{"id":4063,"date":"2019-02-14T15:54:59","date_gmt":"2019-02-14T06:54:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4063"},"modified":"2019-02-25T16:53:39","modified_gmt":"2019-02-25T07:53:39","slug":"prohibits-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2019\/02\/recommendations\/prohibits-criticism\/","title":{"rendered":"Love Thy Neighbor: N.Korean Public Confused as Regime Prohibits Criticism of China"},"content":{"rendered":"
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President Xi Jinping welcomes Kim Jong-un in Beijing. Published by China Central Television in January 2019<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6 Is China not the \u201c1,000 year-old enemy\u201d?<\/h2>\n

Since mid-January, the North Korean authorities have been ordering citizens to refrain from criticizing China through \u2018Inminban Meetings,\u2019 according to multiple reporting partners in the North. (Kang Ji-won)<\/p>\n

Kim Jong-un visited China on his birth, January 8, which was a secret to the public. Just before his departure, the North Korean authorities had sent orders through the inminban (local political units) to ban the sale and consumption of Chinese \u2018Yang-vale\u2019 sausages. A reporter from North Hamkyung province explained the situation as follows.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter an incident in Pyeongseong where a child who ate \u2018Yang-vale\u2019 sausage died, imports were halted and orders came down banning the sale or consumption of the sausage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Yang-vale\u2019 is a popular meat product that sells for about 2 yuan (331 South Korean won) per piece. Whether consumption of the sausage was actually responsible for the death of a child in Pyeongsong is unknown but it is certain that the incident farther damaged the reputation of Chinese food amongst North Korean consumers.<\/p>\n

For the last 20 years, however, North Korea has had little choice but to import low-quality food from China, as the country lacks the capacity to produce processed foods at required levels and does not have the purchasing power to import food from elsewhere. Public confidence in Chinese food being imported to North Korea is especially low, as the public is keenly aware that the products are of such low quality that they could not be sold in China.<\/p>\n

In mid-January, however, the government\u2019s ban on \u2018Yang-vale\u2019 products was reversed and citizens began to receive surprising orders at local political unit meetings.<\/p>\n

According to the local reporting partner, \u201cThese new orders banned us from speaking ill of China in any way, including spreading rumors about defective Chinese food products.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reporting partner continued, \u201cOnly until recently, the authorities were also criticizing China by saying \u2018China is joining the US to block our economy\u2019 and \u2018to not have any illusions about China\u2019. So what\u2019s with the change in attitude? They are telling us to fix our own attitude towards china now so I guess it must mean that relations have improved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even if, to the outside world, there appears to be no signs of discord between China and North Korea, anti-Chinese sentiment within North Korea certainly remains. North Korean citizens have been taught by the government for generations that \u201cif Japan is a 100 year-old enemy, China is a 1,000 year-old enemy\u201d.<\/p>\n

So, despite the government\u2019s recent shift in attitude, anti-Chinese sentiment amongst the general public is not going anywhere.<\/p>\n

It is not uncommon in North Korea to hear derogatory expressions used to describe the Chinese people that North Koreans come into contact with. One might hear, \u201cThose Chinese traders and tourists that come here are poor\u201d or \u201cThose bastards think only of themselves\u201d. North Koreans recognize the futility of the situation though, frequently saying, \u201cOur country is poor so we have no choice but to be close with them\u201d.
\nNext page: Humiliating flattery for China\u2026 <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A woman selling Chinese sausages on the streets of Pyongyang. Photograph taken in the Moranbong area in June 2011 by Koo Kwang-ho (ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6Humiliating flattery for China...What are Kim Jong-un\u2019s intentions?<\/h2>\n

After Kim Jong-un visited China on January 8, for a fourth summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Chinese state media published images of Kim Jong-un diligently taking notes, as if he were a student of the Chinese president. These images, considered a humiliation by the North Korean state, were all edited out of North Korean coverage of the summit.<\/p>\n

Despite this apparent slight, the North Korean regime has shown a greater willingness to flatter China.<\/p>\n

In an article posted on Rodong Sinmun\u2019s website on February 3, the state newspaper shared Lunar New Year \u2018greeting cards\u2019 sent by nations close to the North Korean regime.<\/p>\n

The article first shared the greeting card sent by China, making pains to show great gratitude to all within the Chinese government. The article thanked the Chinese President, first and foremost, before individually listing the chairs of each Chinese Communist Party organization and all members of the National People\u2019s Congress. According to South Korea\u2019s Yonhap News, Russia\u2019s annual greeting card was previously received in such a manner and had been introduced first for each of the last 4 years.<\/p>\n

On January 31, the Korean Central News Agency announced that, \"The North Korean art troupe's performance in Beijing was attended by President Xi Jinping and senior Chinese officials.\" A couple days after the performance, however, Chosun Central Television reported that ahead of the troupe's visit to China, Kim Jong-un had invited China\u2019s ambassador in Pyongyang to an early rehearsal of the performance in order to review its contents. Seeking prior approval of the performance from the Chinese ambassador indicates the lengths to which the regime will go to flatter China\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n

So what is the motivation behind the regime\u2019s open embrace of China? On the one hand, North Korea is very keen to demonstrate to the international community, ahead of the upcoming summit meeting in end of February with President Trump, that China is \u201con their side\u201d.<\/p>\n

However, there is another, internal, motivation behind the shift. As North Korea\u2019s economy succumbs to the weight of international sanctions, discontent is rising amongst not only the general public but also the wealthy and powerful of Pyongyang. By improving relations with China, the country responsible for 90 percent of its trade, the regime hopes to create an expectation among the general populace that sanctions will soon be eased.<\/p>\n

Reversing its anti-Chinese rhetoric and previous directives as a first step, the North Korean government hopes to use flattery as a way of improving bilateral relations, boosting the economy, and signalling to the world that China will be standing behind North Korea on the international stage.<\/p>\n

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