The Sunday Times Online has a piece on the Kim Jong-il regime that suggests it may be imploding from the force of its own utter failure. Kim's forces seem less able, or perhaps less willing, to enforce prohibitions on defection or criticism of the Leader:
Word has spread like wildfire of the Christian underground that helps fugitives to reach South Korea. People who lived in silent fear now dare to speak about escape. The regime has almost given up trying to stop them going, although it can savagely punish those caught and sent back.“Everybody knows there is a way out,” said a woman, who for obvious reasons cannot be identified but who spoke in front of several witnesses.
“They know there is a Christian network to put them in contact with the underground, to break into embassies in Beijing or to get into Vietnam. They know, but you have to pay a lot of money to middlemen who have the Christian contacts.”
Her knowledge was remarkable. North Korean newspapers are stifled by state control. Televisions receive only one channel which is devoted to the Dear Leader’s deeds. Radios are fixed to a single frequency. For most citizens the internet is just a word.
Yet North Koreans confirmed that they knew that escapers to China should look for buildings displaying a Christian cross and should ask among Korean speakers for people who knew the word of Jesus.
“The information blockade is like a dam and when it bursts there will be a great wave,” said Shin, the crusading pastor.
(via AS)
A couple of previous posts on N. Korea:
Report on N. Korea Prison Camps
Posted by dan at February 1, 2005 02:19 PM