable by most of the country.

"It's a new concept; it's kind of creative," said William Reinsch, a former senior Commerce Department official who oversaw trade restrictions with North Korea during Bill Clinton's presidency. Reinsch predicted governments will comply with the new sanctions, but agreed that efforts to block all underground shipments will be frustrated.

"The problem is there has always been and will always be this group of people who work at getting these goods illegally," Reinsch said. Small electronics, such as iPods or laptops, are "untraceable and available all over the place," he said. U.S. exports to North Korea are paltry, amounting to only $5.8 million last year.

The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the trade group for the liquor industry, said it supports the administration's policies toward North Korea. The Washington-based Personal Watercraft Industry Association said it also supports the U.S. sanctions — although it bristled at the notion a Jet Ski was a luxury.

"The thousands of Americans and Canadians who build, ship and sell personal watercraft are patriots first," said Maureen Healey, head of the trade group. She said it endorsed the ban "because of the narrow nature of this ban and the genuine dangers that responsible world governments are trying to stave off."

Defectors to South Korea have described Kim giving expensive gifts of cars, liquor and Japanese-made appliances to his most faithful bureaucrats.

"If you take away one of the tools of his control, perhaps you weaken the cohesion of his leadership," said Robert J. Einhorn, a former senior State Department official who visited North Korea with Albright and dined extravagantly there. "It can't hurt, but whether it works, we don't know."

Responding to North Korea's nuclear test Oct. 9, the U.N. Security Council voted to ban military supplies and weapons shipments — sanctions already imposed by the United States. It also banned sales of luxury goods but so far has left each country to define such items. Japan included beef, caviar and fatty tuna, along with expensive cars, motorcycles, cameras and more. Many European nations are still working on their lists.

U.S. intelligence officials who helped produce the Bush administration's list said Kim prefers Mercedes, BMW and Cadillac cars; Japanese and Harley Davidson motorcycles; Hennessy XO cognac from France and Johnny Walker Scotch whisky; Sony cameras and Japanese air conditioners.

Kim is reportedly under his physician's orders to avoid hard liquor and prefers French wines. He also is said to own an extensive movie library of more than 10,000 titles and prefers films about James Bond and Godzilla, along with Clint Eastwood's 1993 drama, "In the Line of Fire," and Whitney Houston's 1992 love story, "The Bodyguard."

Much of the U.S. information about Kim's preferences comes from defectors, including Kenji Fujimoto, the Japanese chef who fled in 2001 and wrote a book about his time with the North Korean leader.

[olebd]

Boy, this outta show him. Give me a break. I don't own any of these items either.

[bluestardad]

Baghdad Bob has been brought in to help the Bush Administration and is working behind the scene to help Tony Snow polish up his presentation. It is also rumored that good ole Bob is being considered for employment on Fox News Channel.

if he wants an iPods plasma televisions and Segway electric scooters, he'll get one, it may not come directly from the U.S..........so it's not going to help

[olebd]

Aren't most of those items made in China anyway?

[patriotic9]

Does it really matter?They have already built NUKES which they can sell OSAMA BEEN FORGOTTEN and buy iPODs from their fellow ASIAN COUNTRIES.Bush administration which didn't do anything to confront the North Korean threat is now trying to fool American people.

[dmorg4]

This is about the stupidest thing i ever seen
my goverment do its not going to even slow him
down the united states dosnt control all the worlds goods dumb bush

[blondmadison]

If this weren't so ridiculous it would be outrageously funny. Is this for real?

Kim Jong Il may not have Ipods? That will settle the ol boy down? That'll straighten his butt out right now? OH MY GAWD!

This is cartoonish! It's making me laugh it's so ridiculous. Get the garbage out of the administration of this so called country or...China might stop making all the sh-t that gets sold to us!!!!!!!!

[mjv2944]

Yup, we're going to bring him to his knees with this round of sanctions. Let's see, how far is Singapore or Hong Kong, bet they won't sell to him either, ha ha.

[blondmadison]

I cannot believe it became a solution and I am having trouble it became a newsworthy article.

It appears without words needing to highlight it that---Americans are very dangerous almost retarded, stupid idiots with no clue in sight about it.

Every country ought to throw Americans out and shut down their borders to keep them out.

And, make sure no American gets to take an Ipod home either!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[observantx]

I suppose our next tactic will be to give Mr. Kim a very long time out also. That will teach him to play with nukes.

Seriously, this is another consequence in a long list of the miserable outcomes of Fearless Leader%u2019s complete ignorance of history or interest in foreign affairs. He probably can%u2019t find North Korea on a globe. From the way he talks, it is very possible he doesn%u2019t know what a globe is.

Because of the major cluelessness of this man, we have no leverage anywhere in the world now. We are indebted to the Chinese up to our eyeballs, because he gave the surplus away to his buddies. Because we are in hock to the Chinese, we can%u2019t motivate them to lean on their pet dictator in the northern part of the peninsula. Because of Fearless Leader%u2019s general oafish and petulant tendency to frame our foreign policy in terms of who he won%u2019t talk to, we have no dialogue with any of the major players in the Middle East, North Africa, and large chunks of Southeast Asia.

Will somebody just give Fearless Leader a time out in Crawford. Preferably until January of 08. Give him a minor league baseball team to play with so he can%u2019t do any more damage. Maybe then the grownups can get this sloppy mess cleaned up.

[trueprogress]

Same for Freedonia.

[blondmadison]

I can't stop laughing! Bush will prevent Ipod sales to North Korea and/but he will not sit down and have a discussion with Kim Jong Il?

And that makes sense to the Bush administration too? Or was it the administration who thought this einstein idea up? Hard to tell. But very amusing laugh for the day for sure.

[olebd]

Is it that Bush really believes that Americans are superior to everybody else in the world? Does he believe we are the "babysitters" of the world and everyone else in the world should listen to us without question?

This idea is just too stupid for me to come up with any other conclusions.

[beacheshuman]

I am falling off my chair laughing. If this stunt works, G.W. will go down in history as one of the most innovative presidents since Jefferson traded worthless trinkets to Native Americans for great parcels of their land. I would love to be a fly on the wall of the
Cabinet room where he comes up with this stuff. Hey Condi, let's invade a country that can't possible defend itself, Brownie, they live in a Bayou, surely they can SWIM, lets embargo iPods and PS3s, that'll teach them. Hey, pass that bottle of MD 20-20 and gimme another moon pie!

[ddkem]

As long as Kim Jong Il represes the North Korean people and they are not allowed to live freely in a democratic society and buy these luxury items that Il seems to love, the ban should be in place. Once this dictator is gone or changes his ways (not likely) then he shouldn't be allowed anything he won't "allow" his people to have. Talk about "babysitting" - it's not the United States, it's Kim Jong Il! He's the epitome of a double standard...

Great work by President Bush and other world leaders who agree that this is a good sanction.

[squiz2]

Hahah! He just grounded Kim Jong Il! What next, he can't go to the prom?

[arthurcl1]

This is so foolish to even make the news. If Kim Il Jong wants these things he can get them on the black market anyway from his pals in CHINA where these are all made anyway for the U.S. We don't make much anymore, we import almost everything form CHINA.

[ddkem]

scquiz2 -

The North Korean people CAN'T "go to the prom" so why should Jong Il be allowed to???

[adasher1]

Wow....I was thinking "there is NO WAY someone can put a positive spin on this one" and I was proven to be wrong by DDKem. I think it goes to show that no matter what this guy (w) does, he will always have a few lemmings running behind him. We look like idiots as a country. Our leadership is NOT leading the free world - its leading a host of ditto-heads that cannot think on their own.

[arthurcl1]

George Bush is grounding Kim! What a laugh! Worst Foreign Policy ever by President Bush!

[grazinggoat]

This policy is at the image of our president... laughable. Just can't beleive it... so funny.

[olebd]

Maybe DDKem is Dubya??????!!!!????

Nah, I doubt Dubya knows how to use a computer.

[squiz2]

DDKem, there are starving, homeless people in this country. They can't fly around the world on AirForce 1, take twelve vacations in one year, or eat at $500-a-plate banquets.....so why should Bush?

[naber1961]

George W Bush is the biggest moron of the free world. If we can make it just 2 more years under his bullying, cocky, arrogant self.... ANYONE running for the Prez in 08 has to be better than this one...... I am going to slap your hand Kim... then u can just back out of talks like u always do.... How Dumb can one W be?

[ketch65]

I don't understand it, does this mean North Korea can't ebay?

I had no idea America was the sole provider of ipods the world over!!!

By the way, since when did anything Bush say have an affect//effect on what other coutries do as far as listening to his desire to have everyone gang up on anyone not willing to do his bidding?

George is so upset because North Korea's not making 5-35 dollar flat screen tv's etc, etc, etc, so his family and friends in that trade sector can buy them by the container load and wholesale them for thousands..!!!!

Imagine that, a man mad at an entire country, willing to starve them because they aren't producing cheap products for pennies on the dollar!!!

What a monster, this is the very thing that causes a country to falter and crumble.

Hopefully it will be just George that falls to his grave, and he doesn't take any more innocent with him!!!!!

Pray for your enemies, wish them good offerings and tidings,,

"God, please help George Bush stop piling his sins ever higher and higher, please just destroy him by your own outstretched hand once and for all!!!!!"

"Please God, help George by giving him over to the sword finally! But only by your hand oh Lord, only by your hand, so that the poor and oppressed may know there is Justice by your hand again..."

"Amen"

[creeper00]

This is stupid! The greatest contributor to the end of the Cold War was communication. How could Bush have missed that lesson?

I don't buy for a minute the the theory that the Cold War was ended by Reagan's Star Wars chimera. The USSR disintegrated when her people learned how far in the dark they had been kept for years.

Our actions in restricting sales of iPods and televisions play right into Kim's hands. This is one more classic example the incompetence that's ruled our nation for six years.

[creeper00]

"example OF the incompetence"

Sorry. Frustration made me careless. Wish we had a "preview" function here.

[antoniof123]

Just when you think that they has done everything they can to be the stupidest people on Earth this administration comes up with something even dumber. Is this some sort of comedy I am sorry but this is just too funny to continue to write.

[tibu987]

Like all despots, Kim enjoys all the luxuries of life while his countrymen do not even have enough food. Think of how many of the world's leaders love their luxury while denying the most basic goods to their constituents.
This goes back to the kings and the serfs. Not much has changed.
It is criminal but the despots do not suffer the consequences. The people do.

[ketch65]

Humans are dumb!

[mrdeanpilcher]

As I read this piece I was again reminded the difference between 'ignorance' & 'stupidity'. Ignorance is curable.

[agnim]

What da ****?
Whaaaaaa! LOL LOL LOL
LMAO Whaaaaaaa!

Is this for real?
Don't tell me, george came up with this one while he was in one of his drunken stupor, right? LOL


So let's get this straight: The US couldn't prevent the Koreans getting their hands on the 'EASY' to get nukes; but we are going to prevent them having even easier to get, ipods, which are made next door in the country of Korea's ALLY -- China!

Now we know why the Asians are considered smarter; they are not inclined to appear so dam dumb! Sheeeesh!

[thgdriver]

Agnim

Looks like we agree on this one!!

This whole idea seems very stupid anyway you look at it.

[agnim]

thgdriver at 03:59 PM : Nov 29, 2006

LOL

If we could now get the bush baby and the Koreans to agree.

This whole piece should be in the comic section.

[agnim]

Can we deny the Koreans nuclear technology also? LOL

[grazinggoat]

It's not funny after all. Just imagine the aliens iPods crossing the border from South Korea. That is enough to hire all the security agencies affilaited with Haliburton and pay them with American Taxpayers money...

[fjinnw]

Yes! No more Christmas presents Kim Jong Il .

[firststate]

If Kim is buying his Swiss Rolex watches , French cognac and Asian plasma tv's from the US he must be about even with bush on the dumb as dirt scale. This idea is probably from 1600 on a day when he missed his nappy-poo.

[rharrin1]

If you ask the decider about foreign affairs, he thinks your accusing him of having sox with a foreigner.

[olebd]

I bet Kim sings Elvis tunes on his karoke machine with those hip sunglasses on his face.

[sciselia]

why are we trying to **** off a guy with new nukes? or does he not have them anymore...
hahah oherwise....this is FUNNY

Sci

[tibu987]

This is just so stupid I cannot find the words to discuss the U.S. plans to not sell i-pods, jet ski's. and plasma tv's to North Korea. Wow! now that is a tough and effective foreign policy.
I'm gonna barf.
"Nuff said.