Somewhere in the Far East (Mysterious)
Nov. 28, 2012
BEIJING (AP) — The online version of China's
Communist Party newspaper has hailed a report by The Onion naming North Korean dictator
Kim Jong Un as the "Sexiest Man Alive" — apparently unaware it is satire.
The
People's Daily ran a 55-page photo spread on its website Tuesday in a
tribute to the moon-faced leader, under the headline "North Korea's top
leader named
The Onion's Sexiest Man Alive for 2012."
Quoting
The Onion's spoof report, the Chinese newspaper wrote, "With his
devastatingly handsome, round face, his boyish charm, and his strong,
sturdy frame, this Pyongyang-bred heartthrob is every woman's dream come
true."
"Blessed with an air of power that masks an unmistakable
cute, cuddly side, Kim made this newspaper's editorial board swoon with
his impeccable fashion sense, chic short hairstyle, and, of course, that
famous smile," the People's Daily cited The Onion as saying.
The
photos the People's Daily selected include Kim on horseback squinting
into the light and Kim waving toward a military parade. In other photos,
he is wearing sunglasses and smiling, or touring a facility with his
wife.
An online editor for the People's Daily said Wednesday that the photo spread would be taken offline.
"We
have realized it is satirical," said the editor who works on the site's
South Korea channel, one of the three channels where it was posted. He
refused to give his name. When asked whether editors knew the Onion
piece was satirical when the People's Daily item was first posted, he
declined to clarify, but added that they picked up the news after first
seeing it on China's state-run Guangming Daily website.
He said that he hoped the incident wouldn't draw too much attention.
Once the Chinese major news outlet fell for the satirical article in the U.S. magazine, The Onion, that named North Korea's chubby, baby-faced dictator, Kim Jong un, as the "sexiest man alive," The North Korean press immediately picked up the story and ran a major, multi-paged article extolling the manly virtues and overall good looks of the pudgy, moon-faced Kim, also unaware of the satirical nature of the Onion spoof. Kim Jong un's equally un glamorous wife, Ri Sol Ju (plus or minus 30 pounds) is shown accompanying him on a state visit to a people's pleasure park.
BizarreStuff is conducting its own independent poll to find out how many of our readers agree that Kim Jong un is the "sexiest man alive?" You can answer 'yes' or 'no' as an anonymous commentator at the end of the story.
Thanks for your participation.
The Editor
BizarreStuff
