{"id":4326,"date":"2019-09-02T15:00:16","date_gmt":"2019-09-02T06:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4326"},"modified":"2019-09-18T16:25:35","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T07:25:35","slug":"weapon-tests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2019\/09\/recommendations\/weapon-tests\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cInside N. Korea\uff1e Guilty Party: Regime Conceals Spending From Starving Citizens While Touting Weapon Tests to Officials"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in during the South Korean President\u2019s visit to Pyongyang. Photograph released by the Blue House, South Korea\u2019s executive office.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6 \u201cKim Jong-un resisted the U.S.-ROK joint military exercises with courage\u201d<\/h2>\n

North Korea continues to test its short-range missiles, citing the recently-completed military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea as justification. But how did the regime justify the missile tests to its own people and what was the reaction of residents and officials to the tests?<\/p>\n

In the first half of August, senior Workers\u2019 Party officials were reportedly lectured on the U.S.-ROK joint military exercises and told to \u201cUphold the dignity of socialism by resolutely opposing [the drills].\u201d<\/p>\n

A reporting partner, living in an urban area of North Hamkyung Province, met with a top official of the Workers\u2019 Party who personally attended the meeting.<\/p>\n

According to the official, \u201cThe party secretary spoke first at the meeting, saying, \u2018Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un has demonstrated his strong will through the new weapon development tests, responding to the U.S.-ROK military drills with an ultra-hard stance. Because the Supreme Leader is leading from our front, if the enemy takes one step forward, we must move forward by ten steps.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The official continued, \u201cThe Party Secretary asserted that \u2018Although our situation is poor at the moment, we will succeed soon because of our Supreme Leader\u2019s excellent diplomatic skills.\u2019 On the other hand though, we were told to bear responsibility as well, by \u201cimplementing the concept of self-reliance to overcome any difficulties.\u2019\u201d
\nNext page : South Korea\u2019s Moon Jae-in labeled a coward...<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25a0 South Korea\u2019s Moon Jae-in labeled a coward<\/h2>\n

How were the missile launches explained to the officials?<\/p>\n

Talking to the reporting partner, the official said, \u201cThe Party Secretary explained that the purpose of the missile launch was to publicize and flaunt our military capabilities to favor our negotiations. This lecture, however, was delivered to only state officials because ordinary citizens are living very poorly, with no food being distributed by the state. If ordinary people, living meal-to-meal and on the verge of collapse, were told that we were on the verge of military victory, they would simply say it\u2019s absurd.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each time the US and ROK conduct joint military exercises, the North Korean regime holds air defense drills and counter-attack drills. With this year\u2019s defensive drills being conducted at the same time as the government\u2019s missile tests, the reporting partner was worried that the security situation would become very tense.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly though, the reporting partner noted, the atmosphere in the country is very peaceful. \u201cIn the past, during missile or nuclear tests, we used to be mobilized through local political units and put on high alert. Now, though, there is nothing. Even when we have meetings, they only speak of \u2018self-reliance\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, North Korean state media is blasting South Korean President Moon Jae-in for condemning the North\u2019s missile tests while also conducting joint military exercises with the United States.<\/p>\n

On August 11, North Korea\u2019s Korean Central News Agency, while reporting on a statement of the DPRK foreign ministry, directed a stream of abuse towards the Moon Jae-in administration, describing the government as a \u201cloudly barking, scared dog\u201d. The following week, on August 16, a spokesman for the North Korean Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland labelled Moon Jae-in a \u201ccoward\u201d, before going on to say that \u201cjust the sound of a hunting gun from the North is enough to make him soil himself\u201d. (Kang Ji-won)<\/p>\n

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