In November, Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew was added
to the list of diplomatic embarrassments released by the global
whistle-blowing site WikiLeaks.
In a 2009 conversation with U.S. Deputy Secretary of
State James Steinberg, the 87-year-old referred to North Koreans as “psychopathic
types, with a 'flabby old chap' for a leader who prances around
stadiums seeking adulation.”
The shocking remarks made headlines around the world. Lee also
felt sympathy for North Koreans, adding that “he had learned from
living through three and a half years of Japanese occupation in
Singapore that people will obey authorities who can deny them food,
clothing and medicine.”
Lee was recently re-elected to the government cabinet post of
“Minister Mentor,” a position he's held since 2004.
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