Yanji, China -- The North Korean people are expressing doubt as to why the authorities have deemed South Korea and the U.S. responsible for the latest food crisis.

A source from Yangkang Province told DailyNK in a phone interview on May 1st, “At the Union of Democratic Women (UDW) conference, commemorating the founding of the Chosun People’s Army on April 25th, a speaker humiliated herself when she blamed South Korean President Lee Myung Bak [for the crisis].”

He explained that there were commemorative lectures held all over North Korea by each organization and factory to memorialize the founding of the Chosun People’s Army. This particular conference was held for the members of the UDW at the Yangkang Province General Federation of Korean Trade Unions conference hall.

“The lecture that was given, entitled ‘Our revolutionary armament is an invincible force building a strong military-first country,’ military-first politics were praised more highly than the People’s Army,” he said.

The source told our reports that “during the conference, a speaker explained the international and domestic state of affairs, saying that ‘the U.S. and the puppet regime (the Lee administration) have overridden the peaceful agreements between the North and South (referring to the June 15th Joint Declaration and the October 4th Agreement) in order to create a serious food crisis in our Republic (North Korea)’.”

The source described an awkward atmosphere at the conference: When a chairperson of the People’s Unit of Hyehwa-dong in Hyesan asked outright, “We can understand that fact that Americans and Lee’s puppet factions are not aiding us with rice, but, why won’t China help us, as our closest ally?” The speaker’s face turned pale at the question and a sudden silence and tension filled the hall.

“At that moment, the lady next to the chairperson started chuckling, putting her head down, people began to chuckle here and there, and eventually, the entire hall was engulfed in laughter,” the source told DailyNK.

The speaker reportedly responded through his own laughter, “’You know the lecture material always reads like this. You can well understand the situation and know what I am saying, right?’” The source said that “his comment sent people rolling in the aisles,” and pointed out, “The situation showed how absurd the propaganda released by the authorities is.”

He added that “Now, when the authorities blame America for the lack of food, people ask in turn, ‘Is it America’s and South Chosun (Korea)’s responsibility to feed us?’ People lately have grown to dislike China, which has not aided us sufficiently, and yet is always emphasizing the China-North Korea relationship.”

In conclusion, the source stated sarcastically, “How tight must the speakers feel when they have to lecture about this nonsense! I don’t know why they are still going through with the conferences.”