N. Korea: The Umpires Strike Back(purge,corruption,food shortage...)

Strategy Page ^ | 06/25/11

[TigerLikesRooster]

The Umpires Strike Back

June 25, 2011: Famine is not the only horror found in North Korea. There is also the growing hunt for corrupt officials. This has caused yet another layer of corruption. That's because so many of corruption investigators, or their bosses, are either on the take, or have family who are. One problem is that the list of what is forbidden is so long. For example, products from South Korea are forbidden, but this stuff is enormously popular. So inspectors expect labels from South Korean clothing to be removed, to avoid hassles for the seller. South Korean clothes are easily identifiable by their style and overall quality, but if there's no identifying label, everyone pretends it's Chinese and moves on. Similar ploys are increasingly popular. It's all a nod and a wink and pretending. This even applies to South Korean hair styles and mannerisms from South Korean movies and TV shows. Good pretenders prosper in the north.

The last few months have been dry up north, meaning that the potato crop, planted in April, is much less than normal. Growing electricity shortages have made the poor harvest worse, as there was not enough power to run irrigation pumps. In many parts of the country, the malnourished work force simply can't, or won't, work as hard. Government employees and security forces don't get as much food as they used to, but they are still better fed than everyone else. This is a growing source of unrest, made worse by the growing corruption among officials. The differences are most stark when you compare the public mood of a decade ago to what it is today. Now, North Koreans talk back, and get away with it.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Good rundown of current situation in Chia Land.

[TigerLikesRooster]

P!

[DUMBGRUNT]

‘There is nothing more dangerous than a man with nothing left to lose’

[jmacusa]

Could almost be here with what Obamas trying to do. Yup. Tax everything till there’s more of nothing.

[cradle of freedom]

Just browsed around the Strategy Page. Very impressive, I will bookmark this one. I was looking for a stragegy website that would encompass all areas of the world and this is it.

[PhilDragoo]

The North Korean leadership continues to be terrified by the uprisings in the Arab world. Two examples of this are the refusal to let 300 North Koreans working in Libya to come home. Nearly all foreign workers have gotten out of Libya, often transported with the help of military forces from back home. China arranged for ships and military aircraft to get out nearly 40,000 Chinese. But North Korea has ordered its citizens in Libya to stay put. Meanwhile, North Korea has ordered more riot control gear from China. North Korea has been importing more police gear in general, to help deal with the growing crime rate. Two decades of poverty and hunger has led to more family problems, juvenile delinquents, and more criminal activity in general.

The Libyation of North Korea lives in Chia Head rent-free.