[World Report] "I can't turn the factory without a skin bag"... North Korea'Perfect Storm' Ona

Recently, the Institute for National Security Strategy published a report.

"As the international sanctions against North Korea and the three-way highs of Corona 19 and typhoon overlap, the possibility of a'perfect storm' that can collapse or fall into great chaos in North Korea's trade, industry, finances, and markets is increasing."

'Perfect Storm' is a meteorological term that means that typhoons, which are not very powerful, occur simultaneously with other natural phenomena and have tremendous destructive power, but economically, a super-large economy of desperate despair faced when multiple adverse events occur simultaneously. It refers to a crisis.

What is the possibility of a'perfect storm' in North Korea?

On September 21st, I was able to hear from North Korean resident Kim Mo, who I met in Dandong, China, to guess what North Korea really is.

When asked about the coronavirus situation in North Korea, Mr. Kim hesitated, saying, "I don't know if I can say it," and said, "How long ago the general (Kim Jong-un) order came."

"If you raise the price of rice, you are told to pay it reversely."

"Because of the corona, it became like this (blocked), and the merchants raised the price of rice, so many people would starve to death, so the instructions came."

"In Joseon (North Korea), if you say'you are a traitor, you are treason', you are deported or dragged somewhere."

After the so-called'General's instructions,' he said, "The heads of the Jangmadang (market) walk around and inspect the price of rice from time to time, report it again when the price of rice rises, and if you report it, the security office will also review it."

Torrential rains and three typhoons hit North Korea from the end of last month to the beginning of this month as a factor of the rice price unrest, Kim added.

During my interview in Dandong, the slogan of North Korea I saw the most was'self-rehabilitation'.

It means that you will overcome difficulties by yourself.

In other words, it means that it is difficult because there is no help from other countries.

However, the term'self-rehabilitation' was not used only by the North Korean authorities.

North Koreans also used the expression'self-rehabilitation'.

They say that they are no longer looking at the North Korean authorities, but the residents themselves are looking for their own way of life.

"After the loss of the leader (Kim Il-sung), there were many houses where his son died of starvation after sleeping in the morning during the'Affliction March' period," said North Korean resident Kim.

Office workers also farmed in spring to prepare food for autumn.

It is said that from that time on, there were no trees in the mountain.

It wasn't as much as in the days of'Afflicted March', but it was said that all of the office workers are still farming.

They say that they do so-called squirrel farming, where they grow mountains and farm them, and they also farm in fields that the authorities have removed.

In this case, Kim said, 30% of the harvest should be devoted to the authorities.

Mr. Kim added, "Now Joseon (North Korea) is said to endure self-reliance even if there is a limit to solving emergency forms."

At the same time, he said that he had not solved the emergency form 1 even during the days of'Afflicted March'.

effects of sanctions against North Korea and the blockade of the corona seem to be affecting not only food but also the North Korean economy as a whole.

When asked, "What is the most difficult thing in North Korea right now?" Mr. Kim replied, "It is not being produced."

The belt (belt that transmits power by hanging on a wheel) of a noodle-making company (factory or business) was broken, but it was said that the company was unable to turn it because a replacement belt was not available from China.

He said that although North Korea's military factory produces bandages, it is used as a military material and is not supplied to general enterprises.

In addition, North Korea has brought in a lot of Chinese-made load-carrying vehicles'Dongpung-ho', but they said they couldn't fix them even if they were broken because there were no parts.

He said that there are many companies that have already died.

However, Kim said that it is easy to get caught if you talk about these words to the outside.

In Dandong, China, there are many North Korean National Security Agency employees, whose role is to collect information and catch “verbible” spreaders.

They said it was difficult to distinguish with the naked eye because they were disguised as ordinary people.

"How is the coronavirus situation in North Korea" or "how the North Korean economy is," he said, and then he is taken to North Korea.

A source familiar with the North Korean news said, "The corona is also corona, but the damage from typhoons and floods in North Korea seems to be more serious than it looks," and predicted, "This fall harvest season could be a watershed of North Korean public sentiment."