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Blue_Tires

(55,445 posts)
Tue Nov 27, 2012, 04:58 PM Nov 2012

Kim Jong Un 'sexiest man,' Onion says; China's People's Daily buys it

BEIJING — Who says the Chinese Communist Party doesn’t have a sense of humor?

People’s Daily, the party’s official mouthpiece, ran a large feature on its website Tuesday on North Korea’s young leader Kim Jong Un being named the Onion’s “Sexiest Man Alive.”

The only glitch was that the People’s Daily didn’t seem to realize that the Onion is a satirical newspaper.

Instead, in breathless deadpan style, the People’s Daily quoted the Onion’s assessment of Kim’s sexiness. “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 article, headlined “North Korea’s top leader named the Onion’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2012,’’ was accompanied by 55 pages of photographs, the first one being a recently released shot of Kim on horseback.

Kim, a pudgy young man in his late 20s, took over as North Korea’s leader last December after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il. The Chinese Communist Party maintains close ties with Pyongyang’s ruling Workers’ Party.

Even without help from the Onion, People’s Daily frequently runs features about North Korea so fawning as to suggest parody. ("The erection of the statues of the illustrious commanders at the university marks a great event reflecting the steadfast will of all the service personnel of the Korean People's Army (KPA) to glorify the immortal revolutionary exploits performed by the Generalissimos for all ages,” was a line in a recent People’s Daily article about the unveiling of statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.)

http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-peoples-daily-mistakes-the-onion-for-serious-newspaper-20121127,0,949430.story?fb_ref=fb_widget

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Kim Jong Un 'sexiest man,' Onion says; China's People's Daily buys it (Original Post) Blue_Tires Nov 2012 OP
Brings back memories BeyondGeography Nov 2012 #1
His wife must think so. edbermac Nov 2012 #2
This is definitely my favorite news story of the day! RevStPatrick Nov 2012 #3
lol the Onion updated their story Enrique Nov 2012 #4
The update is hilarious. n/t FSogol Dec 2012 #6
Somehow I missed hearing about this story until I heard it on the radio yesterday slackmaster Dec 2012 #5
I love a good North Korea thread! nt msanthrope Dec 2012 #7
 

RevStPatrick

(2,208 posts)
3. This is definitely my favorite news story of the day!
Tue Nov 27, 2012, 05:09 PM
Nov 2012

People's Daily now gets to join the ranks of Fox News, FARS and a couple of members of the U.S. House of Representatives in being among the clueless...

Enrique

(27,461 posts)
4. lol the Onion updated their story
Tue Nov 27, 2012, 05:11 PM
Nov 2012
UPDATE: For more coverage on The Onion's Sexiest Man Alive 2012, Kim Jong-Un, please visit our friends at the People's Daily in China, a proud Communist subsidiary of The Onion, Inc. Exemplary reportage, comrades.
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