The Old Generation Calls North Korea “the Great Poverty Country”

[imText1]As people are openly complaining about the North Korean economic crisis and the conflicted social situation, the conflict between the young and old generations is becoming serious.

A source from North Korea said on the 22nd, in an interview with Daily NK, that “The aged, those over 50, ridicule North Korea’s policies, openly calling the military-first policy a “blank cannon (errant lie)” policy and the ‘great strong property country’ as the ‘great poverty country.’ In early May, 9 old men in Eorang, North Hamkyung Province were investigated by the National Security Agency for expressing their complaints about society.”

He explained that “Some young persons contacted the National Security Agency and accused the aged of complaining about the latest social situation.”

There were meetings among retired persons in their 60s to gather together, to fish and assist each other in farming in Eorang, North Hamkyung Province, a county on the East Sea.

The aged in this county are living in comparative in comfort by fishing and sometimes exchanging fish for some liquor.

“The old men gathered together, enjoying fishing, and young fishermen joined them there, so the group was getting bigger. However, the Safety Agency and Security Agency didn’t care because they knew that the gentlemen just gathered for leisure,” said the source.

In late April, a few fishermen drank liquor and sang a revolutionary song, “The song of love for a comrade,” but they also expressed their complaints about the current groups of cadres, saying that “the situation was better when the Supreme Leader was alive,” according to the source.

It was reported that the old men said that “It is a blank cannon policy, period,” and “Our fatherland is the ‘great poverty nation, ‘great kotjebi nation,’ or ‘great cadres’ nation where only cadres can live comfortably’.”

After drinking, a young fisherman who associated with the old men reported them to the National Security Agency in Eorang, so the NSA started investigating all the elderly who were in that place.

According to the source, the old men and their families appealed to the Security Agency saying that “Why does singing the song of love for comrades and longing for the Supreme Leader (Kim Il Sung) make us guilty?” and the agents replied to them “The significance of singing songs is different depending on the purposes or places.”

The source added that “There were many who used to be cadres of the Party and whose sons work for the offices of the People’s Safety Agency and for the army, so they avoided punishment.”

However, the Security Agency of Eorang requested them to submit written oaths to disband the association, in consideration of their sons’ careers.

The source relayed that “These days, the old men mostly are missing the Kim Il Sung period, saying that we should go back to that time.”

“Today’s youths believe that the country started rotting even before Kim Il Sung died and that we should have followed that Chinese way at the time,” he added.

However, only a few youths reportedly think that since the death of Kim Il Sung, North Korean society has faced a worse economic crisis and a more conflicted situation and that the violence of cadres has been worsening.