international tweens

North Korea Toys With 13-Year-Old Boy’s Emotions

Thirteen-year-old boys are not all hormones and moodiness. Sometimes, they want to make the world a better place! Take Jonathan Lee from Ridgeland, Mississippi, who just got back from an eight-day trip to North Korea. Lee is one of the few Americans afforded a tour of the demilitarized zone. Other Americans have been afforded detainment and prison. He received permission for the visit after Pyongyang heard about Lee’s plans to develop a “children’s peace forest,” where children from North and South Korea could play together. (He’s either the CIA’s best investment or the next Dalai Lama.) But once he got there, it was another story. Sure, they gave him a tour of the museums and Pyongyang’s “famed mass games.” But then Kim Jong-Il “forwarded” him a letter instead of meeting with him, and officials said they’d totally be down with his forest of peace, “if the countries signed a peace treaty first.”

American Boy, 13, Makes Rare Visit To North Korea [NPR]

North Korea Toys With 13-Year-Old Boy’s Emotions