[imText1]It has been revealed that North Koreans near the China-Korea border areas often smuggle out metal scraps such as iron, bronze, and zinc taken from factory facilities.
The problem of smuggling seems to be serious, as Kim Jong Il, chairman of the (National) Defense Commission, personally ordered that smuggling around the China-Korea border areas be eradicated.
This was revealed last October in a memorandum entitled ‘Smuggling Infringes Upon the Interests of the Nation and People, and Is Helping Enemies for Treason.’ (The memorandum is also headlined as ‘Working Information of Controlling People Near Border Areas,’ and ended with the following footer; Chosun Worker’s Party Publisher, Juche 94 (2005). 10.)
On the 28th of November, the DailyNK exclusively obtained the Working Information of Controlling People Near Border Areas, which has recently been published.
It has been determined that residents near border areas smuggle out the nation’s precious resources, even tearing electric wires and communication cables off of factory facilities.
According to the Working Information Memorandum, some people are lured into the smuggling business by those saying that a lot of money can be made in selling goods that are not exported by the nation. These goods include metals such as iron, bronze, and zinc. Smuggling therefore prevails around the border areas in North Korea.
The Working Information Memorandum also mentions that many machines are out of order due to smugglers tearing iron and bronze from the factory facilities and transportation equipment. It is surprising to see that people will even demage factory facilities in order to obtain something to sell, in addition to gathering scrapped iron and bronze.
Kim Jong Il own statement in the Working Information Memorandum demands the eradication of smuggling, saying that “Comrade Kim Jong Il indicated that ideological education and strong law enforcement must be executed to eradicate smuggling from border areas.”
The smuggling of iron and bronze began in the 90s when the famine was the most severe, although it seems to be prevailing around the China-Korea border areas.
