Chinese Paper Mistakes Spoof Story on Kim Jong Un for News - East Idaho News
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Chinese Paper Mistakes Spoof Story on Kim Jong Un for News

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Getty 071012 Kim%20JongUn?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1354099442490Ed Jones/AFP/GettyImages(BEIJING) — The spoof newspaper The Onion apparently made some hearts flutter in China, thanks to a phony story it ran naming North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un the paper’s “Sexiest Man Alive” for 2012.

The Chinese state-controlled paper the People Daily reprinted the story from the “U.S. website,” cataloging what The Onion sarcastically cited as the leader’s most intriguing qualities, including “his devastatingly handsome, round face, his boyish charm, and his strong, sturdy frame.”

“Blessed with an air of power that masks an unmistakable cute, cuddly side, Kim made this newspaper’s editorial board swoon with his impeccable fashion sense, chic short hairstyle, and, of course, that famous smile,” The Onion offered.

People Daily dutifully re-reported every detail — complete with a slideshow of the leader in macho poses — without irony.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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