Half-million man mark

This photo is from January 25, 2011, when Orascom chairman Naguib Sawiris met in Pyongyang with Jang Song-thaek and Dear Leader Kim Jong-il, who is looking fat and fit, for whatever that means at his age and in his condition. Jang and Sawiris look totally sloshed; I suspect Kim Jong-il was the designated driver.

Orascom, the Egyptian telecom firm that is responsible for North Korea's cellular phone system, announced that they have reached the half-million mark in number of subscribers.

This is not news to denizens of Monster Island, who have read about Orascom's North Korean (ad)venture several times and have some idea what I think this could mean:

• The world's fastest growing mobile market 

• More bars in more prisons

• A guide to North Korean emoticons