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| China-Japan-Koreas | |
| No Power Twenty Days into the New Year for North Koreans | |
| 2011-01-31 | |
A source in Hyaesan, Yanggang Province reports on January 20th that "The New Year has seen a dramatic worsening in the area's electricity supplies. Power has been out for twenty days straight. Nationwide the situation is similar, even in Pyongyang, where although there is some supply regular people are getting no more than one or two hours a day." Because of this North Koreans are not merely undergoing the usual daily hardships but are beginning to wonder if the country is on its last legs.
The general power supply situation is not as problematic in the summer when the heavy rainfall North Korea receives enables it to produce hydroelectric power. In the winter, a reduction in hydroelectric power has usually led to a worsening of the supply situation. But the situation this winter is considerably worse than usual. Amidst this power crisis, an official declared, "The railways are the arteries of North Korea and when they come to a standstill the country's heart stops beating." Factories and economic production has been killed off and all power redirected to the railways, the official added. Most factories and businesses having ceased production, the people have gone to farming villages to help plow and labor in the fields. Nevertheless, in spite of the redirection of the people's electricity supply to the railways, the system is not running normally. Trains are the sole means of long distance transportation in North Korea and require automotive power. But the lack of available power has caused chaos in the system and people are having to sit up to a week at a time in stations awaiting their departures. Then once they have boarded further problems of supply en route are causing the journey from Hyaesan to Pyongyang, for example, to take up to a week. Ordinarily, it would be completed in three days. The source also reported that, "The absence of power supply is making it difficult to communicate with outside sources via cell phones." Phones are not being recharged and it is getting harder to receive outside information, rendering the people's isolation complete. Following hard on the recent severe hike in rice prices, the everyday difficulties for North Koreans are now wretched. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #16 JM #15 you have got to see this; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1351923/China-military-left-red-faced-broadcast-fighter-jets-bears-uncanny-resemblance-cult-classic-Top-Gun.html Major boo boo propaganda piece. |
| Posted by: Dale 2011-01-31 22:10 |
| #15 CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > US PREDICTS NORTH KOREA IS THE "NEXT EGYPT", UNITE KOREAN ULTRA-NATIONALISTS! | US STUDY: NORTH KOREA DISSENT ON THE RISE. and * PEOPLES DAILY FORUM > NORTH KOREA URGES SOUTH KOREA TO HOLD DIALOGUE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE [Any + all former = pre-existing barriers or obstacles to talks no longer exist or matter]. SSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH Artic also read, "...OR ELSE"! Again, IMO STARVING NORTH KOREA wants to see iff overlord CHINA will accept a STRONG, NON-CHINESE DOMINATED? INTERNATIONAL ECON PRESENCE, ACTIVITIES INSIDE NORTH KOREA, whereas RISING CHINA per se is unlikely to accept same or any formal RE-UNIFICATION WID SOUTH KOREA unless MAJOR CHIN-CENTRIC NATIONAL, GEOPOL SECURITY CONDITIONS ARE MET ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA + NE ASIA REGION, e.g. MAJORITY OR TOTAL US MILFOR PULLOUT FROM SOUTH KOREA + likely JAPAN, + MAJOR CHINESE "BASE RIGHTS" IN SOUTH KOREA + JAPAN [Taiwan?], + NO NUCWEAPONS FOR SOUTH = REUNIFIED KOREA + JAPAN [Taiwan?], + CHIN ROLE IN ANY REGIONAL MISSLE DEFENSE. NORTH KOREA will wage war in NE Asia for "NORTH KOREA FOR NORTH KOREANS/KOREANS, NOT CHINESE"; CHINA will wage war for CHINESE SECURITY + POST-US MANIFEST DESTINY [Chin-controlled, "First Island Chain" warm-water ports]. To wit, * PEOPLES DAILY FORUM > NORTH EAST ASIA MILITARY STRUCTURE CHANGES [Regional Balance of Power]:PEACEFUL OR VIOLENT MULTILATERALISM? PD POSTER = BULK OF ENTIRE NORTHEAST LAND REGION OF CHINA is blocked by RUSSIA + NORTH KOREA [includ Pro-Russia Mongolia, + offshore by Japan + South Korea + Taiwan]; hence is a serious WEAK SPOT" FOR CHINA + PLA SECURITY + POWER PROJECTION. THE LATTER NEED "INDEPENDENT ACCESS" THRU THE SEA OF JAPAN [Kamchatka-Japan-Okinawa-Taiwan. VERSUS * GUAM K57/PACIFICNEWSCENTER > WASHINGTON REPORT: [US]FEDERAL BUDGET PICTURE "GRIM" FOR TERRITORIES. ARTIC > ALA US CBO FIGURES, THE US GOVT = USA IS "BROKE", + BOTH GUAM + OTHER TERRITORIES SHOULD NOT LOOK = COUNT ON WASHINGTON FOR ANY NEW NEW $$$ HELP ANYTIME SOON [time being = near future]. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-01-31 21:48 |
| #14 Everyone needs to have NORK fail this time and the govt crater, then things can get better when the regime collapses. No bailouts, six party |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2011-01-31 20:12 |
| #13 Where is their big powerful new superpower?. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to field a fighter force with the help of Tom Cruse. No show but all show. |
| Posted by: Dale 2011-01-31 17:15 |
| #12 "A (badly run) prison camp with 23 million people in it." |
| Posted by: mojo 2011-01-31 15:53 |
| #11 But think how small their carbon footprint is. |
| Posted by: Matt 2011-01-31 14:57 |
| #10 Socialism. |
| Posted by: Spanky Hupavigum3028 2011-01-31 14:43 |
| #9 They sent factory workers to plow fields in January? In *North Korea*? That seems designed to kill thousands. Not to mention that if they can't dig or move coal, then what the hell are they heating with? |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2011-01-31 13:03 |
| #8 Economy in a shambles? No worries, comrades! This is Communism. We just need a better Five Year Plan. We'll start on it today! |
| Posted by: SteveS 2011-01-31 12:34 |
| #7 Hell, why not ask El-Baradei? What they need is better planning. Let's see, the wind blows harder in the winter. Let's make windmills! |
| Posted by: KBK 2011-01-31 11:59 |
| #6 Its almost as if all that nuclear research they are doing isn't really to produce nuclear energy. Where's Hans Blix? Lets ask him.... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2011-01-31 11:45 |
| #5 And the world is worried about how these clowns are going to invade South Korea? |
| Posted by: gorb 2011-01-31 11:22 |
| #4 MORONS, if the factories don't produce, then there's nothing for the Railroads to Haul. Troops and passengers (in that order). |
| Posted by: Pappy 2011-01-31 09:14 |
| #3 Reference for my above comment about coal to China: http://www.nkeconwatch.com/2011/01/25/china-ships-coal-from-north-korean-port-for-first-time/ |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2011-01-31 05:20 |
| #2 In the meantime, North Korea has begun making large shipments of coal to China. It looks to me like they are selling their coal instead of burning it themselves. They keep this up and there will be nobody left to mine it. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2011-01-31 05:18 |
| #1 Factories and economic production has been killed off and all power redirected to the railways, the official added. Most factories and businesses having ceased production, the people have gone to farming villages to help plow and labor in the fields. MORONS, if the factories don't produce, then there's nothing for the Railroads to Haul. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2011-01-31 00:46 |