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When most people hear “North Korea,” they immediately think of nuclear weapons, missiles, dictatorships, and military problems. These are not the only notable facts about North Korea, although they play a big role in shaping North Korea’s identity. tackling their own human problems. The problem, however, is that these people do not receive as much attention as the country’s authoritarian regime, its leaders, or its military operations.
Over the past 12 months, North Koreans have grappled with COVID-19, food insecurity, economic insecurity, increased surveillance, natural disasters, and more. Life continues to be difficult for a large portion of the population, and the outlook for 2023 doesn’t look so good.
North Korea kept its COVID-19 situation closely hidden during the first two years of the pandemic, but things started to change this year. North Korea took the virus seriously from the start, before much of the world turned their attention to what was happening in China. As a precautionary measure, North Korea has decided to close its borders with China in January 2020. This had huge negative economic consequences that still affect people to this day, but this extreme move kept the virus out and the country’s already fragile healthcare system from collapsing. prevent.
North Korea has reportedly made the issue of COVID-19 the “biggest national project” of 2022, according to a report by the Daily NK. Then, in May 2020, North Korea announced its first official disease outbreak, confirming the virus was spreading. domestic. From that point on, a vigorous campaign to eradicate the disease was accelerated. For example, officials believed a ban on domestic travel and movement was the most important response to the outbreak, so they increased vigilance and ordered security posts across the country to keep people in place.
A large-scale testing campaign was also conducted, and those who refused the test were labeled “dishonest”. However, the public was unimpressed with the government’s handling of the outbreak. Many complained that the government was not providing medicine and instead just ordered people to stay home. These curfews have also reportedly killed an unknown number of people, resulting in inaccessible nutrition and severely undermining food security, among other challenges. rice field. In addition to this, there were complaints from citizens that there was a large disparity in the recipients of medical supplies, and thorough asymmetrical support was developed.
It is impossible to know the exact number of North Koreans who have contracted or died from COVID-19, but by August 2020 the government was able to grasp the spread of the virus. By August 10thth, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has declared “victory” in the country’s fight against the virus. By September, vaccination against COVID-19 had reportedly begun, especially in areas with high numbers of cases. Rumors circulated that the vaccinations came from China, and in fact, North Korean health officials called them not vaccinations for COVID-19, but injections to ward off fevers and flu, and if so undermined their claim to “victory” . . then a second vaccination in October.
A combination of international sanctions and the recent border closure with China has meant that ordinary North Koreans across the country have faced serious economic hardships for years.Russia invades Ukraine in March 2022 Crude oil prices soared as a result. In fact, North Korean oil prices rose even faster than the domestic exchange rate and international oil prices. As a result, North Korean authorities began restricting the private sale of oil on the market. Those caught will have their oil confiscated without compensation. This was reportedly intended to provide priority delivery of oil to both states and governments and to limit private oil use.
This, combined with shortages of raw materials from China and other financial problems, has prevented many industries within North Korea from achieving their economic targets for the first half of the year. Even if citizens wanted to set up market stalls to sell their goods, prices in some markets in the country have doubled, making it even harder for people to make a living in 2022. rice field.
Another notable economic policy development occurred when the government began issuing cash notes. Dongpyo, to replace cashless bank slips in commerce in May 2022. The voucher was first issued for his 2021 but was not enthusiastically received. Given the volatility of the North Korean won, people usually try to hold foreign currencies such as dollars and yuan.
Things got even worse with the onset of winter, as many struggled to secure supplies of fuel for heating. Kim Jong-un has emphasized the importance of planting trees in recent years, resulting in increasing penalties for unauthorized logging. Therefore, this further limits the public’s options in finding heat sources for their homes.
Surveillance and crackdowns are nothing new in North Korea, but due to the spread of COVID-19 and the fact that many are reviving illegal activities to secure food, crackdowns on the civilian population have also increased. For example, in February 2022, inspections of grain processing facilities began, revealing corruption related to illegal stockpiling of grain. It was later revealed that various dignitaries operated their own grain warehouses across the country.
The North Korean government also continues to crack down on “anti-socialist” behavior. A Daily NK report said a lecture was held in South Hamgyong on the country’s “counter-reactionary ideology law,” emphasizing loyalty to the party and warning of the “danger of foreign ideology.”
Similar to the grain siphoning example, the COVID-19 outbreak has once again targeted high-ranking officials. A number of disease control and security officials in Pyongyang and other parts of the country have been held responsible for the outbreak and sent to political prison camps, according to domestic sources.
On the other hand, recently, the crackdown on individual food businesses has also been strengthened. The move appears to be aimed at preventing people from buying and selling food on the streets, but instead buying goods at state-sponsored stores, putting food prices under direct control of the central government. It is intended for
The food situation in North Korea remains unstable. In March 2022, Thomas Ojea Quintana, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea, said that about 40% of the country’s population lacked adequate food supplies, and that “the most vulnerable segments of the population face hunger.” There are serious concerns that it may be and hunger. As such, North Korea’s food insecurity is thought to be at dire levels of malnutrition.
Some were reportedly forced to commute to the area to beg for food, while others had to steal food from farms. Others have resorted to suicide as asylum has become almost impossible. Food desperation has reportedly reached a level where authorities have had to deploy armed guards on some farms to protect harvests from theft. The combination could make an already dire food situation even worse in 2023.
North Korea has been grappling with natural disasters for decades. For example, this year heavy summer rains flooded various towns. As natural disasters directly affect crop yields, climate issues also directly affect the food security issues facing North Korean citizens. Worse, the lack of international cooperation on humanitarian issues, tight border controls and North Korea’s international position make it difficult to make significant progress in preventing a recurrence of natural disasters and leaving a scar on local populations. am.
The North Korean government will likely continue to focus on military power in 2023, but it is unlikely that the lives of ordinary people will significantly improve. With the pandemic not quite over yet and trade barely back to his pre-2020 levels, finding a way to make a living remains difficult for many North Koreans. Nonetheless, there are signs that exports of goods from North Korea to China are gradually resuming. This could gradually allow cross-border trade to fully resume and help local markets recover. With China easing its own COVID-19 policies, there could be a significant increase in economic exchanges between the two countries in 2023. Many states implementing restrictions and testing for people coming from China.
But if the borders do indeed reopen fully, this would mean a resurgence of smuggling practices, resulting in a tough crackdown on black market activity and unauthorized commercial transactions.
Similarly, international humanitarian cooperation could resume to some extent in 2023. For example, South Korea could lead coordination between North Korea and international organizations to facilitate aid and resume desperately needed humanitarian projects on the ground. in North Korea. But this requires leadership agreement in Pyongyang and a willingness from the south that seems to be lacking for the time being.
It’s easy to forget the North Korean human face, but it exists and should be remembered. Military provocations are likely to continue or even accelerate in 2023, but it is also important to closely monitor developments on the ground affecting the daily lives of those in such isolated police regimes. am.
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