‘The Wind of Change Is Coming?’ is the 32nd cartoon drawn exclusively for Daily NK by Gregory Pence. A creative and talented cartoonist, Pence works from the far away United States to throw fresh light on political, economic and human rights problems in Northeast Asia.

The media around the world is awash in speculation about possible reform in North Korea under the youthful rule of a Kim Il Sung look-a-like called Kim Jong Eun. This new Kim has spurred on the speculation with a whole raft of cosmetic PR moves since he came to power, from the presence of Disney characters, short skirts and electric violins on stage in Pyongyang to inviting Kim Jong Il’s former personal chef back to the North Korean capital after a ten year hiatus and playing with junior British embassy staff on a rollercoaster at a newly completed amusement park.

Yet none of these modernizing moves has led to real change on the ground, and there is much skepticism as to whether such change is even possible, much less likely. Two big questions remain unanswered: Is the wind of change coming? And if it is, exactly what kind of wind?