The Unhappiest Place on Earth

A combination of last summer’s floods and political idiocy have again combined to worsen the lot of North Koreans:

[I]n August, no food was distributed in the east Pyongyang area. In September, only a half of residents in the area received food rations. In the following month, all received their food. In November, not all received their rations as in September.  [Daily NK]

When rations aren’t passed out, citizens have to rely on markets for their food supply.  But in preparation for Roh Moo-Hyun’s summit visit, the regime cracked down on the markets and rice prices spiked.  They have since settled at a slightly lower price.  As I’ve said before, the regime has tried very hard to keep this kind of privation away from the capital, because it knows that it needs to keep the elite classes happy.

This report, quoting the NGO Good Friends,  also suggests the possibility of “a new food crisis,” along with “overflowing jails” and a growing number of public executions designed to retain the regime’s total control.