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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Resistance against N. Korean regime taking root, survey suggests |
| 2010-03-25 |
| TOKYO -- There is mounting evidence that Kim Jong Il is losing the propaganda war inside North Korea, with more than half the population now listening to foreign news, grass-roots cynicism undercutting state myths and discontent rising even among elites. A survey of refugees has found that "everyday forms of resistance" in the North are taking root as large swaths of the population believe that pervasive corruption, rising inequity and chronic food shortages are the fault of the government in Pyongyang -- and not of the United States, South Korea or other foreign forces. The report will be released this week by the East-West Center, a research group established by Congress. At some point people become more angry than afraid ... The report comes amid unconfirmed accounts from inside North Korea of a rising number of starvation deaths caused by a bad harvest and bungled currency reform that disrupted food markets, caused runaway inflation and triggered widespread citizen unrest. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #8 Every totalitarian police state is brittle. Often incredibly strong, but ultimately brittle. Once the collapse starts, it's gone like [snaps fingers] that. Remember how quickly East Germany went under? Remember Caucesecu?--he went from ruler of all he surveyed to guest of honor at a firing squad in mere days. |
| Posted by: Mike 2010-03-25 13:48 |
| #7 By a relative few I meant the leaders and political commissar types. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2010-03-25 11:49 |
| #6 As long as the 50% include the army and the police, the regime should be alright |
| Posted by: Bernardz 2010-03-25 11:48 |
| #5 I think the lesson of the old Soviet Bloc was that regimes collapse when they try to liberalize a bit. Which was perhaps the point of the currency 'reform' to stop the small amount of liberalization that was occuring. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2010-03-25 05:57 |
| #4 Maybe we should retool for the WW2 "Liberator" pistol, a super cheap two shot (At the same time) .45 pistol, airdropped behind enemy (German that time) Lines with picture diretions of how to get a brand new Schmesser.(Kill a Nazi and take his.) Spell check is not running this late? sorry |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2010-03-25 04:49 |
| #3 They will need guns and ammo. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-03-25 03:02 |
| #2 I'm not sure I read that right, how did Steve even remotely suggest they deserved the punishment? |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2010-03-25 02:37 |
| #1 At some point people become more angry than afraid ... That may be true, Doctor Steve, but 60 years of hell...pretty bad, and incredibly tragic. Only a relative few deserve punishment like that. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2010-03-25 00:28 |