(Jong Tae-se photoshopped onto a movie marquee. It says: “Protector of the Coal Miners, Jong Tae-se”)

Now that the 2010 World Cup odyssey is over for the North Koreans, Kim Jong-il (aka Bam Bam Malone) has been prematurely deprived of a convenient distraction with which to dodge the eight ball for March’s sinking of the corvette Cheonan. While the world – and, more importantly, the South Koreans – were distracted with events ongoing down in South Africa, he could at least enjoy something of a reprieve from a potential retaliatory strike on the part of Seoul. With the North Koreans booted convincingly, to he tune of 7-0, out of the tourney by the Portuguese, the possibility of a military move of some kind over on the Korean peninsula returns decidedly to center stage.

I covered a great short article in The Daily NK recently that told of heir apparent Kim “the Youth Captain” Jong-eun’s accompaniment of this father to a secure military installation last week as part of Kim’s “on the spot guidance” which the Dear Leader occasionally does. This was intended as a clear demonstration of the young Kim’s organizational capabilities and perhaps as a signal to Pyongyang watchers in the South and elsewhere that North Korea’s succession plans have been shunted to the fast track. The trip was conducted right under the nose of North Korea’s strong showing against the Brazilians in Jo’burg (June 15th), a match which supplied convenient cover for this latest bit of North Korean cloak and dagger intrigue.

Then there was this clever post over at China Hush that told of at least four NK players who made a break for the West following their team’s 2-1 congratulatory loss against the Brazilians. These four left ostensibly while the going was still good, not content to wait around for what might befall their teammates’ were the squad not as fortunate against the Portuguese in their upcoming match several days hence. They had apparently been correct in their reading the tea leaves, knowing their erratic Dear Leader only too well.

So what retaliatory moves can we expect from the South Koreans now that the spotlight has been shifted firmly off of Kim’s team? Worse, how might Kim erratically react now that he’s been shunted back into a vulnerable position with the world’s attention diverted elsewhere?

Will Pyongyang return to a state of high alert? Will tensions once again rise on the DMZ? are we on the verge of a second “Korean War,” more slow moves on the way towards WWIII? Will the press be filled in coming days with news of a potential surgical strike against the North by Seoul? Or will the news shortly reveal to us yet another zany Kim tactical move in the mad hopes of staving off yet another internal North Korean financial crisis, convincing the world that Kim is truly capable of anything?

Will we see more Kim brinkmanship, or will Beijing finally begin to exert its influence and play a more convincing mediating role given how Kim persists in flaunting their firm advice?

As is usual up on the Kim Farm, nothing is for certain and everything’s up for grabs. None of these questions have any suitable answers.

The world waits, once again…

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