Traders Keep Close Eye on Political Climate

Kim Jong Eun’s reappearance after disappearing from the
public eye for 40 days has quelled unsubstantiated rumors about his health and
well being, but there is a lingering sense of unease among those in the trade
business, the Daily NK has learned. A source close to North Korea said the
issue of reform, unification, and global affairs have recently been the main
topics of discussion for traders from the North.

“The traders usually only discuss market trends, but more
recently they have been openly talking about political issues such as reform
and unification,”  the source based in Dandong, China told Daily NK on
Wednesday.

“People involved in trading have become more sensitive to
political changes since the execution of Jang Song Taek and the subsequent
restrictions on trade with China,” the source elaborated. “With rumors that Kim
Jong Eun may have health problems, they seem to be more focused on reading the
political climate.”

The source explained this is due to “conflicts within the
North Korean upper ranks and rapidly changing relations between Seoul,
Pyongyang, and Beijing.” He added, “They [traders] place more importance on
politics than market prices, because even if you make money, you need to be
able to read the political currents in order to align yourself with the right
people in power.”

“When traders get together for a drink these days, they
begin the conversation with the question: ‘How is chingu [friend] different
from dongmu [comrade]?’” and, “They then say that chingu is the better term,
because dongmu is a politically loaded term in the North, so it feels more
rigid,” he explained. 

He went on to explain that the discussion of the term chingu
among North Koreans follows Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to South Korea
in early July, instead of heading to China’s longstanding ally North Korea.

People have made comments such as, “You need two to dance.
Xi Jinping visited South Korea before the North, knowing how things will play
out in the future,” he said.

Surveillance on traders has intensified recently, but they
use the internet in China to monitor international affairs. The source noted
that discussion on political issues divides people into two groups,” the
decisive point being their beliefs on the probability of unification.

Those who believe in unification say because of Kim Jong
Eun’s bad health and change in relations between Pyongyang and Beijing, reform
in the North and unification is simply a matter of time. On the other hand,
those who do not believe in it say the third-generation leadership still has a
firm grip on society, and it will not collapse that easily.

“Those who believe unification will happen have said it’s
not a bad thing to make as much money while you can, and for that reason they would like to trade with their ‘real friends’ [South Korea],” he concluded.