North Korea has been hectic since the culmination of the mourning period for Kim Jong Il and dawn of the new year. Following on from those in South Hamkyung Province and Pyongyang, the 4th saw more mass gatherings in main public squares in South Pyongan, Jagang, North Hwanghae, Gangwon and the city of Nampo. In addition, the authorities have been organizing the people to study the Joint New Year’s Editorial.
Movement between regions is forbidden throughout the study period, and the authorities appear also to have stepped up their signal jamming efforts along the border, blocking electronic flows of information in and out. there is also almost no actual movement of North Korean people across the border, sources at various points along the Sino-North Korean frontier report.
One such source resident across the river from Hyesan in Changbai reported to Daily NK today, “Whether because of the Joint Editorial study or because of the North Korean authorities’ controls I don’t know, but right now contact with Chosun is not happening, and even on those rare occasions when connection is made, it is incredibly difficult and I am only making short calls.”
It appears likely that agents from North Korea’s radio frequency monitoring unit (No. 27 Department of the National Security Agency) are engaged in a focused battle to crackdown on information flows during the study period, although this is impossible to independently confirm.
Precedent suggests that centrally decreed restrictions on business and leisure trips will persist until around January 20th, with traders and workers restricted to their units for Editorial study and all outstanding business left on hold.
However, this is to be expected, one high-level defector explained to Daily NK today, saying, “Similarly, when last year’s Joint New Year’s Editorial came out all central organs, departments and committees in Pyongyang established an atmosphere of study, and all organs in the provinces inevitably had to follow.”
Thus, while all external memorial events for Kim Jong Il have been concluded, inside they continue, and during this period everyone is watching their words and deeds to avoid getting caught out by the security forces.
However, that doesn’t mean that everything and everyone is in lockdown mode. According to the Changbai source, “The state’s crackdown is harsh, but Chosun people sustain their livelihoods off smuggling and currency exchange, so in some places like Kanggu and Yeonpung (border areas of Yangkang Province) they are continuing to smuggle things across steadily.”
Besides, the source concluded, “On or around the 20th, the order prohibiting business trips will be lifted, illegal phone calls with China will become possible again and smuggling will pick up. The fact that North Korea cannot afford to block trade with China for even a moment means it is inevitable that border phone calls will be possible. The North Korean authorities know as well as we do that traders need to be able to contact their partners by phone for trade exchanges to happen.”
