As predicted, small-time merchants who make their money in the North Korean jangmadang have been severely affected by the currency reform which went into effect nationwide on November 30th.
Mr. Kim (62), who ekes out an existence working in the Hyesan jangmadang, complained to The Daily NK, “I dragged my worn out body to the market every day for seven years. I am resentful and feel victimized that the money I made with my blood and sweat has vaporized into nothing overnight.”
Another inside source told The Daily NK in a phone conversation, “My sister had been selling rice in the market and had saved 500,000 won to procure some additional rice, but she lost all of her capital in the currency reform.”
In North Korea, the upper-classes who have a significant income tend to keep their savings in Chinese Yuan or the dollar due to continuing inflation and their experience of losing money during the 1992 currency reform, so they have not been seriously affected this time around. At the other end of the scale, farmers and the lower-classes have not been heavily impacted by the reforms either, due to the fact that they had limited savings anyway.
However, the middle-classes who work the stalls in the permanent markets were the ones who held a large quantity of North Korean currency in cash. The reforms hit this group like a whirlwind.
In many instances, people have been making appeals and hiding the political nature of their grievances. However, some have resorted to suicide, burning old currency and criticizing the authorities.
A couple in their 60s who sold salted fish in Hoiryeong, North Hamkyung Province, apparently hung themselves after being unable to withstand the disappointment of the redenomination, while a woman who sold cosmetics in a market in Shinuiju, North Pyongan Province is said to have been taken by the People’s Safety Agency for criticizing the authorities.
However, these sporadic incidents of resistance, especially since the conclusion of the reforms, have largely been suppressed. The North Korean authorities even mobilized military units to maintain public order.
So, what is the reason why the North Korean citizens have been unable to express their political discontent or mount collective resistance even after losing almost everything?
First and foremost, the biggest reason is the indoctrination they have had to put up with for six decades. Outsiders are often unaware of the lethal nature of such indoctrination.
North Korea has ceaselessly promoted the idolization of the Kims in countless ways, attempting to fossilize the mindset of the citizenry with propaganda about Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. The authorities inculcate in the minds of the people the idea that devotion to the country is a duty.
Once this “education” begins to dominate, it becomes extremely difficult for a North Korean person to know whom to resist no matter how hungry or oppressed s/he may be. In essence, the consciousness of resistance has been completely eliminated in the country. The reason why people worried about the health of the “General” even during the mass starvation period of the 1990s lies here.
In addition to indoctrination, merciless oppression is another key reason. Even the simple question, “Why is it so difficult to get by nowadays?” is considered an expression of resistance and can result in a political person camp and his or her family members being dispatched to a political prison camp.
Indeed, Mr. Kim, who worked as the head of an infirmary in Shinuiju, suddenly disappeared along with his family for uttering the following words while having some drinks with friends in the early 1990s: “I do not know why it is becoming so difficult to scrape by these days.”
Since the currency exchange went into effect, what the North Korean authorities have feared the most is strong resistance from the citizens themselves. The government has mobilized various means of regulation to quell the commotion of the enraged population.
The period between November 30th, the day on which the currency reform was announced, and the conclusion of the reforms on December 7th was characterized as a “special lookout period.” Because civilians might burn their old currency out of fear that their cash situation could be reported to the government, security service agents barged into households at all hours of the day. In addition, military troops could be seen on the streets in several locations.
The citizens, despite knowing that they are the victims of daylight robbery, have been unable to escape the chains of indoctrination, repressive violence and the guilt-by-association system.
