Kim Jong-Il’s Death Leads To Another Perry Flub

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Rick Perry’s campaign emailed reporters with their man’s reaction to the death of the North Korean despot, Kim Jong-Il. Unfortunately, they appear to have made two mistakes inside the text. They appear to refer to the deceased dictator as “Kim Jong The Second,” leaving out the hyphen between “Jong” and “Il.” That’s reinforced by the way Perry’s response mistakenly uses “Jong” as the tyrant’s surname. Korea follows the common Asian practice of leading with the family surname, so as even a cursory Google would reveal, he should in fact be referred to as President Kim.

This is the Perry camp’s email:

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today released the following statement regarding the death of Kim Jong II:

“The death of vicious dictator Kim Jong Il provides some cause for hope but does not automatically end the reign of inhumane tyranny he and his father constructed. Twenty-three million people still live under North Korea’s isolationist, inhumane and tyranical policies. North Korea remains a nuclear power, and there is a great threat that those weapons might fall into the wrong hands if civil war breaks out.

“At the same time, Jong’s death is an opportunity to reunify the peninsula if the situation is handled effectively. Kim Jong-un is an unknown quantity, and may not be able to maintain power. The United States must now strongly reaffirm our commitment to Asian allies, particularly South Korea, and maintain a strong military, diplomatic, and economic presence in the Pacific region during this period. We should also engage with China, and encourage Beijing to work towards a peaceful transition from a grim dictatorship to a free Korea.”

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