{"id":3966,"date":"2018-11-19T10:39:14","date_gmt":"2018-11-19T01:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=3966"},"modified":"2018-11-20T14:36:43","modified_gmt":"2018-11-20T05:36:43","slug":"pyongyang-inconvenienced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2018\/11\/recommendations\/pyongyang-inconvenienced\/","title":{"rendered":" In Pyongyang, Interest in President Moon Wanes...Citizens \u201cInconvenienced\u201d by his Visit"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Mobilized Pyongyang citizens suffering at the welcoming parade. September 2018 (Pyongyang Press Corps)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Interest in President Moon Jae-in and expectations from his visit have weakened.\"<\/p>\n

So says a Pyongyang businessman, interviewed by ASIAPRESS in late October. In China on business, the man gave a window into the excitement his fellow Pyongyang residents felt after President Moon\u2019s first visit, asking wistfully, \u201cWasn\u2019t President Moon welcomed so well when he first came to Pyongyang in September?\u201d (Interviewer: Park Young-min \/ Organizer: ISHIMARU Jiro)<\/p>\n

Q: Two months have passed since President Moon\u2019s first visit to Pyongyang- how is the atmosphere in Pyongyang these days?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: \"Many people expected great things to come from President Moon's visit to Pyongyang. They thought he would bring aid of some sort. Due to economic sanctions, money had stopped circulating and life became very difficult- even for residents of Pyongyang. Since the visit, however, there has been no change and interest in President Moon and South Korea has decreased. It doesn\u2019t even come up in conversation- people can't spare those things a thought as they are under too much pressure in their daily lives.\"<\/p>\n

Q: President Moon was thrown a parade in downtown Pyongyang and he gave a speech in front of a lot of people. Did he not leave a favorable impression?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: There was no one around me saying \u201cMoon Jae-in is great\u201d. Because those type of comments would get you taken away and killed. You can never make those comments in front of others.<\/p>\n

Q: Asking locals, it seemed that many people came away from the event with a good impression. Do you agree?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: Actually, President Moon\u2019s visit to Pyongyang put quite a burden on the local people. They had to clean the streets, fix the roads, and prepare the parade- practicing for this type of event is exhausting. Initially, President Moon was to come just after the Founding Day Anniversary on September 9th but, due to delays, the preparation period was extended. Other complaints stemmed from the blockade set up around the city. Cars could not enter and business stopped as Pyongyang was shut off from the rest of the country. To be frank, President Moon\u2019s visit was a nuisance for local people.
\nNext page: How did the North Korean authorities assess President Moon's visit?...<\/strong>
\nQ: How did the North Korean authorities assess President Moon's visit?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: Still, at recent workplace or neighborhood unit political meetings, we hear things like \u201cMoon Jae-in and his cronies from the south are here\u201d and we are instructed to not have \u201cexpectations or illusions\u201d about what the visit represents. President Moon and the South are still labelled as the enemy and markets are still prohibited from selling South Korean products.<\/p>\n

Q: Kim Jong-un promised President Moon to denuclearize though, didn\u2019t he?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: Yes. I know. However, at our political meetings, we are still being told that \u201cour country will never give up nuclear capabilities\u201d.<\/p>\n

ASIAPRESS interviewed another North Korean from Pyongyang, a man who escaped to Japan, who watched the video of President Moon\u2019s visit and made the following estimation of the feelings of Pyongyang residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that the Pyongyang citizens who were mobilized for the welcome ceremony and parade were really suffering. Participating in what was dubbed by Kim Jong-un as a priority \u201cnumber 1 event\u201d, the thousands of mobilized citizens must have been kept under maximum control and made to wait from dawn at their designated areas on the streets and at the airport. Many people would have been thinking, \u2018It\u2019s because of this President Moon that I am suffering\u2019.\u201d
\n\u203b A Chinese partner of ASIAPRESS secretly conducted an interview with a Pyongyang businessman in China.<\/p>\n

\n
\uff1cRelated Article\uff1e<\/div>\n