The North Korean
authorities have ordered civilian units in Yangkang to guard local statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, despite the fact that the region is in a
state of mass mobilization for the spring planting season.
Orders to form units to guard revolutionary sites are normally handed down
before and during key events or national holidays, notably the birthdays of Kim Il Sung
and Kim Jong Il, April 15th and February 16th
respectively. Conversely, the current order to stand guard is not only unrelated to a
special event or holiday, but even falls in one of the busiest mobilization periods
of the year.
Therefore, many people are irritated by the demand, a source from Yangkang Province told Daily NK
on the 13th. “We are participating in farming work, and adults and
children alike are having a very tough time. We’re busy here; so its killing people
to have to guard statues as well.”
According to the
source, the unusual order is causing people to sarcastically inquire, “Are we
Escort Command for the Suryeong now?”
But more than just
irritation, there is also widespread confused. “It’s not one of the birthdays or any
other special time, so no one understands why the guarding teams have been
formed,” the source reiterated. “There is not a spare moment to be had amid all
the farming tasks. But we were given an order and had to go and do it.”
The source claimed
that it was the heads of local neighborhood offices who ordered heads
of people’s units in their jurisdiction to organize the guard units. “They said that guarding
the statues means protecting the very core of our revolution,” she explained. “They
said we should always be vigilant against the scheming of spies and
terrorists.”
“There must be an
awful lot of people losing sleep if they want all the statues in the country
guarded,” she concluded sarcastically, amply conveying the sense of aggravation felt by many.
