If satire had an Olympics, The Onion might have won a gold medal this week. The satirical news source announced that its Sexiest Man Alive for 2012 is Kim Jong Un, North Korea's Supreme Leader.
"With his devastatingly handsome, round face, his boyish charm, and his strong, sturdy frame, this Pyongyang-bred heartthrob is every woman's dream come true," the news service wrote below a photo that showed the 29-year-old leader in his high-collared, blue party suit — the Communist Party — on a reviewing stand.
"Kim made this newspaper's editorial board swoon with his impeccable fashion sense, chic short hairstyle and, of course, that famous smile," they wrote. Although in the photo, Kim Jong Un looks as stern as Stalin.
But The Onion's ardor was so persuasive that the official Chinese People's Daily English language website not only ran the "Sexiest Man Alive" dispatch word-for-word, but added a 55-photo slideshow of Kim, riding a gray and white stallion and touring factories.
The Two-Way
Attention Chinese Media: Kim Jong Un Is 2012's Most Interesting Man