Interesting, in the unlikely event it’s authentic …
Just as I question those detailed reports on the progress of Kim Jong Il’s purported illness and recovery, I question the sourcing for this anecdote. Still, it’s entertaining enough to warrant posting:
On September 2nd, Chairman Kim of the National Defense Committee received a recent report on the food crisis. It was reported to him that many regions are suffering from severe food shortages. Apparently, he was even shocked to receive word that emergency measures are especially necessary because the military has run out of food as those stationed in Hwanghae Provinces and Pyongan Provinces do not have any food reserves left. Overall, the military is low on rations, the very idea which enraged the Chairman. Sources say that he berated his officials shouting, “How could you let this situation get to be this bad? What have you been doing?”
Chairman Kim was upset by the fact that soldiers fed twice a day are considered lucky and that some soldiers are only fed once a day. Some military units even have their officers go out to neighboring farms to borrow food. If those officers are unable to obtain more food, the soldiers go hungry. When the officers have to skip meals, the subordinate soldiers go hungry without fail. Chairman Kim was angered by the severity of the situation to the point of claiming he was surrounded by idiots. He was so agitated by the situation he even collapsed at one point. He ordered that any grain imported from China and food obtained from outside sources should first be routed to the military in order to guarantee adequate resources for it. [Good Friends, emphasis mine]
It’s very likely to be true, and most likely a complete coincidence or a good guess that it’s reported here.
This winter could be the breaking point.
With the Dear Leader debilitated by a stroke (and presumably in his dotage) and a mass starvation wave about to hit the Worker’s Paradise, things could be very, very dicey.
If this only would be true. Would be interesting to hear how and where GF obtained this anecdote – though let me assure you I don’t believe a word of it.
And that’s a pity really because it brings discredit to all other GF stories which I often thought would or could be true.
How many famines can this society and state withstand?
It is a horrible testament to the nature of the police state (including the brainwashing) that it did not collapse in the late 1990s. Academic historians in the future should concentrate on that as a field of study.
I can’t imagine this society can go through that again.
But, I was amazed it made it through the 90s.
I worry about the North exploding outward in a last gasp, even if for a half a day, when collapse comes, but I hope this winter in NK is more harsh than normal weather-wise and collapse comes….