NK NEWS BRIEF | May 29, 2014

An official bows before the PY apartment collapse victims’ families | Photo via CNN

NK INTERNAL

• CNN: NK state media described the collapse of an apartment building in PY as a “serious accident” that caused an unspecified number of casualties in an unusual apologetic report. ROKG official: The building had 23 floors, and as many as 92 families might have been living inside. It is common for people to move into NKorean buildings before construction is completed. The Diplomat: The decision to issue an apology may have been aimed at reassuring those living in other new high-rise buildings that the collapse was an isolated event.

• Daily NK source: “People are saying that responsibility for the sudden collapse lies entirely with the 7th Bureau [of the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces]. That kind of criticism won’t readily subside, either, especially because the military has long been involved in both corruption and other things like thievery of food from private homes.”

• NK News: Analysis of the construction area of NK’s flagship Changjon Street apartment complex reveals “shocking” structural flaws that indicate a recent building collapse in PY “will not be an isolated incident.”

• Daily NK interview with Pyongyangite traveller in China: “It would have been better if they had not built facilities like that water park, and had just helped people to live better. Shouldn’t they be doing that, so that the masses no longer starve?”

• NK News: In recent years, an increased amount of drug trafficking has been happening within the country, which in turn is prompting increased crackdowns by the regime.

• NK News: State media released an in-depth promotional video highlighting visitor experiences at the recently opened Runga 4D Simulation Cinema at the Runga People’s Pleasure Ground. KJU and RSJ first opened the facility in 2012 as one of six known pleasure parks near or in PY.

• NK News: Yun Tong Hyon, a lieutenant general in the Korean People’s Army since Feb, was promoted to the rank of colonel general no later than 5/25.

ECONOMY & FOOD SECURITY

• Business Korea: According to KOTRA, NK’s external trade (excluding N-S trade) reached 7.34 billion USD in 2013, with a year-on-year growth rate of 7.8%. NK-Russia trade jumped 37.3% to 104 million USD, as the import of machinery and transport equipment soared through the Rajin-Hassan Railway, which was opened in the second half of 2013.   

• Daily NK: In 2011, NKorean and Chinese authorities agreed to undertake the joint construction of a SEZ at Hwanggeumpyeong. But after three years, the island is home to little more than a handful of excavators and a unit of the Chosun People’s Army.

• Yonhap: China has started building a new bridge to NK from the Chinese border town of Tumen and is expected to open in 2015 or 2016.

• Daily NK: “Motorcycles are being used to facilitate the circulation of goods… A motorcycle used to represent a man’s wealth, power, and style. But these days it’s just a way of making a living. Although the authorities control and regulate them, the number of people riding motorcycles keeps growing.” Motorcycles sell new for 900-1000 USD, but second-hand ones can be obtained for 700 USD or less.

• Daily NK: Although SK’s KOTRA recorded ‘zero’ for China’s oil exports to NK in Q1 this year, China has in fact been supplying oil to NK continuously through a pipeline. However the oil is characterized as de facto aid, meaning it is not reported in trade statistics.

• Arirang: The WFP’s nutrition projects in NK are dangerously underfunded. The WFP wants to provide some 2-4 million infants, children, and pregnant women in NK with emergency nutrition until at least the end of June next year.

• VOA News: A leading expert on NK’s economy says PY’s plans for the development of special economic zones are under way, and that land has been allocated at 13 sites.

HUMAN RIGHTS

• Arirang: Following the COI Report, the UN OHCHR announced it will set up a field office in SK to monitor NK human rights violations.

• Daily NK: Ri Kyung-ho, a 49-year old stage lighting engineer from Hyesan, was executed as an example to others after an investigation found he was making phone contact with people in SK and aiding defections.

• Daily NK: The NKorean authorities recently added five extra clauses to Article 60 of the country’s criminal code, which pertains to attempts to overthrow the state. The additional clauses codify harsh punishments for acts including illicit communication with the outside world and consuming foreign media, which could in principle now incur the death penalty.

REFUGEES

• The Diplomat: According to SKorean media reports, NKorean authorities are planning to demolish all structures within 200 meters along a 270-kilometer stretch of the Yanggang Province border with China. Ostensibly, buildings will be leveled to make way for a new road, though many believe the true intention is an intensified border crackdown aimed at preventing defections, smuggling and a growing influx of information from the outside world.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS & SECURITY

• Daily NK: Japan and NK have reached a tentative agreement to reopen an investigation into the whereabouts of Japanese abductees, after three days of bilaterals in Stockholm. KCNA revealed that Japan has consented to “lift restrictions on visits of persons, lift special measure of restrictions taken against [NK] regarding money remittances and money carried by visitors, and lift the embargo on the entry of NK-flagged ships with a humanitarian mission into Japanese ports from the point of time that [NK] sets up a ‘special investigation committee’ for the comprehensive survey and starts it.”

• WSJ: ROK Defense Ministry official said NK and SK briefly fired artillery shells in each other’s direction, triggered by NK firing two shells near a SKorean warship in the West Sea. Business Insider: SK fired warning shots on Tuesday at three NKorean patrol boats that allegedly crossed over the disputed western sea border before returning.

• NK News: KCNA reported that the NKorean troops in areas bordering the South have been put on high alert and are prepared to wipe out their SKorean counterparts. State media continues denials of responsibility for last week’s artillery firing.

• Yonhap: The Rodong Shinmun accused PGH of plunging inter-Korean ties into their lowest points ever and called her NK’s sworn enemy.

• Japan Times: NK, which this month threatened to carry out a fourth nuclear test, may be closer than previously thought to mounting a nuclear warhead on a missile. Michishita, defense expert formerly involved in Japan’s security policy: “If you can take Tokyo hostage with nuclear weapons, you can do a lot of things.”

• Yonhap: NK’s chief SPT envoy Ri Yong-ho met with US experts including Wit and Carlin in track 1.5 meetings in Mongolia.

• VOA: KCNA that NK will send a delegation to Incheon for the 17th Asian Games taking place from 9/19~10/4.

• Yonhap: Chinese FM: “The China-South Korea cooperation is also at its best stage since the establishment of diplomatic ties. The two sides have the capacity and conditions to play a bigger role for the overall development of Asia.”

• Yonhap: SK invited members of NK’s Catholic community to attend the upcoming mass to be held by Pope Francis in Seoul on 8/18. NKorean representatives reportedly said they will carefully consider the invitation.

• Chosun Ilbo: A joint Chinese-Russian naval drill is aimed at improving the two countries’ capacity to deal with maritime security threats and counter the defense alliance formed by SK, the U.S. and Japan.  

• Yonhap: Investors are betting on a ‘unification fund’. Shinyoung Asset Management: “The fund is aimed at unification, and it bets on value shares. Under the long-term investment policy, the fund formed a portfolio with low-valuation stocks. As a result, it yielded a high return.”

ANALYSIS & OPINION

• Defector Yeon-Mi Park in the WashPo: The Jangmadang generation’s lack of devotion to the Kim dynasty, access to information and experience with buying and selling will lead to bottom up change.
  Seoul Shinmun: “The North Korea that people know about is from the 90s. I wanted to tell the world about my generation.” (K)

• The Diplomat: Both NK and Japan use each other primarily to posture towards third parties. NK is seeking to demonstrate to Beijing that there are potential consequences for taking a harder line against PY. Japan too has an interest in demonstrating it can complicate China’s strategic calculus in any way possible, with NK being one such way.

• NK News: Despite all the nonsensical hype, NK does not, and cannot, threaten the US. For NK, peace with the US is a necessity and hence negotiations a priority. The US has other options, and wider concerns.

MISC.

• Flickr: Faces of People in NK.

• North Korea Tech: NK now has satellite navigation through Google Maps. Although it is limited to roads that have already been mapped out on the service, it is available through the web and mobile apps allows users to calculate travel time by car or foot between points of interest in the Google database.

• NK News: A defector answers, “what’s it like to learn to drive in NK?”

• Hollywood Reporter: Daniel Dae Kim wants to bring Mike Kim’s memoirs, Escaping North Korea, to the screen.

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