Tag Archives: Kim Jong-il
LFNKR’s 2012 Annual Report
Annual Report Released at 15th General Meeting 10/8/2012
Attending LFNKR’s 15th Annual Meeting in Tokyo this year were five North Korean defectors who have settled in Japan. They talked about how they had managed to survive and how they made a living in North Korea. They also discussed some of the difficulties they endured before finally making it to Japan.
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.”
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.
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.
Turning Kim Jong-un into the New Leader
Following the death of Kim Jong-il, authorities have further tightened their control over citizens.
Along the Tumen and Yalu Rivers, which run along the border between China and North Korea, every available radio tracking instrument is being brought to bear in a round-the-clock crackdown on cellular phones.
Rice Priced Out of Reach in NK
Price of rice skyrockets after Kim Jong-il dies
On Dec. 24th we received another call from one of our LFNKR staff members in the Rason Special Economic Zone in North Hamgyong. This member told us about the current food situation. The already tight food availability is worsening, which may result in many victims during the mourning period. In Rason, rice now costs 4,800 to 5,000 won per kilogram. However, the average monthly wage of a typical worker is only 2,000 to 3,000 won. Clearly, an entire kilogram of rice costs more than one worker can earn in a month.
NK Execs at State-run Businesses also Cold, Hungry
On Dec. 24th, LFNKR’s Tokyo office received a fifth flash report from one of our local staff members in Rason Special Economic Zone in North Hamgyong. According to the report, at noon on the 24th, the only vehicles lined up to go through China’s Quanhe customs gate into North Korea were about 20 coal trucks bound for Rajin Port in North Korea from Heilongjiang, China.