When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
This Happened

This Happened—December 28: The Original Strongman Of North Korea

After serving in World War II as a Korean-contingent major in the Soviet Army, Kim Il-Sung became the first premier of the newly formed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Years later, he would become the nation’s supreme ruler.

Sign up to receive This Happened straight to your inbox each day!

How did Kim Il-Sung become the first president of North Korea?

After serving as the first premier of the DPR, he became chairman of the Korean Workers’ (Communist) Party. After defeating domestic opposition and beating out his competition for power within the Korean Workers’ Party, he became North Korea’s absolute ruler.

Was Kim Il-Sung popular with North Koreans?

Both documentaries and state propaganda portray Kim Il-Sung as fearfully loved by his people, but admiration for the ruler never extended beyond the country's borders. Kim Il-Sung's image is hung in public transportation hubs and is placed prominently near the border crossings between China and North Korea.

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Green

Stinkin’ Sunset? A Mexican Coastal Paradise Has A Major Sanitation Problem

As a paramunicipal organization takes over water services from local councils, residents face high costs, shortages, contamination — and a foul odor that’s sullying the area’s reputation as a coastal paradise.

Stinkin’ Sunset? A Mexican Coastal Paradise Has A Major Sanitation Problem

The San Francisco estuary at the beginning of the rainy season in San Francisco, Nayarit.

Maya Piedra

SAN FRANCISCO, MEXICO — Tourists from many corners of the world gather here to watch one of the region’s most beautiful sunsets. In this town in the municipality of Bahía de Banderas, in the state of Nayarit, they take photographs and applaud as the very last trace of the sun disappears.

But when darkness envelops the beach and the visitors gradually depart, the festive atmosphere gives way to fetid odors that roll in from the south, where the motors of the treatment plant start. The wastewater discharge flows into the town’s estuary, which, during the rainy season, fills with enough water to connect with the sea.

Keep reading...Show less

The latest