On the heels of its fourth nuclear test
last month through to this week’s long-range rocket launch, the North Korean
authorities have been ramping up efforts to reinforce loyalty for the regime in
the face of impending sanctions from the international community. According to
local sources, however, working the propaganda machine overtime to win over hearts and minds has proven a largely futile exercise.
Daily NK recently spoke with a source in
North Pyongan Province, who informed us that recent lectures on preparations
for possible sanctions from the international community in response to the
purported hydrogen bomb test and rocket launch have fallen largely on deaf
ears. “At the core of these lectures is the message that no matter how
difficult times get due to the ‘scheming’ of the international community to
isolate our nation, if we just put our faith in the Marshal [Kim Jong Un] then
we’ll be able to overcome these trying times,” she said.
Lectures of the same nature were also held
in Ryanggang Province and South Pyongan Province, according to Daily NK’s
sources in those regions.
Added the source, “Lecturers went on about
how the Marshal’s [Kim Jong Un] wisdom and bravery, together with his
[commitment to] bringing about a happy life for the North Korean people out of
his love for them, will pull the country out of its hard times and propel it
into wealth and prosperity. As times get tougher, they say, the North
Korean people must unite and carry out this revolution.”
As the regime maneuvers to shift the blame
for pending sanctions levied against it to the outside, its will to bind the
people in solidarity is on full display more than ever; however, some citizens
realize that this is propaganda, and are criticizing the regime as a result.
“Because most people are tired of hearing
the same things in these orations, they aren’t really interested in what the
regime has to say. If it’s really true that a successful hydrogen bomb test
would drastically improve our lives, what worry would some sanctions be then?
How again is it that our lives improved as a result of all this?” the
source pointed out, sarcastically.
Most ordinary residents are quick to dismiss a tired message
that they have long given up on materializing in any positive way on the
ground. “They drone on about how with Kim Jong Un’s wisdom and fortitude
guiding us we have nothing to fear, but the very fact that they are even giving
these lectures to the people about sanctions illustrates how scared they
actually are,” she said.
“A lot of people point out that if the
state diverted even just 1/10th of the money that it funnels to the military
sector back to the people it would obviate their food security concerns
altogether. He at the top [Kim Jong Un], who never worries about what to eat a
day in his life, can never understand our lives.”
