North Korea 'struggling against civil unrest'

The Times(UK) ^ | 02/03/10 | Richard Lloyd Parry

[TigerLikesRooster]

North Korea 'struggling against civil unrest'

The revaluation of the won has led to rampant inflation and civil disorder

Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Editor

The North Korean dictatorship is struggling to contain civil unrest and runaway inflation caused by a drastic revaluation of its won currency, which is threatening new food shortages in the already hungry nation, according to reports in South Korea.

/snip

Agents of the People’s Safety Agency (PSA), which is conducting a so-called “Fifty Day Battle” against illegal enterprise, were reported to have been attacked and driven away as they sought out market activity in the city of Pyongsung in North Pyongan province. In the once prosperous industrial city of Chongjin on the country’s east coast, a steel worker named Jeung Hyun Deuk was reported to have killed an agent of the National Security Agency named Cho.

An unnamed source in the city told the DailyNK: “Traders and residents have lost their property due to the redenomination and are pretty much being treated as criminals as a result of the NSA and PSA’s ‘Fifty Day Battle'. Therefore, people are taking revenge on agents, since they feel so desperate that, regardless of their actions, they will die.”

The Seoul newspaper Chosun Ilbo reports today that Pak Nam Gi, finance director of the Workers’ Party, has been sacked, citing an unnamed diplomat in Beijing. “North Korean officials are busy blaming each other for the failed currency reform and Pak, who spearheaded the revaluation, is believed to have been sacked,” the diplomat told the newspaper. “Markets have come to a grinding halt following the currency revaluation and prices have soared.”

[TigerLikesRooster]

P!

[Woebama]

I wonder if the South Korean’s have sleeper cells to activate and really “get the party started?”

[Loud Mime]

Communication is the commies greatest enemy. Once they realize how their great leader has imprisoned them, they will wake up, rebel, look across the ocean and wonder what the hell our voters were thinking when they elected this president.

[Kartographer]

Coming to your Hometown and sponsored by ‘Zero’!

[C19fan]

The dirty little secret is South Korea does not want the North to collapse, or perhaps more accurately collapse too quickly. This would mean a flood of people, who probably after generations of indoctrination have no idea how to act on their own, into the South. The cost of bringing the North up to a economic position even resembling the South would be astronomicial; the reunifaction of Germany would look like a walk in the park.

[MrB]

Time to drop some Liberator Pistols.

[Red Badger]

Wasn’t it MARX that said that no nation is ever more than three meals away from a revolution?...............

[TigerLikesRooster]

There are N. Korean elites inside the regime who want to have insurance, when things go south in N. Korea. They want to have a future even after Kim Jong-il regime(or N. Korea itself) collapses. Some of them sought out S. Korean connection and surreptitiously passing some intel to S. Korea.

Since things are pretty bad and future is bleak even for ruling elites, I am sure there are many opportunities S. Korean gov can exploit.

However, I am not sure about active subversion. They do have some underground network of Christians and passing infos, though.

[Woebama]

The green-eye-shade, “reunification will cost money” is sort of short-sighted if you ask me. The resources of the north, including it’s people, are valuable. It is also very cold hearted to leave half or your nation enslaved because freeing them would have a cost.

[lurk]

Reunification will be very disruptive for both North and South.

Socialism is a long dark night, devouring a few generations. Then comes the painful gray morning.

[Woebama]

I have a friend in a church group that smuggled bibles into North Korea. They searched the groups hotel room, but the group heard them coming and moved the bibles to the next room and hid them. The N. Korean police set themselves up IN THE ROOM that they had hidden the Bibles in — and didn’t find them since they didn’t search that room. Pretty cool, huh?

[PGR88]

This is all in China’s hands. Kim is screwing things up hugely in DPRK, but China does not want instability, and particularly does not want any opportunity where Japan, S. Korea or USA can have future influence in that country. China’s goal is to maintain a friendly, pliant buffer state on their border.

Most likely scenario is China initiates some kind of quiet coup or purge of the Kims - and allow some good, old-fashioned Communist apparatchiks to take over, who slowly introduce economic reforms while keeping complete control over politics (Deng Xiao-ping theory!)

The ensuing Korean nationalism and unification question will need to be dealt with, but only slowly.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Once the security forces cannot obtain food and cease being enforcers it will be all over for Dear Leader. At that point I expect the Chinese would intervene to prevent total chaos.

[dfwgator]

Yep, but I don’t know if there will be much they can do about it.

[TigerLikesRooster]

The timing now is rather interesting. China would have its own hands full with looming domestic problems triggered by economic crisis of its own. China would have many problems to deal with, domestically and internationally. They would be distracted and could not focus on stabilizing N. Korea on their terms.

The result is extended uncertainty in which China and S. Korea/U.S. are each trying their plan while neither of them could get decisive upper hand. Besides, N. Koreans themselves are wild cards. Nobody can control to the satisfactory degree how they will react, especially when none of the outsiders have a free hand to control the situation.

Things would be pretty fluid, and would create many surprises.

[flowerplough]

I wonder if the South Korean’s have sleeper cells to activate and really “get the party started?”

The South Koreans I know ain't much interested in starting any party. They see how West Germany has to continue pour cash into their ungrateful, sullen, backward East and don't want similar financial obligations.

[Oldpuppymax]

The real meaning of “civil unrest” will be clear when Hussein Care becomes law and gun owners are charged an additional $100 monthly “premium” because weapons in the home are potential hazards to health!! Naturally full government record keeping of gun purchases will become necessary! The left will see one HECK of a lot of civil unrest!

[rahbert]

G*d bless all those who seek to bring truth and light into
such a dark place.

It is worth any amount to bring NK into the light and relief
to those long suffering people.

[TigerLikesRooster]

When most of those joining unrest are armed, government is at disadvantage from the start.