Korea Pics of the Week: Paper Tiger vs. Bloody Tiger

There aren’t two other photos from the extensive collections this week that better represent the two extremes of the North Korean threat. Representing the farcical “paper tiger” scenario is this shot by the Associated Press’ North Korea photo-diplomat, David Guttenfelder.  In the image, the warrior/war threat is a paper cut-out behind which we see a thin, hungry-looking North Korean. And then, representing the “these guys might actually be that crazy” scenario,  is this rather distant photo of an anti-missile battery sitting on an unidentified hillside in Seoul. (Click for full size.)

Trying to reconcile the difference is getting a little mind-bending.

(photo 1: David Guttenfelder/AP caption: North Koreans visit the Pyongyang Folk Park on the outskirts of Pyongyang Thursday, April 11, 2013. The park, which spans Korean history from prehistoric to modern times, opened in September 2012 after three years of construction by North Korean soldiers. Photo 2: Yonhap/EPA caption: April 11, 2013. A view of Patriot missiles at an undisclosed location in Seoul, South Korea. North Korea could test-launch several missiles imminently and simultaneously, South Korean military were quoted as saying.)