A raging wildfire that broke out on October 21st in North Korea\u2019s Samjiyon County, Yangkang Province is said to have
\nburned down former leader Kim Jong Il\u2019s home on Mount Baekdu near Milyong, the
\nalleged birthplace of the late leader, the Daily NK has learned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fire in Samjiyon County has spread to \u201cThe 10th Corps [a military body charged The Mt. Baekdu revolutionary remains When Kim Jong Eun came to power, the site North Korea claims the area of Mt. Baekdu \u201cIn Samjiyon County, there are camps for North Korea appears to be trying to wipe \u201cThe autumn air is dry and so are the \u201cAlready people are saying, whether the \u201cSome security officials have said that North Korean state media outlets have yet If the state does disclose the fire, it A raging wildfire that broke out on October 21st in North Korea\u2019s Samjiyon County, Yangkang Province is said to have burned down former leader Kim Jong Il\u2019s home on Mount Baekdu near Milyong, the alleged birthplace of the late leader, the Daily NK has learned. \u201cThe fire in Samjiyon County has spread to Baekam County […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":145,"featured_media":28776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[645],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nBaekam County putting the country in a state of emergency,\u201d a source in Yangkang
\nProvince told the Daily NK on Tuesday. \u201cThe Baekdu Milyong home and most of the
\nhistoric revolutionary landmarks have gone up in flames.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\nwith maintain order and security] in Yangkang Province, the State Security
\nDepartment, and provincial units of the People\u2019s Safety Ministry are all on
\nhigh alert,\u201d the source elaborated. \u201cTo determine the cause of the fire, cadres
\nfrom the Central Party have also been dispatched.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\ninclude the \u2018Mangyongdae home,\u2019 known as Kim Il Sung\u2019s birthplace, as well as
\nother landmarks used as part of the North\u2019s idolization of the Kim bloodline. Kim
\nJong Il was actually born in Vyatskoye, near Khabarovsk in Russia, on February
\n16th, 1941, but the North has maintained it was in a log cabin in Milyong on
\nMt. Baekdu. With this, the area was developed as a revolutionary landmark from
\nthe 1970s.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nhas been promoted as the origin of the \u201cBaekdu bloodline.\u201d One of the key
\nexamples is back in February 2012, when officials from the Party, various administrative offices, and the military, held a rally at Baekdu Milyong to commemorate the 70th birthday of the late Kim
\nJong Il and vowed their loyalty to the younger Kim.<\/span><\/p>\n
\ncarries an abundance of traces from Kim Il Sung\u2019s era of independence fighting
\nagainst Japanese colonialists in the 1930s. This is why it is proclaimed the \u201cgrand
\nrevolutionary outdoors museum\u201d and visited each year by Party cadres, military
\nofficials, and residents, who go on state tours of the area.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nvisitors to stay at such as those for workers, children, and college students,
\nbut if the fire reached this area, it\u2019s likely they all burned down,\u201d the
\nsource explained. \u201cIt\u2019s a state of emergency in Hyesan, Samjiyon,
\nDaehongdan, and others in Yangkang Province, so agencies and businesses have
\nbeen assigned to work areas to put out the fire.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\nout the fire by mobilizing residents in the area. \u201cThey started broadcasts from
\nthe 20th in downtown Hyesan, and even on the Third Broadcast [fixed cable
\nsystem to which only North Korean residents are exposed], they\u2019ve been saying that everyone actively must lend a hand to get the
\nfire under control,\u201d the source said. It is not only in Hyesan City, but residents
\nin Bochon, Unheung, Baekam, and Shinpa Counties that have also been mobilized
\nto combat the wildfire.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nleaves. On top of that the winds are strong, so they haven\u2019t been able to
\neffectively fight the fire,\u201d she went on. \u201cDespite days having
\npassed since the fire broke out, they haven\u2019t been able to tame the flames.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\nfire was deliberate or an accident, anyone tied to it will probably be
\nexecuted,\u201d she said, speculating, \u201cIf it\u2019s arson, it will be a huge problem,
\nsince it will be seen as treason. Even if that\u2019s not the case, they will be
\nheld accountable for not managing a key historic site of the country.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\nthis incident will not end with simply one or two people being held
\nresponsible,\u201d the source alleged. \u201cEven provincial Party members have been staying
\nonsite, eating and sleeping there, to try to put out the fire.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\nto report on the fire, but attention is on how or if it will provide coverage
\nof the incident.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nwill come with the political price tag of having to admit to a flaw in its
\nstate security system. However, trying to cover it up will not be any easier. This
\nis because people will question why state tours to the “Mt. Baekdu
\nrevolutionary site” that have continued since the 1970s have abruptly come to a
\nhalt. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"