I think my complaints are being misinterpreted and magnified here. I'm not saying the US's policy is irrelevant to North Korea. I'm saying that the phrase "Axis of Evil" is more confusing than it is informative. As you say, it was a product of speech-writers and advisers, and has more to do with casting the US's position in a certain light to a US audience, rather than a straightforward factual analysis. If the phrase is included, it needs to be much, much better explained than it was. The phrase has so much baggage and so much politicized rhetoric behind it, that my concern is that to explain all that would overstate the significance of the phrase itself at the expense of actual policy and action. If the phrase doesn't end up being restored, it should be added to the 'see also' section, so that it can be properly contextualized. It is discussed in North Korea–United States relations, and has an article of its own (which is in need of attention), but since this is an article about North Korea as an entire country, the phrase seems needlessly confusing and specific here.  
 As for the photo, the Clinton incident was minor, but it was still an actual incident. The picture of Putin has no context and provides no particularly novel information. The idea that a diplomat would be in another country doesn't seem terribly noteworthy. Putin's relationship with North Korea should be expanded, but a relatively bland photo is not the way to do that. If we were starved for photos, that would be something else, but the Clinton one seems like a better choice on those grounds.