On August 20th, North Korea fired
projectiles toward a South Korean loudspeaker blasting anti-Pyongyang messages
and declared “a quasi-state of war.” South Korea fired dozens of artillery
rounds toward the North in retaliation. According to sources within the North,
the onset of these developments has seen not only North Korean soldiers but
also residents called to carry out related drills, Daily NK has learned.
“We [residents] were ordered to attend an
evacuation drill [which usually involves heading to the mountains] today [August 21, KST] without any explanation. Everyone is
full of questions and complaints, saying that they’re ‘spinning around like
tops,’ seeing as how busy everyone is focusing on harvesting with a decided
lack of manpower,” a source in South Pyongan Province reported to Daily NK
today.
Daily NK spoke with an additional source in
the same province who corroborated this news.
“Troops stationed nearby [the source’s
region] were relocated yesterday [particulars of which have been redacted for
the source’s protection], raising people’s belief in the possibility of an
active war,” she said. However, she added that citizens are hoping that things
will die down in this latest round of tensions, much like they have in the
past.
Moreover, soldiers dispatched to Sinuiju
for the purpose of earning in foreign currency have been called back home to shore up military power. The borders are awash with tension as troops there stand at
the ready, fully armed and poised to carry out orders without a moment’s
hesitation. In fact, “it seems like some of them do believe in the upper’s
[authorities’] assertion that the ‘South Chosun [South Korea] puppet regime
attacked the North,” she noted.
On the escalation of tensions along the
Sino-North Korea border, the source explained, “Although the Sino-North Korea
border is geographically situated far from the DMZ, it’s just as dangerous as
the inter-Korean border during a national emergency.”
This is because the China-North Korea
border serves as the conduit through which North Korean defectors flee the
country as well the portal for an influx of products and media content from the
outside world. For this reason, “it’s imperative that the military be fully
alert in this region,” she asserted.
An additional source from North Pyongan
Province also weighed in on the current climate, noting, “Given that the state
announced this ‘quasi-state of war,’ it seems like these evacuation drills will end up taking place nationwide.”
Still, he added, most citizens think the
aggravations will dissipate and all these declarations and drills will have
served only to deal a blow to the harvest. Consequently, some are determined to
do whatever they can to evade the drills.
Others, however, are more wary. “Things
under Kim Jong Un are really different than before [under Kim Jong Il], and
even the slightest change in attitude could get you punished so a lot of people
are just doing what they can to protect themselves,” he concluded.
