The Madness of Emperor Kim

How many hungry kids do you suppose could be fed for the cost of moving 800,000 people around? A regime that recently sent hundreds of thousands of city dwellers to the farms to perform agricultural labor is now sending hundreds of thousands of others from the hinterlands to the city to hold up pieces of carboard . . . during the height of the harvest season. Meanwhile, 6.5 million citizens are starving and the government is rejecting food aid.

Authorities are lavishing money they can ill-afford on a series of massive public events, including rallies, parades, youth torch marches and troop inspections. At the 55th in 2000, some 1 million people took part in the rallies and military parades.

That is an all-out mobilization given that the Northern capital only has around 3 million inhabitants. A number of moves by the Stalinist state — the refusal of further food aid from international organizations, the quasi-expulsion of foreign aid workers, claims that this year’s harvest was much better — have got international observers thinking that it is groping for solutions through change or introductions of new policies.

A Unification Ministry official detects a “high-spirited celebratory atmosphere” in Pyongyang, including the mass choreographed “Arirang” performance, commemorative postage stamps, national gymnastics festivals, exhibitions of portraits of Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung, presentations and discussions. “By inviting delegations from various countries, including China’s Vice-Premier Wu Yi, Kim Jong-il is clearly trying to show off how healthy his regime is,” he added.

An official with the North’s National Reconciliation Council on Wednesday told South Korean reporters, “This year’s anniversary will be conducted on a much larger scale than any previous year. He said traffic around Kim Il-sung Square is being controlled for the preparation for anniversary events and leader Kim Jong-il will be in attendance throughout the celebrations.

In the afternoon, a dozen tanks covered with soldiers and flags were entering the city. In the 4.25 Cultural Center, Kim Il-sung Stadium, and Pyongyang Grand Theatre, groups of 100 to 300 students in uniform were holding rehearsals. Women wearing traditional Korean costume or hanbok were going back home from rehearsals late in the evening carrying red paper flowers. The city is rushing to replace flagstones and repaint buildings as the deadline looms.

How many lives will this exercise in megalomania cost?