Posted on 10/05/2017 9:49:46 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
N. Korea runs out of gas; only the elite can now fill their cars
By YOSHIHIRO MAKINO/ Correspondent
October 4, 2017 at 15:40 JST
SEOUL--Only the elite and selected military heavyweights in North Korea can get their cars tanked up as international sanctions start to bite.
The regime in Pyongyang imposed the ban on gasoline stand sales in late September, according to a source here who is knowledgeable about goings-on in the reclusive country.
The move was apparently taken to prepare the nation for the impact of U.N. economic sanctions to protest North Korea's repeated ballistic missile launches and sixth nuclear test.
The governments of Japan, the United States and South Korea are using intelligence satellites to confirm whether and how a ban on exports of gasoline to North Korea are taking effect.
Only a few hundred of the most senior members of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, along with high-ranking government and military officials, are still permitted to purchase gasoline, the source said.
Those individuals all have license plates that begin with the three-digit sequence "727," which refers to July 27, an auspicious date in North Korean history as it was when a cease-fire agreement was signed in 1953 to suspend fighting in the Korean War.
The special license plates are a privilege given out in the name of North Korean despot Kim Jong Un.
Among party officials, only those with the rank of member or alternate member of the Central Committee, are eligible for the plates.
The committee had 235 such members as of May 2016, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. The figure includes high-ranking military and government officials.
It is unclear if there has been any change in the sale of gasoline to taxis and buses.
Hoarding of gasoline began in earnest at the start of the year in anticipation of the international community imposing economic sanctions.
Gasoline prices have tripled during that time. North Korea was slapped with new sanctions after its sixth nuclear test in September.
The measures include one that limits the annual import into North Korea of refined petroleum products, such as gasoline and light oil, to 2 million barrels, or the equivalent of about 270,000 tons of crude oil.
The North Korean government has issued instructions to top officials to stockpile an additional 1 million tons of crude oil to prepare for this eventuality.
According to South Korean government officials, North Korea's annual demand is in the range of 700,000 to 900,000 tons. It also has a stockpile totaling 1 million tons in case of hostilities on the Korean Pensinula.
The ban on gasoline sales has eliminated the long lines that commonly formed at North Korean gasoline stands, according to intelligence satellites used by Japan, the United States and South Korea.
One North Korean source said, "Gasoline is not being sold no matter how much money is offered."
Amazingly, Western ‘experts’ see it as a sign of ‘economic prosperity,’ a gross distortion of what is happening.
Kim Jong-un is concentrating economic resources into his missiles/nuke development and these selected show-case projects. He is keen to showing outside world that they are becoming nuclear power and economically prospering at the same time, beating sanctions. He is trying to show that his “Byung-jin” policy is working, simultaneously pursuing military and economic development.
>>>Those individuals all have license plates that begin with the three-digit sequence “727,” which refers to July 27, an auspicious date in North Korean history as it was when a cease-fire agreement was signed in 1953 to suspend fighting in the Korean War<<<
The day after I was Born. I came in Peace.
Thank you, TLR, and thank you for the good keywords for further reading.
What cars?
Women, Children, Grass and Tree Bark hit hardest!
Korea, both North and South are a lot like Japan, they have virtually zero gas reserves and import the vast majority of fuel.
just like florida or Houston or PR
That’s the “national security” question, and one neither North Korea nor the allies and South Korea are unaware of.
No doubt there is a certain level of reserves that the dictatorship thinks it needs whenever major hostilities were to break out, for any reason.
At some point the North may see THAT situation as a “now or never” situation, if even the military’s consumption is about to be consuming any national “mission critical” reserves.
If and when such a point is reached, look for Kim to try something crazy; and I would not even speculate exactly what that would be.
That’s great. Lil Kim is doing his part to control Global Warming! The same should be done in DC, LA, NYC and Detroit.
That’s our landline phone area code !!!
Red Barchetta - Great song
Nice user name, 21twelve
North and South Korea is a good example of the best we can hope for, of the Left and Right living together side by side and it is a complete tragedy. “As far as the east is from the west” comes to mind.
Yeah, I was wondering how “only the elite” would be any different.
Only the elite have cars in NK.
That is for the people in Pyongyang primarily in order to sustain their loyalty. He knows all too well the world sees it as it really is. He'll do what he has to with those in the city to prevent the from turning on him. He could fake it for a time but not indefinitely.....
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