Shenyang, China — The Daily NK has followed up on the atmosphere inside North Korea in an interview with the official who released early information on the Kaesong Industrial Complex on the 13th.
Despite North Korea’s pressure, many South Korean people presumed that the North would not in reality close the complex. However, the official pointed out that it is not a complicated issue for North Korea, which has already boldly undertaken a nuclear test, to close the Kaesong Complex.
– North Korea is making money from the Kaesong Industrial Complex. It is not easy to understand why the North threatens the South by saying that it is going to close the complex.
For me, it is you who are not understandable. If we make the decision to dismantle it, we do so. Here in the North, they are putting out propaganda that a war is likely to break out right now, “Lee Myung Bak is making tension while holding the levers of power.”; “The American imperialists and the South Chosun (Korea) puppets are trying to bring on war every day.” People here feel so nervous about the current trend due to such propaganda being spread through lectures and meetings of the People’s Units.
Do you know how many rumors circulate in this society? “The American imperialists and the South Chosun puppets bought rice on a large scale from China in order to try to starve us to death, so the rice price went up”; “America and South Chosun has put pressure on China not to support us with rice.”; “A specially-trained brigade of the puppet army (the Korean Army) is entering, on a special mission to destroy our society.”
In this situation, [North Korean] state newspapers and broadcasts say that “The South Chosun is madly preparing for invasion, so we need to take firm steps.” Who wouldn’t believe it? I am not sure how big the Kaesong Complex is, but we did more serious work than this in a much more terrible situation: the nuclear test.
We conducted the nuclear test because the U.S. strained our financial resources, using nuclear issues as an excuse. Did you think that we really tried to cause a war? We tried to exchange the nuclear program for the sanctions over us at that time. When we carried out the nuclear test, we thought it would be our last nuclear activity.
When we carried out the nuclear test, the most fearful thing was the U.S. immediate reaction and the next was Chinese and Japanese objections to it. We had the fear that the U.S. would rush into Chosun from aircraft carriers and that Japanese conservatives would claim the need to obtain nuclear weapons because Chosun has it. If Japan had tried to obtain nuclear weapons, it would have influenced South Chosun and Taiwan, and then China would not have tolerated our activity.
In preparation for such an extreme emergency state, we decided to let the nuclear test site be inspected by foreigners and to proclaim the suspension of nuclear testing on the condition that South Chosun would continue to build our light-water reactor and the U.S. would lift the financial sanction. However, fortunately, that case did not happen and the situation took a favorable turn for us.
Compared to our nuclear test situation, the latest case related to the Kaesong Complex is nothing. Our officials have a sort of a stereotype of the South: “Strong pressure on the South can bring us benefit.” Officials of the Central Committee of the Party say proudly that, “We have free rein to play with South Korea.” As long as we decide to dismantle the Kaesong Complex, it will be done.
– Do you have any information on the General’s condition?
This is something that even the Chief Secretaries of the Provincial Committees of the Party cannot know. However, the rumor that he had a cerebral hemorrhage has been circulating. Now, general cadres know he is sick. At an official meeting, a director of a provincial committee said that, “these days a rumor that the General is sick is circulating, so we must work better at this bad time. We have to achieve ten, even twenty-fold results in our sections.
– Don’t you have any intention to give up the nuclear weapons?
Well, if I were the General, I would know. Anyhow, it would depend on the situation. Once we have produced bombs, I think, it is nonsense to throw them away completely. Maybe, a few nuclear weapons could be hidden somewhere.
– What kind of inducement do you need in order to abandon nuclear weapons completely?
Simple. The answer is for Japan to obtain nuclear weapons. Do you think that we are afraid of the U.S. and China? I think we have made the U.S. and China calm down. The problem is Japan. If Japan tries to develop nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles when relations with the North go wrong, we may be killed by China or Russia. It is clear that they would put pressure on us in order to ward off Japanese nuclear armament.
Domestically, we are careful about our words about some military things towards Japan, because of this background.
– Do you support the Kim Jong Il government?
(Pauses a few seconds) I am not sure if the only one who appears to like it, the Chief Sectary of my province, actually likes and supports it or not. How many people follow him because they really like him?
