news // 4

North Korean leader reported to have
watched his uncle's execution

» Jang Sung-taek convicted as traitor and reportedly sent to the dogs

 
   
   

«iy. Patrick Vailancourt
' se News Editor

: @theotherpress.ca

New Korean officials have
rung in the new year claim-
ing a newfound sense of unity
within the ruling Communist
party in the aftermath of
the execution of one of the
regime’s most senior leaders.
Jang Sung-taek, the
uncle of North Korean leader
Kim Jong-un and one widely
regarded as the real power
in North Korea, was arrested
last month in the middle of
a government meeting, and
sent on the fast-track to trial.
Sung-taek was reported to
have faced trial on a number
of charges, including treason,
womanizing, distribution of
pornography, and abusing alco-
hol. The Korean Central News
Agency said that “Jang and his
followers committed criminal
acts baffling the imagination.”
Days after his dramatic
arrest last month, Sung-taek
and five of his aides were con-
victed and sentenced to death.
While the execution is
said to have taken place in the
middle of December, infor-
mation about the execution
has recently been revealed

: by Chinese media sources—
: though this information
: has yet to be confirmed.

Kim Jong-un is said to

: have ordered the execution

: after calling his uncle “worse

: thana dog.” Heand more than
: 300 senior officials watched

: as Sung-taek and his aides

: were allegedly placed into a

: coliseum-like cage and mauled
: by approximately 120 starv-

: ing dogs for over an hour.

While past high-profile

: political executions were

: carried out by firing squad,

: the reports on Sung-taek’s

: method of execution have

: not yet been addressed by the
: North Korean government.

Sung-taek was the broth-

er-in-law to former North

: Korean leader Kim Jong-il,

: who died in 2011. Kim Jong-il,

: who had been ill for a number

: of years prior to his death,

: appointed Sung-taek to mentor
: his youngest son and heir.

As Kim Jong-un took the

reigns as North Korea’s leader

: in 201, many senior officials in
: the regime reportedly looked

: to Sung-taek as the true hand

: of power, secretly viewing

: Kim Jong-un as too young for

: leadership and largely untested
: in the affairs of the state.

It is assumed that

: Sung-taek’s execution was

: carried out in order for Kim

: Jong-un to exert more control
: over his officials and send

: amessage to his people.

Ina new year broadcast on

: state media, Kim Jong-un said
: that the execution of his uncle
: was necessary to maintain

: the unity of his government.

“Our party’s timely,

accurate decision to purge the
: anti-party, anti-revolutionary
: elements helped greatly

: cement solidarity within our

: party,” said Kim Jong-un.

Sung-taek was a major

player in the foreign policy

: of North Korea, playing key

: roles within international

: negotiations regarding nuclear
: proliferation on the Korean

: peninsula as well as fostering

: warm relations with China,

: one of North Korea’s few allies.

Tensions on the Korean

peninsula have been high

: for much of 2013, and many

: experts believe that Sung-

: taek’s execution is the start of
: aseries of provocative actions
: to be taken by North Korea

: to keep the regime stable and

: distracted from troubling

: domestic issues facing the

: country, such as North Korea’s
: ever-softening economy.

 

theotherpress.ca

Kim Jong-il // By www.businessinsider.com

 

Predicted rise in number of
fitness centre attendees

» Fitness habits in the new year

* Julia Siedlanowska
| Staff Writer

 

he new year is always said

to bring an influx of gym
and fitness centre attendees,
and New Year’s resolutions
are held responsible; but
not everyone agrees that the
trend is as big as it once was.

Jessica Lyn, owner of the
pole dance, aerial, and fitness
studio AVA Fitness in New
Westminster, witnesses a
consistent increase in new
customers after the holidays.
“We have a huge influx in
January and February of
people just wanting to try new

: things,” says Lyn. “We have

: our regulars throughout the

: year but it’s generally January,
: February, and even March

: that is high for new clients.”

Although AVA Fitness

: offers a specific kind of health
: activity, the rise is not only

: seen in a daring new endeavour
: like pole dancing. Tracy Chase
: at the Port Moody Recreation

: Complex also notices a

: definite rise in the number

: of patrons. “It’s a New Year’s

: resolution, absolutely,” says

: Chase. “Our programs stay

: the same, but we definitely

: have more people coming in.”

Danielle Eades, of Fitwells

for Women in Coquitlam,
: agrees. “Definitely right after
: Christmas is our huge, huge

: busy time with everyone
: coming in for the new year.”

Although prices stay

: the same at most recreation
: centres, different promo-

: tional tactics are highly

: advertised during the

: post-holiday season within
: privately owned businesses.

“Normally prices go up.

: So January and February will

: always be the more expensive

: months, where the month

: leading up to January will

: always bea lot slower,” says

: Jason Alden of the Steve Nash

: Fitness World and Sports Club.

The reverse is visible at

AVA Fitness: “All of our punch
: cards are $40-off until January
: 6,” says Lyn, a tactic that fits

: the bill for a club offering a

: risqué way of working out.

“With the new year

: people are more willing to

: try new things and chal-

: lenge themselves. It’s a time
: when you dare yourself to

: do the things you've always
: wanted to,” says Coquitlam
: resident Rachel Harrison.

But not all agree that the

: post-holiday fitness trend is as
: big as it once was. Alden spec-
: ulates that the habits of gym
: patrons are going full circle.

“I think it’s more of a myth

: gym industry I found that

: people are almost scared to

: start going to the gym. So it’s

: almost like reverse psychology.
: Some people don’t want to go

: to the gym in January because
: it’s going to be so packed;

: it’s going to be so busy.”

Although the rising focus

on health and fitness within

: the media may be influencing

: ayear-round healthy lifestyle

: trend—replacing the sporadic

: influx of people attending gyms
: : and fitness centres in the new

: nowadays. A lot of people think :
: that new year’s resolution

: [time] is when a lot of people

: are going to start going to the
: gym. I think it was like that

: about five years ago. In my

: experience working in the

year—there currently remains

: ageneral rise in attendance
: in January and February.