drought on the Korean penninsula taking it's toll...

thought this was worth posting.
although south Korea is suffering, you can bet the average north Korean is suffering more.

https://electroverse.net/korea-heatwave-causes-unprecedented-natural-disaster-heavy-crop-damage/

the north Korean regime is telling everyone to exercise their patriotic zeal in saving water. just another patriotic thing they have to do...

the result of the drought and heatwave is loss of life, livestock and crop failures.
the north Koreans never get a break.

domestic rice shortage due to drought..

this is out of the asiapress / rimjingang website reporting that domestic rice has doubled in price due to inventories running out.

the good news though is that chinese rice is still available in the markets at a more normal price but i wonder how long that is going to last since china has been having its own food growing issues with the flooding last spring.

 

http://www.asiapress.org/rimjin-gang/2019/08/recommendations/komekakaku/ 

here is an article out of DailyNK about the drought situation

https://www.dailynk.com/english/north-korean-officials-order-resid/

Ten students arrested and condemned in front of 500 observers.

Disgusting.

some kids and their families will be punished for the heinous crime of watching american and south korean shows.

article out of asiapress

http://www.asiapress.org/rimjin-gang/2019/07/society-economy/cinema-crowd/

President Trump wants to visit Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

President Trump wants to visit Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

President Moon is expected to escort President Trump to DMZ.
I wonder if Kim Jong Un will be able to show up at DMZ and also wants to President Trump?

https://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LPOD&mid=sec&oid=001&aid=0010922332&isYeonhapFlash=Y&rc=N

lousy conditions in Hong Kong too

i think even the North Koreans are a bit better off as far as living conditions for some Hong Kong residents.

came across this mini documentary and thought it worth posting

North Korea calls bolton a defective human...

found this article on zerohedge.

and whoever the NK official was is correct. in fact, bolton should be hanging from a rope. he really works for the military industrial complex and is looking at any excuse to bomb a country. any country.

it's about the recent missile launches by NK

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-27/north-korea-calls-john-bolton-defective-human-product-warmonger

Bribe to maintain North Korean local markets

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reveals a report based on interviews with 214 North Korean refugees about bribery and corruption in North Korea.

The reports says that everyone involved in North Korean local markets (Jangmadang) has to give bribe to government officials in order to maintain their rights to earn money from the local market.

North Korea has a long way toward democratic market economy full of human rights and equal opportunities.

http://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=4210256&ref=A

food insecurity in NK or no?

here is another article out of DailyNK reporting the potential food aid from South Korea.
the editors note however reports from traders living in NK that food prices are stable and have not heard anything about people starving yet.

not sure what is going on here but i think the world food organization and UN food and agriculture organization know something that the traders don't. that is: worldwide droughts and flooding to the extreme. you can see it all over if you look.
they are alerting south korea to a potential famine like the one in the 90's

the north has been experiencing drought though and crop failures so i don't know how there couldn 't be cause for concern here.

DailyNK says they are going to get more reports from traders in NK so we'll see.

here is the report

https://www.dailynk.com/english/even-north-korean-farmers-are-starving/

here is another article that came out today.
an interview with an NK official but again, DailyNK states that no one on the ground is reporting food shortages yet.

 https://www.dailynk.com/english/north-korean-official-shares-views-on-south-korean-aid/

update
recent article out of Asiapress talking to reporting partners from within NK say things are tight but people are not starving yet.

http://www.asiapress.org/rimjin-gang/2019/05/recommendations/south-to-send-support/

some reccomended movies about life in North Korea

two movies i've seen both produced by North Korean defectors give the viewer an idea about the harshness of what life must be like in NK.
people find themselves in impossible situations and are forced to do things they wouldn't normally do.

the first one is called "Crossing". as the name implies, a father crosses into china to find medicine for his wife who is pregnant.

the movie is available on amazon and has english subtitles if anyone interested.

 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9740330355/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

more information here with screenshots of the movie and there is a trailor on this page as well

http://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Crossing&forcepurge=1#comment-2002805

the second one i saw recently at the winter film awards in New York city on the invite of SoonJa of No Chain for North Korea.
it's called "the Gift of Love"

we met at Cinema Village to watch the move.
the director of the movie, Gyu-min Gim was there as well and we went out to dinner afterwards.

this time, the wife makes a hard decision to earn some money to help her ailing husband and things go wrong.

you can read about it here.

https://winterfilmawards.com/film/wfa2019-the-gift-of-love/

 there is also a link to questions and answers of the director Gyu-min Gim
he was a major in the DPRK army and witnessed many situations like this.
he co-directed the movie Crossing also.

here is a trailor of the movie

so to sum up. these movies wont cheer you up but you get an idea through the eyes of people who have been there what it must be like.

this is why we do what we can.

more articles reporting food shortages..

came across this article from the watchers website reporting drought and frost causing more crop losses.
estimate 10 million in urgent need of food assistance

droughts and flooding are signs of worldwide climate cooling

the average person is in a bad spot because they cant move to a better region for growing food. the border security has been reinforced and refined over recent years mainly by the chinese
it is very difficult now to escape the confines of DPRK.
if one does manage to get into china, there is a higher probability they will get caught as well. 

https://watchers.news/2019/05/13/hunger-warning-after-early-drought-hits-dprk-10-1-million-in-need-of-urgent-food-assistance/

here is another article out of rimjingang reporting starving farmers because regime set such high quotas

http://www.asiapress.org/rimjin-gang/2019/04/recommendations/rural-starvation/

more news of food shortages

this was mentioned by the ice age farmer in his presentation of the cooling climate.

he sited this article

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/north-korea-food-report-1.5121684

with the growing season getting shorter for everyone, it will be particularly hard for north Koreans (as usual) because of sanctions and lack of fertilizer.

here is the video (North Korea at the 3:45 mark)

introducing No Chain for North Korea

No Chain is an organization that was started by a North Korean by the name of Jung Gwang-il.

he spent time in Yodok political prison camp and was released in 2003.
Shortly after, he managed to escape his homeland

His strategy has been to send rice in bottles, radios, dvd's and information about the outside world on usb drives or sd cards.
the groups delivery method has traditionally been via the sea currents that flow towards North Korea or balloons floated over the border but they are now looking at drone delivery.
the group also helps NK refugees get out of China and in to safe countries.

i see this group as worth supporting.

you can read about Jung Gwang-il in this article

https://www.mic.com/articles/186655/i-spent-a-day-with-north-korean-defectors-who-lived-through-hell-and-want-a-revolution

here is a video of the founder at the Oslo freedom forum which is embedded in the article but i'll post it here anyway

they have a facebook page but i think they have a website in the works

https://www.facebook.com/NKNoChain/

here are some pictures of the group doing their work

 

How many churches are there in North Korea?

How many churches are there in North Korea?
There are about 500 churches in North Korea.

Pyongyang Seminary educates pastors and new pastors are dispatched to churches throughout North Korea.

Worship is almost the same as ordinary churches do.

What is the difference between North Korean churches and ordinary churches in the world?

The main purpose of North Korean is the unification of Korea, while the main goals of churches is mission and evangelism.

http://news.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=0924077123&code=23111111&cp=nv

agriculture will continue to deteriorate in North Korea

been looking into the climate lately and despite what the nightly news tells you, the world is not warming. it's cooling.

we are headed into what they call a solar minimum where the sunspots are much less than what they are normally which translates to a drastic cooling effect on this planet and every other planet in the solar system.
the sun drives the climate, not us.

what we are seeing now is unseasonable weather, difficult to predict weather and this is causing large crop losses all over the place.

so i started thinking about North Korea and how they are really going to suffer.
for a start, they are right up there in the northern latitudes. the winters will come sooner, be more severe and last longer.
crop losses will be huge.

here is an article from the DailyNK describing the current state of agriculture. written by a North Korean

https://www.dailynk.com/english/north-korea-requires-assistance-to-improve-agricultural-infrastructure/

so if they have trouble with their current system now, they are really going to have trouble in the next few years.
every country including the united states, is starting to feel the effects of this solar minimum and in two or three years, there will be no denying it.
those of us in the developed world are going to see food prices rise and then we'll see food shortages.
for the North Koreans, it could be like going back to the 90's famine all over again but this time with much colder weather.

some of you might be familiar with the chinese ghost cities. there has been lots of speculation regarding these but i'm starting to think they are well aware of what is coming and have built these cities ahead of time in anticipation of some areas of china going offline. meaning uninhabitable or at least not able to grow food or have livestock.
in the video below, David DuByne points this out.
the chinese are also building ghost cities in angola africa along the equatorial region

ghost city in the middle of angola

Kim Jong-Un has probably been told this by his chinese counterpart which could explain the friendly stance with South Korea and United States as well.

here is the  video. something to think about.

Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick

"My hope is that one day North Korea will be open and we will be able to judge for ourselves what really happened there." --Barbara Demick

In Barbara Demick's 2010 book, Nothing to Envy, evidence collected from areas across North Korea, unseen and unheard, caused a fascination to "discern what was behind those blank faces." For Demick, the desensitized conformity of North Koreans was clearly unnatural, leading to extensive research throughout South Korea with former residents of the North. Incidentally, In Demick's own words, "I wanted that place [North Korea], to be far from the well-manicured sights that the North Korean government shows to foreign visitors- even if it meant I would be writing about a place that was off limits." As a result, Demick compiled conversations over a period of 7 years to come together in her provocative novel. Over the following weeks, comprehensive analysis of Barbara Demick's Nothing to Envy will focus primarily on personal influences North Korea has had on its citizens and further steps taken to aid in the current circumstances.

young fortune teller executed late last year and others sent to prison..

very sad to hear that a girl in her early 20's was executed for fortune telling.

the article states that the regime is cracking down on outside media and alternative ideologies.

https://www.dailynk.com/english/fortune-teller-executed-by-firing-squad/

robbery and murder becoming more common because of desperation due to sanctions..

another article from DailyNK

https://www.dailynk.com/english/residents-concerned-over-rise-in-violent-crime-in-north-korea/

North Korea doesn't care about Human Rights of other countries, either

  We know about the dire human rights situation in NK.
And situations like NK is not alone, although the causes are all similar.
China's persecution of political dissidents and religious groups, Pakistan's intolerance toward non-Muslims, or Syrian regime's brutality toward children are all to be condemned. But like NK, Iran (after the establishment of Islamic regime in 1979) also has the highest record of Human Rights abuses.

Iran claims to ensure religious rights, but Bahai faith is banned, and Bahais aren't allowed to enter universities. Other religious members other than Shia Islam also face limitations;
Iran claims to ensure rights for people to protest peacefully, but many of them who participate in protests and strikes are arrested, imprisoned and died;
Iran claims to ensure women's rights, but all women, including foreign visitors, must wear hijab (Islamic veil) in public. Those who disobey face fines and arrests;
Iran claims to ensure Human Rights, but never care about ethnic minorities and gender minorities. Similar to NK, executions and floggings are performed in public, while not allowing kissing and couples holding hands.

The cause, a totalitarian regime, and the situation, is very similar to NK, where no religious rights, dissident's rights, women rights and any kind of minority rights is ensured. And what is NK's attitude toward this?

The picture below was the resolution toward Iran's Human Rights last year (and this year they voted again recently, with same results).
Who voted "against" the punishment and solutions toward this (red)?
We are not surprised to find that those who condone Iran's abuses are countries with the same degree of crime toward Human Rights.
Besides NK, there're Central Asian countries, Islamic countries and Communist/Socialist countries. And interestingly, many countries among these maintain good ties. (E.g. NK have good ties with Iran, China, Russia etc.)

Similar to the solution toward NK, USA and some other countries are sanctioning Iran. But the most effective way, is to sanction the INDIVIDUALs that have been or continues to pose a severe threat toward Human Rights, such as some high-ranking government officials.
In this way, people won't be affected by the economic shortage and can get rid of the tyrants.

Rason special economic zone like a ghost town

article from DailyNK
because of the sanctions, no one is willing to invest in this area.
the pictures tell the story

https://www.dailynk.com/english/photos-of-north-korea-special-economic-zone-reveal-impact-of-sanctions/

Chinese product wholesale area of Rason. Image: Daily NK

Apartment complex in Rason. Housing prices in the area have doubled since early 2018. Image: Daily NK

Residential and commercial complex. The building on the left was intended for foreign renters but is mostly vacant. Image: Daily NK

Exterior of Rason Market. Image: Daily NK

typhoid fever is back in the North...

short article out of asiapress reporting a typhoid outbreak in Hoeryong City in the far northeast.

several people have did as a result and probably more to come.

http://www.asiapress.org/rimjin-gang/2018/12/society-economy/typhoid-fever-outbreak/