How do ordinary North Koreans view the regime of Kim Jong Eun, the man who recently ordered the execution of his uncle and guardian, Jang Song Taek? To find the answer to this question and more, Daily NK contacted three North Korean citizens by phone in the days following Kim Jong Eun’s televised New Year’s Address.







Name: Kim Jong Hyun (pseudonym)

Location: Hyesan, Yangkang Province

Occupation: Trader





▲ How secure was the food supply in 2013, and are things set to improve?





Compared with previous years, last year was comparatively favorable in terms of food security. Of particular help was the lack of wide scale censorship, control and crackdowns on the people, which could have made things worse. It wasn’t all good, however. Although military rice reserves were released in the springtime and we received a few months worth of rations, this year was so tough. From the moment we awoke in the morning until it was time for bed, we were mobilized by our people’s units and Women’s Union to carry out various beautification tasks around the city.





There have not been any specific internal regulations following the recent execution of Jang Song Taek, but there have been meetings held where loyalty to Kim Jong Eun is emphasized and Jang is denounced. That was a cause of anxiety. Meetings related to the New Year’s Address and catechism lectures are about to start too. If you do not directly follow the orders of the authorities at a time like this you can suffer significant harassment.





▲ How have the people reacted to the execution of Jang Song Taek?

When the news broke, some questioned how someone in such a position of national responsibility could have acted so poorly. However, just like when Hwang Jang Yop sought exile outside of the country, there were many who said it was because Jang could not predict the future. It was also going around for a while that the aunt (Kim Kyong Hui) would have fainted at the news.

Afterward we were busy going to meetings that urged loyalty to Kim Jong Eun. That’s how we brought in the New Year. In the coming year it seems that the focus will shift to executing tasks based on the New Year’s Address, so the Jang Song Taek incident will fade away.





▲ What do you hope for in 2014?





Whatever we wish for won’t come true, but if I have to say something, it would be that things need to improve. There should be no controls on the markets or controls that disrupt everyday life. If they just stopped this then market prices could stabilize to a certain extent and there would be no problem in getting enough to eat. These days they are giving out rations, but it would be better if they just stopped controlling the markets. The people know that rations are not guaranteed this year. Even if there were simply no controls over the market activity people undertake in order to survive, that would be great.





▲ What do you think of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Eun?





The authorities emphasize loyalty to the Marshal every day. As they have given out rations, and because the markets haven’t been controlled as much as before, the people don’t think of him too badly. There are some who wonder why he would execute his own uncle, but there is not a great deal of interest in the Marshal. Of course there is a huge concern over whether such a young leader can properly manage the Republic, and whether or not he is fully up to the task in the way the Suryeong [Kim Il Sung] and the General [Kim Jong Il] were.





Name: Pak Hyun Min (pseudonym)

Location: South Hwanghae Province

Occupation: Cooperative farmer





▲ It has been said there was a bumper harvest last year. What did the farmers receive?





The harvest was indeed plentiful compared with past years. But there was nothing left over for the farmers, which made people so angry. There were some households that didn’t even attend the distribution meetings. Some people are saying, “They are even better than before (meaning the Kim Jong Il era) at fleecing us,” and, “We pour our heart and soul into our work because we are responsible for the nation’s rice pot, but there are spider webs on the rice pots in our own houses.”





This year it seems that there will be a food crisis in the lean period of March and April. Elderly people on their own and children will starve and die. The state should be taking care of these people.





▲ How will Kim Jong Eun behave in 2014?





I think that this will be a year when unification and solidarity centered on the Party will be emphasized. Ideological training for the people will increase. There is talk that rations will be distributed from the beginning of the year but this may not happen. There have also been instances at distribution meetings when rations have not been provided, so the authorities cannot always be believed.





▲ Is there anything you hope Kim Jong Eun will do this year?





To distribute rations in their entirety. A lot of rice is farmed in Hwanghae, and there are many cooperative farms. But more and more there are people saying that life here is difficult. That is because the authorities walk off with “military rice,” “capital city rice” and “loyalty rice.”





It would be great if they distributed more rice to the farmers. They constructed a number of leisure facilities last year. Well-off cadres and city-dwellers can now go and enjoy themselves on public holidays. I actually saw this kind of thing on television. I don’t know if farmers like us will ever be able to stop worrying about food and just enjoy ourselves at theme parks. It’s said that Pyongyang treats people from the country like stepchildren.







Name: Ko Song Sik (pseudonym)

Location: North Hamkyung Province

Occupation: Mid-level Party cadre





▲ Is China investing heavily in North Korea?





There has been collaboration with China at the Musan Mine in North Hamkyung, and the lives of the everyday people and miners have improved a lot. The fixed quantity of rations is rising, and every month a large amount of flour and oil is given out as wages, so the people are happy. However, it’s said that all of these things (rations and wages) came about because Jang Song Taek sold off the nation’s resources at a dirt cheap rate. At first there was propaganda that the rations and wages were due to the General’s consideration for the people, and now it’s being said that it’s the mistake of Jang Song Taek. The people are totally confused.





▲ How have the people reacted?





Every day I get the feeling from comrades that they think, “Even if you were exporting the country’s natural resources, wouldn’t that mean that the people won’t starve to death?” If it were indeed the case that collaborating with China was treasonous, those projects would be shut down in an instant, but because things are currently operating as normal, even naive people have grasped that Jang Song Taek is merely a scapegoat.





Before, just about everyone was involved in smuggling. These days, only a few households of people in their fifties are. The number of smugglers has decreased to that extent. This is because they are giving out rations now, so there is no need to risk your life.





▲ Why have the authorities given rations and wages to the people?





In the North Hamkyung area there are large quantities of buried minerals. If they are intending to sell such untapped natural resources, they have to deal with mining companies. In the past, they didn’t give full rations or wages to laborers in the mines, and output dropped significantly. So from last autumn, in order to raise this output, the authorities started to provide rations and wages. The authorities dealt with mining companies so that they could earn money. Even if the Marshal [Kim Jong Eun] wanted to undertake a new national project, he couldn’t if there was no money.





▲ What do you think of the Kim Jong Eun regime?





There are some people who thought that it was okay after the recent distribution of rations and wages. As for people like us who have spent a long time working within the Party, (we think that) if our Republic doesn’t open its doors like China, our people will eventually starve. What would happen if our mines weren’t sold? Even now, the country should open.





▲ Would Kim Jong Eun allow such opening?





It seems not. It appears for now that measures will be enacted that actually work to close the doors. It’s thought that over the long term, any opening will be unprofitable for the authorities. The people will be the ones that suffer in the end.