[AmericanInTokyo]

Upshot of the article (at 8:30 p.m. U.S. Eastern Sunday):

--The North Korean (KPA) Korean Peoples Army, concerned about popular uprising growing in North Korean over the recent devaluation of the NK currency, has expressed worries and accordingly has gone on a sub-war footing in response and in advance.

--The information came out of North Korea from a Russian diplomat who reported it to the mainline Russian economic news source Kommersant (Коммерсантъ ), and was then relayed in the Korean language and then into Japanese on the Chosun site from South Korea.

--North Korea has ordered shops closed. People who have the old usely notes cannot use them. The popular sentiment among the North Korean people is that "the North Korean leadership has just boldly stolen from them without inpunity."

--Not just the average North Korean people are affected. FOREIGN DIPLOMATS STATIONED TO PYONGYANG ARE ANGRY AND HAVE FORMED GROUPS AND ARE TELLING THE NORTH KOREAN AUTHORITIES THEY WANT THE DEVALUATION RESCINDED AND THEIR CURRENT /OLD NOTES RESPECTED.

--North Korean Supreme Military Authority has issued shoot-to-kill orders on the Chinese-DPRK border for anyone trying to leave. Authorities are afraid of massive escapes by "middle class North Koreans with gold", getting out while they can. They accordingly want to zip up the country ASAP with such an order.

--South Korean government says there are no major reports of large scale demos or group defections, but since the North Korean people would have a difficult time organizing in such a police state, their only other option would be to flee the country, therefore the NK leadership is taking this preemptive action.

--In Hamgyonbukdo region's Chonjin City (清津市)and and Pyonganando region's Pyongsong (平城市) City, etc. there have been reports of the North Korea People starting to deface and rip up of the new DPRK currency notes with the image of deceased leader Kim Il Sung's photo on them; this cause the local Public Security Bureau of North Korean police to go on emergency alert.

--Reports of a death now in Ryongando over the currency exchange. Either an official or a citizen was pummeled to death over an argument. Anti Kim Jong il grafitti and circulars are starting. A woman running a cosmetics shops was taken into custody for yelling at the North Korean Worker's (Communist) Party authorities as well.

--Other issues such as cities not receiving the new denominations but then the period to exchange the old notes running out, is causing anger and confusion.

--Heart attacks (of elderly losing most of their savings in one fell swoop), suicides and arson reports are also emerging from North Korea (this from other multiple Asian news sources I found).

(End my summary/translation)

[AmericanInTokyo]

Ping!

Great time for Obama to send Stephen Bosworth and Son Kim from the State Department to Pyongyang, tomorrow our time, to kowtow, eh? / sarc

[skr]

May the people of North Korea come to know true freedom that only comes from our Lord and Savior. I can’t imagine how it must be to live under such oppression.

[Moe Tzadik]

BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8394987.stm

[hennie pennie]

unexpected variable *ping*

[autumnraine]

Oh dear!! This sounds grim. And of course the MSM is talking about what clothes Michelle Obama wore (or didn’t wear?) to light a Christmas tree.

I never even heard they devalued their currency!!

Please keep us posted AIT and if you could, maybe you could start a ping list for Japan/NK/SK/China that is on the Japanese press? I would appreciate it and I know others would too!

[rdl6989]

...there have been reports of the North Korea People starting to deface and rip up of the new DPRK currency notes with the image of deceased leader Kim Il Sung's photo on them;

Isn't this punishable by death normally in NK?

[Moe Tzadik]

[Liberty Valance]

Interesting developments. Thanks for posting AIT.

[2harddrive]

Let the festivities BEGIN!!

[Brilliant]

Too bad the peasants don’t have guns.

[mkjessup]

Update!

Ignore all my comments, I've been terribly misinformed, HERE is what we all need to read over very carefully (from http://www.korea-dpr.com/ocn/ ) (har har)

"Chairman Kim Jong Il of the National Defense Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a broadminded statesman.

His politics mirrors his broadmindedness as it is. He administers the benevolent politics and all-embracing politics which make no discrimination among all members of society, irrespective of their origin, past career, political view and religious belief.

His politics rallied the popular masses from all walks of life including workers, peasants and intellectuals, into a socio-political force. Such wonderful reality as the single-minded unity of the whole society in the DPRK is wholly attributable to his all-embracing politics.

His broadmindedness is not confined only to the DPRK. Many Koreans in the south and abroad are admiring his generosity.

Chung Ju-young, former honorary chairman of Hyundai Business Group in south Korea, visited Pyongyang in October 1998. The Korean leader, busy as he was with his field guidance to the units of the country, was informed of the aged businessman’s visit and met with him for hours even it was at dead of night. He asked him about his health and business situation, and took every measure for his convenient stay. Noting that he would join hands at any time with anybody, if he or she wishes for the prosperity and well-being of the Korean nation, he gave ready consents to all problems suggested by Chung, including the issue of economic and cultural exchange and cooperation between the north and the south and the issue of tour to Mt. Geumgang and setting up of the Gaesong Industrial Zone.

Kim Jong Il sent a message of condolence and a wreath to his family when he passed away, and named an indoor stadium built on the banks of the Botong River in Pyongyang after him. When Chung Mong-hun, his son who was succeeding to him, died, he saw to it that a monument to his memory was set up in Geumgang resort.

He, who had already met with Hyun Chung-eun, chairperson of Hyundai Business Group who is the widow of the late Chung Mong-hun, and her daughter several times, met them again in August 2009. Remembering the predecessors of Hyundai Business Group with deep emotion, he solved all problems they presented to him with generosity—the issue of tour to Mts. Baektu and Geumgang and to Gaesong area and the issue of revitalizing the work in the GIZ with the love for the nation, even though the inter-Korean relations were driven into an unprecedented worst phase.

Thanks to Kim Jong Il, who attaches utmost priority to the demand and interests of the Korean nation irrespective of differences in ideology and social system, political view and religious belief, such an eye-opening event as the north-south summit which was held in June 2000 for the first time in the 55-years-long history of division of the Korean nation took place and the issue of national reunification was discussed there with an open mind. As a result, the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration, a milestone for Korea’s reunification, the basic idea of which is “by our nation itself,” was adopted. Another inter-Korean summit held in 2007 produced the October 4 Declaration, an action program of the June 15 Joint Declaration.

Kim Jong Il is also widely known to the world for his generosity.

In October 2000 he met with Madeleine Albright, the then State Secretary of the United States which has been hostile to the DPRK, and gave impromptu and clear-cut answers to all the matters of her concern, including the missile issue of the DPRK, a great concern of the US. She was moved to admiration for his magnanimity of handling an issue in a big way, his clear-cut analyzing ability and generosity of attentively listening to his counterpart to the end.

He even met with Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi two times and solved on the spot all problems he presented. The Korean people regard Japan as their sworn enemy as it invaded their country in the past and has not redressed its sinful past up to now, far from making reparation for it.

In August 2009, former US President Bill Clinton visited Pyongyang, which led to the release of two American women journalists who had intruded into the DPRK and committed hostile acts against it. Through the event the international community witnessed more clearly how broadminded Kim Jong Il is. He had an open-minded discussion with Clinton on some issues for relieving the acute relationship between the DPRK and the US and issued on the spot an order of granting a special pardon to the American journalists. They expressed their heartfelt gratitude to his magnanimous measure.

Kim Jong Il is, indeed, a broadminded statesman that moves all people. It is not fortuitous that many people around the world say the land of Korea is too small for his great personality.
October 20th, 2009 by admin | Comments Off

Oh my GAWD, how could we have been so WRONG?!?!?

[do I REAAAAALLLLY need a 'sarc off' tag?]

[blam]

A 'backlash in our future too?

Investment Profit Vehicles For The Intensifying Financial And Economic Storm ("A Great Collapse")

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

AIT —

I’m assuming “sub-war” level is an escalation from a previous, lower-alert level?

Also, knowing that the Soviets and ChiComs were behind the Korean war and that it was largely a communist push into Korea after the Soviets were emboldened with their very early launch of a Soviet A-bomb...

what is the buzz over there for support from the ChiComs for NK?

I would assume that NK would not be a territory the ChiComs would want to retract, and I suspect they like playing good-cop/bad-cop with NK’s nuclear-bomb and missile tests.

What do you think?

[Hamilcar_Barca]

As a Cristian, I've often wondered why North Korea has to suffer so much. I've read about the Pyongyang revival in the early 1900’s. So many other countries have done such horrible things but now live in relative prosperity. But North Korea had decades of Japanese oppression immediately followed by Communism for the past 60+ years. It's a country of abject poverty, despotism and famine with no end to the horror in site.

[b4its2late]

Hope the people take it to the streets and beat the little tin horn dictator to a pulp.

[rfp1234]

Military Put On Sub-War Level Alert (Breaking)

Sub-humans wage sub-wars.

[snowsislander]

Predicting anything to do with the possibilities of sudden political change is notoriously difficult, but this kind of unrest in a police state is an interesting development. I find it especially interesting since the unrest is based on dire, widespread economic circumstances with the sharp jolt of an apparently senseless, radical devaluation of the currency.

Unfortunately, if Honduras is anything to go by, the Kenyan Clown will make thunderingly stupid decisions if there are any to be made.

[NonLinear]

Thanks for posting!

[SkyPilot]

uprising growing in North Korean over the recent devaluation of the NK currency

It has value?

All hail Communism.

The Korean people are some of the most intelligent on the planet. The South Korean are #2 in the entire globe, and the North Koreans are the same people.

IQ and the Wealth of Nations.

Communism destroyed them. North Korea should be one of the richest nation's on earth.

But - you know all of this of course. Not trying to preach to the choir, but it is such a tragedy, isn't it?

[TexasFreeper2009]

communism/socialism/centralized government fails AGAIN.

Just as it always has, just as it always will.