At the end of last year, Kim Jong-un declared, "South Korea is an enemy, not the same ethnicity, nor a partner for unification." This major policy shift towards 'severing ties with South Korea' is causing significant ripples within North Korea. What developments have occurred since this policy was announced, and how are North Korea’s people reacting? In April 2024, ASIAPRESS spoke by phone with a female reporting partner living in the northern region. ASIAPRESS is now releasing the audio of that interview. (By KANG Ji-won)
The reporting partner says there's ongoing chaos in North Korea. Soldiers are going around erasing words and slogans like 'unification' with paint. "We're not allowed to even mention South Korea, and watching South Korean dramas or movies is now considered an act of hostility," she says.
Meanwhile, the Kim Jong-un regime is strongly promoting rule by fear, prioritizing social order and resuming public executions. The reporting partner said: "It's become a world where no one can speak freely. We have to distance ourselves even from friends and relatives."
More details about North Korea’s internal confusion and tightening of control can be found in the video.
※ ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.
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