06 January 2012 / by Radmila Gurkova

North Korea hails Kim Jong-un as leader

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvVnXsYmUbo

North Korea has hailed late leader Kim Jong-il's son, Kim Jong-un, as "supreme leader of the party, state and army" As the majority of North Koreans stood obediently crying, Mr Kim took centre stage at the choreographed memorial service in Pyongyang’s main square a day after his father’s funeral.


Kim Yong-nam, formerly the number two leader told a million-strong crowd that their sorrow would be turned into strength “1000 times greater under the leadership of Kim Jong-un”.

Many believe that the memorial event appeared to be Kim dynasty’s official hand-over of power. A three-minute silence was held after which trains and ships all sounded their horns.

Kim Jong-ill had died of a heart attack on 17 December aged 69. He had ruled North Korea since his father’s death in 1994.

North Korea is extremely secretive and virtually the only country that is closed to the outside world. No foreign delegations have attended the events and for the outside world to enter or even report on North Korea is virtually impossible.

DEBATE


Do you think we should have one president as leader of the world?
What country would you like to live in if not Spain?
Can you name any big continents?
Is the UK a continent?









































































Word Image Definition Example Listen
Dynasty   A sequence of hereditary rulers The Kennedy dynasty Listen
Memorial Something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event such as war Memorial services Listen
Secretive   Keeping secrets He told his biggest secret to his girlfriend Listen
Rehearsed   To practice a musical composition, a play, a speech, etc. He rehearsed his speech all night Listen
Choreographed   To have something rehearsed, planned to go in a certain way The dance routine was choreographed perfectly Listen
Hail   To acclaim; approve enthusiastically. The crowds hailed the conquerors. Listen
Delegation   To give work to other people while you still have responsibility for it. An effective time management tool. I delegate work to my team of colleagues. Listen
Obedient   Complying with or submissive to authority An obedient son Listen
Supreme Highest in rank or authority He was a supreme court leader Listen

GRAMMAR


Click here for an interesting structure post related to this video.

Click here to learn about the use of the word 'alongside'.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE


03

November 2011
Do you speak English?
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxUm-2x-2dM Why do you want to learn English? Do you think it would be useful on holiday? Have you ever had any problems making yourself understood? This is a little bit of fun... "Simon Pegg and the Big Train comedy sketch team perform a funny short on life of an English speaking tourist in France." ...

01

November 2011
Current News - Trick or Treat!?
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://youtu.be/R-VRAemIvbI Halloween isn't just costumes and candy; it's a cultural holiday rich in tradition. Do you know why it is celebrated?! ...

28

October 2011
Oxbridge TEFL - Iain McGilchrist: The divided brain
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFs9WO2B8uI "Psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist describes the real differences between the left and right halves of the human brain. It's not simply "emotion on the right, reason on the left," but something far more complex and interesting." If your intention is to become a teacher, knowing a little bit more about...

28

October 2011
Friday Meeting 28/10/2011
by Radmila Gurkova
This weeks meeting focused solely on students. How to evaluate students? How many levels exist in English? and teaching students who don't want to learn. We often find that when lev...

28

October 2011
Oxbridge Madrid - 'Working Together, Sharing Experiences'
by Radmila Gurkova
 ...

27

October 2011
Breaking News - Eurozone leaders agree emergency deal
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgDSauvALHk Eurozone leaders have reached a "three-pronged" agreement they say is vital to resolving the region's debt crisis. As part of the deal, banks have agreed to take a 50% loss on Greek debt. Read more here: ...

23

October 2011
Current News - Herman Cain on Obama's Race Card
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_YEj5P-Bv0 "Everytime someone disagrees with the President, one of his service men play the race card. If the policies aren't working that's not racial, that's just simply a failed policy." Herman Cain talks about Obama playing the Race ...

21

October 2011
Friday Meeting 21/10/2011
by Radmila Gurkova
This weeks meeting focus is on telephone classes, the S1 beginners’ course, Legal (Law course) and P4 structure material. Although we’ve had positive feedback on most issues covered in the meeting, we still need to improve in some areas. ...

21

October 2011
Breaking News - An end to ETA violence?
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OCkyZ7dlq8 Basque separatist group ETA declared a ceasefire on Sunday in its bloody 42-year campaign for a homeland independent of Spain, vowing to give up guns and bombs to seek a democratic solution. Spain's prime minister has hailed the end of Basque separatist group Eta's arme...

19

October 2011
Current News - All we are saying is 'give pizza a chance'
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://youtu.be/Am4uhFH66HE As anti-capitalist protests spread in cities around the world, the number of people involved has been growing. Some demonstrators have been camping out in New York for several weeks, presenting the organisers there with plenty of difficulties for which they have had to find some very creative solutions...