Inside North Korean sources have reported to The Daily NK that in the midst of ongoing food shortages and with the succession in progress, expressions of complaint about Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Eun have been increasing.
A source from Hyesan reported today, โPeople say that the reason why we have such hard lives is because the leader puts weight only on the military while paying no attention to the peopleโs lives.โ
โHow good would it be if he used just a tenth out of what he invests in the military on our lives? Kim Jong Eun acts more harshly towards the people than his father,โ the source added, explaining that this belief stems from the fact that since Kim Jong Eun appeared the peopleโs lives have gotten worse due to strengthened regulations, more lectures etc.
A source from Shinuiju said that, โNow what the state says is not trustworthy. We do what we can to survive. Thatโs all. If we can make money, no one is reluctant to do it, even though the state is opposed.โ
He added, โPeople are saying that we canโt live well due to Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Eun. When people get together, they whisper, โwho would have believed in a family telling lies from grandfather down to grandson?โ or โIt would be great if there were no worries about food.โ
This, he claimed, is having a real effect; โDue to the hardships of life, many have recently attempted to defect to China. You can find people and households disappearing every morning.โ
Another source from Woonheung in Yangkang Province said things are no easier there. โSome people in Woonheung exchange their home appliances for food at a cheap price when the food situation deteriorates,โ the source explained. โMore and more households are getting by on only two meals a day or, in the worse case scenario, only one meal.โ
โThe situation is so difficult that people steal food from the stores on collective farms or go robbing. People say this is doomed to end in disaster.โ
The Hyesan source added gloomily that there is little sign of hope on the horizon, saying, โEven though we came to the holidays (New Yearโs Day or Kim Jong Eunโs birthday), there were no holiday provisions and the food factories cannot run because they donโt have any materials.โ
He added, โWe donโt know if they will provide us with gifts on February 16th and April 15th,โ noting, โWhen Party secretaries or cadres say โstudy the New Yearโs Common Editorial well,โ then people generally laughโ into their sleeves, and added, โCan those who are sick and tired of Kim Jong Ilโs politics respond positively to his sonโs politics?โ
