Quan jue or “execution by dogs” is in the news. This is how the North Korean supreme leader executed his “scum” uncle and his five closest collaborators a few weeks ago. Six of them were stripped naked, and one-hundred and twenty dogs that were kept without food for three days were released upon them. The ordeal took about an hour. Only bare bones remained. But the term delights me all by itself. Only a couple of days ago I was wondering about the Asian terms that would become common in Europe and America in the coming decades. The only Japanese term that had reached wide recognition in the so-called west several decades ago was kaizen or “continuous incremental improvement.” I used it myself in my lectures around the world, and I often displayed the two kanji that spell out the two syllables. Anyhow, quan jue is also likely to reach a wide international recognition. A nature-loving way to die, too.

Addendum (January 6, 2014)

It now appears it was all a joke that originated in China. The “scum” uncle was executed all right, but not by dogs. The surprising bit about the joke is that it sounded so credible on account of North Korea’s exceptional ways. At any rate, quan jue is here to stay. Who knows, the North Korean supreme leader may take it as a hint for his next execution. And he is apparently blessed with an enormous family teeming with suspicious aunts and uncles. Besides, there must be hungry dogs aplenty in North Korea.