New Propaganda Boosting Kim-Jong-un
Onsong, North Korea – Feb. 16, 2012
To mark the celebration of Kim Jong-il’s birthday this year, one bottle of distilled spirits and one cake of soap were distributed to every household in Onsong county. In other counties or cities, the quantities and items reportedly varied. North Korean citizens have begun saying of Kim Jong-un that “another Kim Il-sung (his grandfather) is born.”
Sending in the Choco Pies
Help Send Choco Pies of Love for Valentine’s Day
Choco pies have become the most famous snacks among North Korean workers in Kaeson Industrial Park (see details below), but outside this one limited area, the rest of North Korea has little idea of the everyday luxuries available to the rest of the world.
NK People Uncertain Over New Leader’s Status
Kim Jong-un Depends on Regency of Chang Sung-taek
People in Onsong are saying that the recent conditions in North Korea remind them of the “Arduous March” back in the late 1970s. There was a serious shortage of food then too. On Jan. 23, which is New Year’s day on the old calendar, the People’s Committee of Onsong County issued an order to distribute one 450-ml bottle of Shochu (distilled 20% proof spirits) per household. Some troops received food rations on Jan. 2.
LFNKR Foster Education Scholarships Up
Foster Parent Program
In early August of 2011, scholarships for the new fiscal year were awarded to our foster education children. And we were able to add one new child to those receiving scholarships for a total of 20 recipients. This latest child is a boy born in 2004. Like so many so-called “shadow children,” his mother is a North Korean defector, and his father is ethnic Han Chinese.
New Book, ‘Why Peace’, Offers 77 Ways to Peace
Noguchi Takayuki, one of the directors of this organization, has contributed a story about North Korean refugees, peace in East Asia and his experiences in a Chinese prison to a newly released book titled “Why Peace” (editor Marc Guttman). The book, published on January 1, 2012, suggests a wide variety of ideas for achieving a more harmonious, prosperous, fair and tolerant world based upon peaceful interaction.
Food Prices Still Unstable in NK
January Market Prices in DPRK
Prices shown in this chart were gathered in our own privately conducted survey in Chongjin City, Onsong , Hamgyon Prov. and Hyesan Ryanggang Prov.
Outflow of NK Refugees Resumes
Burglaries Rise, Food Shortage Worsens
LFNKR received a seventh flash update on January 9 from a local staff member operating in China. According to his report, the outflow of NK refugees along the Tumen River, which had temporarily ceased, has begun again. Although border security remains strict following the period of mourning that marked the death of Kim Jong-il, a growing number of North Korean refugees are being seen in villages along the Tumen River.
North Korean Public Voicing Complaints
News Update from Inside NK
LFNKR received a further update on January 11 from a local staff member operating in North Korea. He reports that the public has begun openly speaking less reverently of the country’s leadership and especially the ruling Kim family itself. North Korea recently enforced a special security period, which ended January 10. During that period, Kim Jong-un, who serves as Supreme Commander of the People’s Army, visited and inspected a tank corps for the New Year.