What’s going on in North Korea?

Only a couple days ago Der Spiegel noted: “The people of North Korea are not as submissive as they appear to be. Unnoticed by the outside world, strong opposition to the regime of dictator Kim Jong Il is beginning to appear.”

Now, in today’s NY Times: “Where Kim’s portrait hung in Pyongyang, a baffling blankness.”

Portraits of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il, have been quietly taken down this fall in important institutions in the country's capital, Pyongyang, several diplomats there say.

Analysts are debating the reasons, with explanations that range from a demotion of North Korea's "Dear Leader" to a simple desire to place the portraits in more ornate frames.

Verrrrrrrry interesting…