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<ul class="summary-list"><li>President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword> said Saturday he was "glad to see" that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is alive and well after vanishing from the public eye for nearly three weeks.</li><li>Photos released Friday showed Kim cutting a ribbon at a fertilizer factory.</li><li>Speculation had run rampant about Kim's whereabouts for roughly 20 days, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kim-jong-un-death-rumors-health-condition-what-we-know-2020-4">sparking rumors</a> that the leader was recovering from surgery or very ill.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>President Donald Trump tweeted Saturday evening that he was happy to see proof that Kim Jong Un was alive and well, after the North Korean leader disappeared for nearly three weeks, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kim-jong-un-death-rumors-health-condition-what-we-know-2020-4">sparking rumors</a> about severe illness or even death.</p><p>"I, for one, am glad to see he is back, and well!" Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1256696015702425601">tweeted</a>, in response to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-kim-jong-uns-first-public-appearance-after-health-speculation-2020-5">photos showing Kim cutting a ribbon</a> at a fertilizer factory north of Pyongyang.</p><p>On Friday, when <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> first broke of Kim's appearance, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-02/trump-says-he-may-talk-to-kim-jong-un-this-weekend">Trump told reporters</a> he "may" speak with the North Korean leader this weekend.</p><p>Kim had not been seen publicly for 20 days, since an April 11 Workers' Party meeting on the coronavirus outbreak sweeping across the globe.</p><p>Speculation ran rampant on April 15, when Kim missed the nation's most important holiday — the birthday of Kim Il Sung, <keyword id="13473" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="North-Korea">North Korea</keyword>'s founding father and Kim Jong Un's grandfather.</p><p><div type="image" title="kim jong un" height="1333" width="2000" msid="75513193" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Some rumors indicated that Kim was gravely ill after undergoing a heart surgery, but intelligence from South Korea indicated that the leader was still governing the country as usual, but staying outside the capital.</p><p>South Korea's government said repeatedly they had detected no unusual developments across their northern border.</p><p>Analysts who watched video footage of Kim's reappearance at the fertilizer plant on Friday said Kim appeared to be recovering from a medical condition, noting a slight stiffness to his walk, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/ba5aa2273f29bdb59257ef1ea9e4f58b">Associated Press</a>.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-coronavirus-lockdown-photos-kim-jong-un-2020-4">23 photos show what life in North Korea is like during its coronavirus lockdown</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/satellite-images-of-luxury-boats-indicate-kim-at-favorite-villa-2020-4">Satellite images of luxury boats are more signs Kim Jong Un is at his favorite villa, experts say</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-secret-photos-2018-3">31 photos of North Korea that Kim Jong Un wouldn't want you to see</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/satellite-images-kimg-jong-un-train-north-korea-2020-4">Satellite images show a train possibly belonging to Kim Jong Un at a North Korean resort town, amid rumors about his health</a></li></ul>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-glad-to-see-kim-jong-un-after-disappearance-2020-5">Business Insider</a>

Trump says he's 'glad to see' Kim Jong Un is back and healthy after disappearing for weeks

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Kim Jong Un was last seen presiding over a meeting on April 11.</li><li>Since missing a celebration commemorating his grandfather on the 15th before reports surfaced that he underwent cardiovascular surgery, questions about his health and whereabouts have circulated.</li><li>While there have been unconfirmed reports of his poor health and even death, <keyword id="5565" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="South-Korea">South Korea</keyword> media reported that a recent note written by Kim proves he's alive.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>It remains unclear if Kim Jong Un is alive or dead, but <keyword id="13473" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="North-Korea">North Korea</keyword> state media is using a thank-you note supposedly written by their supreme leader to prove the former, according to a South Korean press agency.</p><p>North Korean state media reported Monday that the note was recently sent to the builders of a tourist zone near where Kim's personal train was reportedly seen in recent days, according to the South Korea-based <a href="https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200427002500325">Yonhap News Agency</a>.</p><p>"Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un has sent his appreciation to the workers who devoted themselves to building the Wonsan-Kalma tourist zone," the Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, said, echoing reporting from the Korean Central Broadcasting Station. </p><p>Questions about Kim's health, or whether he's even alive, have been circulating since CNN first reported on April 21 that he was in <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/20/politics/kim-jong-un-north-korea/index.html">"grave danger"</a> after cardiovascular surgery.</p><p>It was also noted that Kim, who is thought to be around 36, didn't appear at a <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kim-jong-un-misses-north-korea-army-day-celebration-amid-questions-about-health/">celebration commemorating the 108th birthday</a> of his grandfather, Kim Il-Sung, a week earlier.</p><p>North Korean state media have recently put out reports of Kim sending diplomatic letters and gifts, but there have been no reports on the leader's "field guidance" trips or photos of his public activities for more than two weeks, according to Yonhap <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">News</keyword>.</p><p>South Korean officials, however, have since said that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kim-jon-un-alive-south-korean-official-2020-4">Kim is well and believed to be staying in the Wonsan region </a>of the country.</p><p>A North Korean monitoring project, <a href="https://www.38north.org/2020/04/wonsancompound042520/">38 North</a>, has also said a recent report that Kim's personal train was parked at a "leadership station" in Wonsan on April 21 and April 23.</p><p>The station is reserved for the use of the Kim family, the report said.</p><p>"The train's presence does not prove the whereabouts of the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health, but it does lend weight to reports that Kim is staying at an elite area on the country's eastern coast," North Korean state media reported, according to Yonhap News.</p><p>The Wonsan-Kalma tourist zone is one of Kim's key pet construction projects, the South Korean news agency reported.</p><p>Kim, who sent a similar thank-you message to the workers in February, has sought to develop the North's tourism in an effort to beef up an economy faltering under <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> sanctions.</p><p>Wonsan occupies a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/resort-missile-testing-site-north-korea-kim-jong-un-wonsan-2017-10">special role</a> in North Korean <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword>, acting as both a luxury getaway for elites and a testing ground for missile, artillery, and other military tests.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-intelligence-does-not-believe-kim-jong-un-is-dead-2020-4">US and South Korean intelligence agencies do not believe that North Korea's authoritarian leader is dead</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kim-jong-un-death-rumors-health-condition-what-we-know-2020-4">North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hasn't been publicly seen in 2 weeks</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-kim-jong-uns-personal-train-luxurious-and-bulletproof-2018-3">Inside Kim Jong Un's personal train — which is bulletproof, has all-white conference rooms, and its own red carpet ramp</a></li></ul>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/state-media-says-recent-note-kim-jong-un-proves-alive-2020-4">Business Insider</a>

North Korean media is reporting that Kim Jong Un is still alive based on a thank-you note sent to workers at a tourist zone

<br /> True to its dictatorial essence, North Korea today witnessed the execution of another senior official for allegedly disrespecting its top leader <keyword id="182233" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kim-Jong-Un">Kim Jong Un</keyword>. According to the South Korean intelligence, the victim was none other than the state’s minister of the People’s Armed Forces, General <keyword id="1681917" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hyon-Yong-Chol">Hyon Yong Chol</keyword>.<br />
<br />
According to a report, the South Korean intelligence suggested that It is believed that Gen. Chol was purged and executed with an anti-aircraft gun in the capital city Pyongyang on April 30 this year. Chol was killed after being declared a ‘traitor’ after he was found dozing off during military event. He also allegedly tried second-guessing Kim’s orders.<br />
<br />
Following the incident, Kim quickly labeled Hyon as disloyal and execution orders were issued. This is one of the many executions that have taken place in the isolated country after Kim took charge after his father, Kim Jong Il’s demise in 2011. The dictatorial leader has also executed 15 senior government officials which included two vice ministers last month.<br />
<br />
According to reports, Kim has ordered a total of 68 senior officials between 2012 and 2014 in a bid thwart any attempt to challenge his authority.<br />
<br /> It should be noted that the dictator has also executed his uncle, <keyword id="1356040" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jang-Song-Thaek">Jang Song Thaek</keyword>, who was once considered to be the second most powerful man in North Korea for allegedly stealing state funds and planning to disrupt Kim’s rule in 2013.<br />
<br />
<em>Image Credit: Indiatimes.com</em>

Scary!
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un executes another senior official

<ul class="summary-list"><li>North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's daughter is being prepared as his successor, analysts say. </li><li>Kim Ju Ae featured prominently in recent North Korean propaganda photographs. </li></ul><p>Kim Jon Un has given the clearest indications yet that his daughter will be North Korea's next dictator after she made a rare public appearance at a banquet in Pyongyang, according to experts. </p><p>In only her 4th public appearance, Kim Ju Ae attended a banquet Tuesday marking the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the North Korean army alongside her father and mother, Ri Sol Ju. </p><p>In the pictures of the <a href="https://www.insider.com/kim-jong-un-daughter-meets-top-generals-2023-2">event released by North Korean state media</a>, the family enter a banqueting hall which appears to be in Pyongyang's Yanggakdo Hotel while applauded by military officials bedecked with medals.</p><p>Kim Ju Ae, who is believed to be 10 or 11, wore a dark suit and white shirt like her father, while her hair was styled like her mother. </p><p>In one image, Kim Ju Ae is in the center of the shot, with her father on her left and mother on her right, while behind them military officials smile for the camera. </p><div type="image" title="Kim Ju Ae" height="2834" width="3779" msid="97777288" hostid="261"></div><p>The prominence of Kim Ju Ae in the pictures, alongside her presence at other recent public appearances by her father, indicate she is likely being prepared for leadership, say some analysts. </p><p>"Given these developments, there is no longer a question about whether Kim Ju Ae has been chosen as Kim Jong Un's successor," Cheong Seong-chang, a North Korea leadership expert at the Sejong Institute, Seoul, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/08/north-korea-leader-kim-jong-un-daughter-photos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Washington Post. </a></p><p>Kim Jong Un is believed to have three children, including a son who is older than Kim Ju Ae.</p><p>"We can only speculate at this point," Duyeon Kim, a senior analyst at the Center for a New American Security in Washington, D.C, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-north-korea-government-kim-jong-un-united-states-d5bb73116705610eca6cec2210dd4303?taid=63e46cfb79b5c90001074e7f&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the Associated Press.</a> "(Kim Jong Un is) obviously showing her off intentionally and, at a minimum, he seems to be trying to reiterate the importance, status, and legitimacy of a direct Kim bloodline offspring. It's too soon to assume that she will be his heir because the son has always succeeded the throne in North Korea."</p><div type="image" title="Kim Ju Ae" height="2834" width="3779" msid="97777291" hostid="261"></div><p>Kim Ju Ae attended a test of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kim-jong-un-reveals-daughter-in-photos-of-missile-launch-2022-11?r=US&amp;IR=T">intercontinental ballistic missiles in November,</a> and has also previously attended a meeting with military scientists with her father. </p><p>On Wednesday, Kim Ju Ae appeared at a military parade in Pyongyang alongside her father where the largest number of intercontinental ballistic missiles ever displayed by the country were paraded. Analysts believe the dozen or more weapons could be enough to penetrate US defences. </p><p>North Korea is a hereditary dictatorship, and Kim Jong Un was appointed successor to his father, Kim Jong Il, when he was 8, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kim-jong-un-daughter-kim-ju-ae-north-korea/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an expert told CBS News. </a></p><p>In recent months, tensions between North Korea and US-ally South Korea have intensified amid a series of missile tests by North Korea. </p>

Kim Jong Un showed off his rarely-seen daughter &mdash; a possible sign he's grooming her to be North Korea's next dictator

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters/KCNA KCNA</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>South Korea's state news agency is <a href="http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2014/01/26/4/0401000000AEN20140126000800315F.html">reporting</a> that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the execution of his uncle's entire family, including children.</p>
<p><span>"Extensive executions have been carried out for relatives of Jang Song-thaek," one source told Yonhap. "All relatives of Jang have been put to death, including even children."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>On December 12, </span>Kim Jong-un </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-jang-song-thaek-executed-2013-12">executed</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> his uncle<span> </span>and his close allies for "acts of treachery," which may </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">have related to a </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/kim-jong-un-uncle-execution-2013-12">business dispute</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>
<p>Yonhap is known for its anti-North Korean bias. And other stories about the purge are <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jang-song-taek-really-eaten-by-dogs-2014-1">probably fake</a>.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Kim's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/john-kerry-kim-jong-un-is-ruthless-and-reckless-2013-12">ruthlessness</a> cannot be discounted.</p>
<p>From <a href="http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2014/01/26/4/0401000000AEN20140126000800315F.html">Yonhap</a>:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The executed relatives include Jang's sister Jang Kye-sun, her husband and Ambassador to Cuba Jon Yong-jin, and Ambassador to Malaysia Jang Yong-chol, who is a nephew of Jang, as well as his two sons, the sources said.</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">All of them were recalled to Pyongyang in early December and executed, they said. The sons, daughters and even grandchildren of Jang's two brothers were all executed, they said.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">It is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/rumors-swirl-about-kim-kyong-hui-2014-1">unclear</a> if Jang's wife, who is <span>the younger sister of Kim's father, Kim Jong Il,</span> is among those ordered executed.</span></p>

South Korean Media: Kim Jong-un Ordered The Execution Of His Uncle's Entire Family

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Montana GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy's old Facebook profile is full of questionable photos.</li><li>They include lewd photos of women, a caricature of Middle Eastern people, and homoerotic jokes.</li></ul><p>When Tim Sheehy <a href="https://youtu.be/7ScveOJBlII">launched his campaign for US Senate</a> in Montana late last month, national Republicans rejoiced. They'd recruited a star candidate to run against Sen. Jon Tester, one of the most vulnerable incumbent Democrats up for re-election next year.</p><p>A former Navy SEAL and wealthy businessman, Sheehy brings the resume and lack of obvious political baggage that national Republicans hope will help them flip the Senate in 2024. Not even two weeks into his campaign, he already has the endorsement of 10 Republican senators, who've backed his campaign in an effort to head off a <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/23/conservative-rabble-rouser-matt-rosendale-plans-rematch-against-jon-tester-00103425">potential primary challenge from Rep. Matt Rosendale</a>, who lost to Tester in 2018.</p><p>But as national Republicans <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tim-sheehy-montana-senate-republican-kentucky-photo-agriculture-2023-7">worked to recruit and vet the 38-year-old first-time candidate</a>, they appear to have overlooked a crucial truth of the digital age, and the millennial candidates who have come of age within it — nothing ever quite disappears from the internet.</p><p>That's <a href="https://archive.li/S5JbY">certainly the case</a> with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tim.sheehy.50">what appears to be Sheehy's Facebook page</a>.</p><p>Though aspects of Sheehy's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tim.sheehy.50/photos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">apparent profile</a> — named "Timothy Patrick" — appear to have been made private, Facebook users can still find a litany of photos from his profile dating from 2006 to 2008, when Sheehy was a student at the US Army Ranger School in Georgia and at the US Naval Academy in Maryland.</p><p>And the photos include much of what one might expect from an adolescent posting on a burgeoning social media network in the 2000s.</p><h2>'She's not a skank'</h2><p>In one photo from 2008, which depicted a muscular woman clad in an American flag bikini and pointing a gun, Sheehy tagged a profile that appears to be that of his now-wife Carmen Sheehy, who he <a href="https://timformt.com/meet-tim/">first met</a> when they were students at the Naval Academy.</p><p>"WOW! Carmen...when did you go blonde?" wrote one friend, prompting Carmen to sarcastically reply that it was "around the same time I became a steroid using skank."</p><p>"Shes not a skank!!! jeeez," Tim Sheehy commented in response. "Shes a very fit defender of Americas freedom obviously."</p><div type="image" title="A photo from Sheehy's Facebook page." height="1174" width="1834" msid="101678313" hostid="261"></div><p>One week earlier, Sheehy posted a photo of a woman posing on exercise equipment with one nipple exposed.</p><p>"I tagged it as carmen and she untagged it...bullshit," Sheehy wrote beneath the post.</p><div type="image" title="A photo of a woman with an exposed breast posted by Sheehy." height="1206" width="1834" msid="101678314" hostid="261"></div><p>Another photo from November 2006 shows a man dressed in a robe and a red checkered keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by men in the Middle East, alongside two men who appear to be dressed as Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il.</p><p>"Well, there will only be 2 members in this picture soon...the guy in the middle is gonna be a dead fucker here soon," wrote one friend. "Hahahhaah, BYE SADDAM, YOU F'ing POONJAB...KIM, U'RE NEXT!"</p><p>Hussein was <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna16389128">executed by hanging</a> roughly two months later.</p><p>In his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ScveOJBlII">campaign launch video, </a>Sheehy notes that the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 motivated him to enter the military, where he later served in Afghanistan alongside his wife, Carmen — though Sheehy does not appear to be in the photo himself.</p><div type="image" title="Sheehy, right, dressed in a white robe and a keffiyeh alongside a man dressed as Saddam Hussein." height="1206" width="1950" msid="101678315" hostid="261"></div><p>Other photos appear to show Sheehy partying with friends while a student at the Naval Academy. In one photo uploaded by Sheehy, a man appears to be drinking from a bottle nestled between a woman's breasts.</p><p>"That's not a very good picture of me, I'm short and blonde and my weiner appears to be about half-size," wrote the friend who Sheehy tagged in the photo.</p><p>"Well hey, at least you don't look like Sam here [sic]," Sheehy wrote, possibly referring to the woman in the photo. "Although I don't think her boobs are that big..."</p><div type="image" title="A photo posted by Sheehy." height="1206" width="1834" msid="101678316" hostid="261"></div><p>And other photos from 2006, dating to when Sheehy was still a student at the US Army Ranger School in Fort Benning, Georgia, show Sheehy engaging in homoerotic rough-housing with other students.</p><p>"'Don't ask, don't tell' is still the official policy, right?" wrote one commenter, referring to the <a href="https://www.hrc.org/our-work/stories/repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">since-repealed policy</a> that prevented gay and lesbian service members from coming out while serving.</p><div type="image" title="Sheehy and other students posing in a homoerotic manner in a dorm room." height="1206" width="1950" msid="101678317" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="Sheehy and other students posing in a homoerotic manner in a dorm room." height="1206" width="1950" msid="101678318" hostid="261"></div><p>Reached for comment, Sheehy spokeswoman Katie Martin accused Democrats of resurfacing the "photos of teenagers goofing around," saying it was "rich" for them to do so when Tester had <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tester-staff-begs-reporter-keep-senators-exposed-male-anatomy-off-the-record-pea-field-potty-stop">reportedly exposed his genitalia</a> to reporter Ben Terris by urinating in a field in front of him. Terris recounted the tale, which happened years ago when he was writing a profile of Tester, in his newly-released book, <em>The Big Break</em>.</p><p>"Neither he nor his staff have yet to explain why a grown man at 66 years old would find that behavior appropriate," said Martin. "So, spare us your hypocrisy and harassment of a war hero over some goofing around as a kid."</p>

Montana GOP Senate candidate's old Facebook includes lewd photos of women, racist costumes, and homoerotic jokes

Democrats projected to retain their House majority but lose key seats to Republicans

<p class="source"><span>Jon Woo/Reuters</span></p>As tensions <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-us-china-nuclear-thunderbolt-cooperation-war-2017-4" target="_blank">climb to historic highs</a> between the US and its allies and North Korea, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-150000-troops-north-korea-xi-trump-2017-4" target="_blank">rumors of massive movements</a> of Chinese troops near North Korea's border keep surfacing.<p>A Pentagon official told Business Insider that the US has heard the reports but had "not seen anything to corroborate it."</p><p>But Chinese troops are always stationed in the northeast near North Korea, and Yun Sun, a senior associate with the East Asia Program at the <a href="https://www.stimson.org/users/3326" target="_blank">Stimson Center</a> told Business Insider that "Chinese troop movements happen often along that border" when North Korean nuclear and missile provocations seem imminent.</p><p>"When North Korea acts up with some sort of provocation, the Chinese in the past have moved their troops to reinforce their deployments in the northeast for military preparedness," said Yun.</p><p>"O<span>n the other hand," said Yun, "I think it does signal that the Chinese are concerned about a potential escalation, or even potential conflict" between the US and North Korea, as North Korea plans a nuclear test and the US's USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier pulls up to Korea's coast.</span></p><p><span>The following alarming footage purporting to show a massive movement of Chinese forces surfaced on line, further stoking the rumors: </span></p><p>On Saturday, North Korea will celebrate the 105th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, the founder of the hermit kingdom's Kim regime.</p><p>Experts say Pyongyang <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-conflict-could-break-out-at-any-moment-over-n-korea-china-2017-4" target="_blank">has a nuclear device ready to test</a>, while the US has signaled a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-north-korea-is-increasingly-a-focus-of-us-china-meeting-2017-4" target="_blank">total loss of patience</a> with North Korea pursuing nuclear weapons with the intent of one day threatening the US.</p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mq-25a-stingray-us-response-china-carrier-killers-2017-3">Meet the MQ-25A Stingray - the US's response to threats like China's 'carrier killers'</a></h3>                                    Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Here's what's going on with Chinese troop movements on North Korea's border

<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Choosing a country from the Axis of Evil might not sound like the best way to start a relaxing vacation, but surely it's one way to have an adventure you'll never forget. </p>
<p class="p1">It was US President George W. Bush who designated <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Iran">Iran</a>, <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Iraq">Iraq</a>, and <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/North_Korea">North Korea</a> as three evil nations in his State of the Union Speech in 2002. All three were accused of developing weapons of mass destruction for their "terrorist allies." (Turns out that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cia-and-m16-spy-agencies-knew-iraq-didnt-have-wmds-before-2003-invasion-2013-3">wasn't entirely true</a>.)</p>
<p class="p1">Since then, however, the Saddame Hussein regime in Iraq was overthrown, the government in Iran has softened somewhat, and North Korea has started granting visas to Americans. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Since North Korea's </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://travel.cnn.com/how-travel-north-korea-042681">visa back-flip in 2010</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, it has been possible to enjoy a vacation in all three of the countries.</span></p>
<p class="p1">So, if you've got the <keyword id="6354692" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> bug and are up for some adventure, here's our guide to vacations inside the former "Axis of Evil."</p>
<h2 class="p1"><strong>Iran</strong></h2>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">While <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Iran">Iran</a> is seen by some in the West as a country full of crazy fundamentalists hell-bent on America's nuclear destruction, the reality you'll see inside the country </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-truth-about-iran-2014-9">couldn't be further from the truth</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">When Bush named the country as part of the axis, it actually </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/tehran/axis/axis.html">came as a surprise to some observers</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></span></p>
<p class="p1">The fact is, the majority of the Iranian public love Westerners - Americans in particular - making Iran one of the safest countries on our list even for female travelers. Opinion polls show the <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/06/the-iran-we-dont-see-a-tour-of-the-country-where-people-love-americans/258166/"><span class="s1">majority of Iranians</span></a> hold a favorable opinion of Americans, making Iran second only to Israel as the <a href="http://www.pewglobal.org/database/indicator/1/country/106/"><span class="s1">most supportive population in the Middle East</span></a>.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
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<p class="p1">To travel as a Westerner is to be routinely stopped on the street and welcomed by curious and generous Iranians. When I was there last summer I was constantly offered with cold drinks, invited to parties, and given free tours by locals. </p>
<p class="p1">There is a ton to see there: the massive shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran, cheap ski resorts in the Alborz mountains north of the city, ancient clay-baked mosques in Kashan, the stunning central square of Isfahan, the Tatooine-like ruins of Na'in, and the ancient ruins of Persepolis near Shiraz.</p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">While Western sanctions mean you can't use your Visa or MasterCard in the country, you won't have to take much cash. All expenses </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 1.5em;">- including transport, food, and accommodation - amounted to less than $200 for my 11-day trip last year. </span></p>
<p class="p4">Inexpensive, air conditioned buses run frequently between most cities, and a full falafel sandwich will often only set you back 25 cents. There's amazing rosewater ice cream almost everywhere in summer for about 10 cents a cone.</p>
<p class="p4">Return flights to Tehran from mainland Europe can be found for $200-to-400.</p>
<p class="p1">Check visa conditions before you book, as those who travel on British or <a href="http://uncorneredmarket.com/american-travel-iran/">American passports</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> will have to <a href="http://uncorneredmarket.com/american-travel-iran/">apply in advance</a></span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">. </span></p>
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<p class="p1">Iran is safe for female travelers. Iranian women dress fashionably, and the level of respect on the streets could be considered high even by Western standards. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">However, it is mandatory to wear a headscarf in public at all times. Headscarves are skimpy, colorful, and barely attached in Tehran, but in regional areas more conservative coverings are the norm.</span></p>
<p class="p1">Gay travelers should be aware that <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/17/iran-persecution-gay-community-revealed">homosexual sex is punishable by death for Iranian citizens</a>.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> Deportation is probably the very best you can hope for if authorities somehow discover you. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Discretion is highly advised, and as far as we can tell, no foreigners have run into trouble with this. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Despite claims to the contrary by the firebrand former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, there are </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/sep/26/iran.features11">gay people in Iran</a>.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> Some more privileged young men in Tehran apparently </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/mar/16/iran-gay-rights">live somewhat openly</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Iranian-Americans should be aware that the country does not recognize dual citizenship and will likely treat you as an Iranian if you end up in trouble. The country's hardline judicial system currently has at least four Iranian Americans imprisoned - </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/07/tehran-detains-three-us-iranian-journalists-201472504942870216.html">three journalists</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> and a </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/09/18/un-panel-raps-iran-over-imprisonment-christian-pastor-saeed-abedini/">pastor</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span>While many countries have representation in Tehran, US consular services are conducted through the Swiss Embassy. The UK is still in the process of opening its embassy. </span><span> </span></p>
<h2 class="p1"><strong>North Korea</strong><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></h2>
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<p class="p1">While Iran is the perfect place for backpackers to explore independently on the cheap, <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/North_Korea">North Korea</a> is anything but. The country is intensely secretive, and the only real way in is an organized tour which will be strictly controlled by the North Korean government. </p>
<p class="p1">While the threat of any violence is low, you should know the government has arrested <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-american-begins-sentence-of-farm-work-and-isolation-in-north-korea-reports-2014-9">at least three Americans</a> for suspected subversive activity. Also, be aware that most of the money you pay for your tour will likely end up in the hands of one of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-is-as-bad-as-the-nazis-2014-3">worst human rights abusers in the world today</a>, the North Korean government.</p>
<p class="p1">The regime is accused of running Nazi-style labor camps rife with rape, murder, and starvation. Human Rights Watch recently released a video with first-hand accounts and drawings painting a horrific picture of brutal violence.</p>
<p class="p1">Yet despite this, thousands of tourists, mostly from China, travel to North Korea every year for a peek inside the clandestine country. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/09/02/whats-it-like-to-report-from-north-korea-frustrating-mainly/">One guide estimates</a> that 4,000<span> non-Chinese tourists tourists visit North Korea annually. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Touring North Korea must be one of the most uniquely bizarre travel experiences in the world. Any time you're out of your hotel, you'll be accompanied by at least two government minders who will serve as guides (two so they can keep an eye on you, and each other).</span></p>
<p class="p1">As <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/09/02/whats-it-like-to-report-from-north-korea-frustrating-mainly/">Anna Fifield of The Washington Post writes</a>, "It's such a thrill to get an elusive visa and see this closed society with your own eyes, yet so maddening when you realize that you're moving through a kind of real-life 'Truman Show.'"</p>
<p class="p1">While in the country, you will see only what the North Korean government wants you to see, so the prison camps and more poverty stricken areas are likely to be off-limits. You will also be denied any chance to speak with any "normal" North Koreans not vetted by the government.</p>
<p class="p1">You can, however, say hello as if you pass North Koreans on the street and maybe even share a few beers with your guides. But that's about as far as any cultural exchange will go.</p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">What will perhaps strike you most in North Korea is the cult of personality surrounding its former leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Wherever possible, the magnificence of the Kims, especially KIS [Kim Il Sung], was emphasized. Busts, statues, murals, and slogans were everywhere," North Korean <a href="http://asiansecurityblog.wordpress.com/2012/09/01/against-dogmatic-bourgeois-flunkeyism-or-what-i-learned-in-nk-1/">scholar and tourist Robert Kelly writes</a>.</span></p>
<p class="p1">"At a bowling alley, the ball and pins which KIS bowled on the facility's opening were kept under glass at the entrance, surrounded by flowers, with photos and a dedicatory statement from KIS inscribed on the wall," <a href="http://asiansecurityblog.wordpress.com/2012/09/01/against-dogmatic-bourgeois-flunkeyism-or-what-i-learned-in-nk-1/"><span>he</span> wrote</a>.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1">You will learn of Kim Il Sung's personal guidance of the construction of Pyongyang's metro, and you'll be told he wrote 18,300 books. You may even be <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294444-d3227576-r147152589-Pyongyang_Hotel-Pyongyang.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT">advised against crumpling any newspaper</a> that has his image.</p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Most Western tourists to the country appear to end up in one particular hotel in the country's capital, Pyongyang. The quirky hotel, the Yanggakdo <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">International</keyword>, is situated on slither of land in the <span>Taedong river. It </span>is known as the "Alcatraz of Fun" by government guides and has </span><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294444-d644971-r91064622-Yanggakdo_Hotel-Pyongyang.html">4 out of 5 stars on Trip Advisor</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>
<p class="p1">Tourists are free to explore the small island on foot; however, Lonely Planet is careful to point out that you shouldn't attempt to cross the bridge under any circumstances.</p>
<p class="p1">The hotel has a karaoke lounge, a bowling alley, a casino with a foreigners-only disco, and a secret fifth floor which does not appear on the elevator buttons (But if you're brave, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qQGt_E5cjg">you can go to the fourth floor and take the stairs</a>.)</p>
<p class="p1">Despite being 47 stories high with a revolving restaurant at the top floor, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/10/18/hotel-of-doom-alcatraz-of-fun-north-koreas-finest-tourist-stays/">The Washington Post reports</a> that, "like the thousand or so rooms, the restaurant is mostly empty, all of it an elaborate show of prosperity that doesn't exist."<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Americans have been able to visit the country since 2010, and rumors of restrictions on Israeli or Jewish travelers are false. Almost all travelers will require a visa, which will be issued after a trip has been booked, approved, and paid for.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Be aware that while visas are often given late they are rarely denied, and if you arrange it beforehand, you can even pick one up in 20 minutes through the North Korean embassy in London. </span></p>
<p class="p1">Tours in North Korea cost $200-$400 a day including accommodation, meals, and transport from China. Americans will probably have to pay towards the higher end of that scale<span class="s5"> </span>because the North Koreans have banned Americans from some forms of travel. A return flight from the US to China can be snatched for as low as $800. </p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In case of any emergency, the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang has taken charge of consular services for Canadian, American, Australian, and Nordic travelers. Also take note that certain items are banned; leaving a copy of the Bible with his contact details in a bathroom got one American tourist </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/02/jeffrey-fowle-north-korea_n_5643464.html">15 years in a North Korean prison camp</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>
<h3 class="p1"><strong>Iraq</strong></h3>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Rounding out our "Axis of Evil" trifecta is </span><a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Iraq">Iraq</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, probably one of the most dangerous countries in the world to visit. The emergence of the militant group known as the Islamic State, or ISIS, has shattered the</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> stability that parts of the country had previously been enjoying. </span></p>
<p class="p1">For travelers this means most of the country - birthplace of many of the planet's oldest civilizations and most recent conflicts - is entirely off limits.</p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Iraq is home to the remains of Babylon, the ruins of Hatra, the Tal Afar fortress, the The Great Mosque of Samarra, and the Al-Shaheed Monument and Swords of Qadisiyah in Baghdad. But to visit any of these sites now is to risk kidnapping, murder, gunfire, and terrorist attacks.</span></p>
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<p class="p1">The safer region of Kurdistan, however, still has many sites to offer. The region is semi-autonomous, and with minimal violence in recent years it has experienced massive economic development with high levels of foreign investment, infrastructure development, and tourism. Some areas are highly Westernized.</p>
<p class="p1">In Kurdistan there's the towering ancient citadel of Erbil, the mountaintop settlement of Amadiya, and the plunging gorges, waterfalls, and snow capped peaks of the Zagros Mountains.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
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<p class="p1">There's also the memorial to Saddam Hussein's gassing of the Kurds in Halabja, the Amna Suraka museum which documents Hussein's brutality, and the Sulaimani Museum, the second largest history museum in the country.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1">While tourist visas to other areas of Iraq are currently suspended, the Kurds will grant a free 15-day visa on arrival to citizens of the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, and many EU member states.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1">Return flights from Turkey to Erbil range from $300-$500. You can fly into Istanbul in Turkey from most major centers in Europe for $150-$200 return. </p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">While it always pays to know where you are, you're at little risk of accidentally venturing outside of the Kurdish safe region - the region's borders are tightly controlled. Still, it's advisable to stay away from the Turkish border and the city of Kirkuk. </span></p>
<p class="p1">Take extreme care if you're hiking in the mountains near the Iranian border. In 2009 three American hikers wandered too close to the border and were detained and accused of spying by Iran.</p>
<p class="p1">The woman in the group was released after 14 months, but the two men weren't freed for <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15000563">more than two years</a>.</p>
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