North Koreans cannot hide their astonishment at the so-called “white paper demonstrations” that recently erupted in major Chinese cities in protest over the government’s COVID-19 lockdowns.
A source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK that word of the protests in China quickly circulated among residents of Hoeryong recently.
“Now, people joke that if you haven’t heard news of the Chinese protests, you must be some sort of reactionary,” he said.
According to the source, news of the large-scale protests in China is spreading through residents in border regions who stay in contact with the outside world using Chinese-made mobile phones. People who are suffering extreme hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic are taking a keen interest in the news, he added.
Above all else, residents of Hoeryong are most surprised that protests are taking place in a country with a socialist regime similar to North Korea.
In fact, in a phone conversation with Daily NK, one person said they were “really surprised to hear that protests had broken out in China,” adding that “China is a socialist nation, and their political restrictions on the population are largely similar to ours [North Korea], so I think people are taking more interest in the news.”
The man further said that people were really curious why Chinese people “who are better off than us [North Koreans]” are protesting, and what the result of those protests will be.
“Far from complaining about COVID lockdown policies, we’re living lives [so restricted] that we can hardly breathe, so we’re even more amazed that Chinese people are protesting,” he added.
Another resident of Hoeryong said some people are reacting to news of the Chinese protests by “boldly declaring that we, too, must cause some trouble like the Chinese are, as if our lives depended on it.”
In fact, there is reportedly plenty of talk among North Koreans about “rising up together as one at the same time in our country, too, just like in China,” and “if we all rise up together, the state can’t kill all of us.”
On the other hand, other people are reacting more cautiously, warning that “people who needlessly run their mouths disappear without a trace.”
Some North Koreans are expressing envy towards Chinese people because they can protest against their government.
“People can’t openly express their discontent, but they’re boiling inside,” said the source. “They also feel jealous of the Chinese because [their country] is so different from our country, whose authorities don’t let anyone complain.”
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