Yonhap Television News reports that relief supplies provided by South Korea are not reaching the citizens of the disaster-struck North Korean town of Ryongchon. Why? The North is keeping goods donated from the South in a separate place and erasing trademarks, country of origin marks and other indications of where the goods are from. And even then, only a portion of the now anonymous goods are then being given out to disaster victims. The report also says that contrary to reports, North Korea has NOT begun reconstruction efforts in Ryongchon. Anyway, without further ado:
DANDONG,China — The train of relief supplies to help North Korea following the Ryongchon train disaster is endless.
We have gotten word, however, the relief supplies provided by South Korea have yet to reach the citizens of Ryongchon.
One North Korean citizen, through a source in Dandong, China, passed on photos of the site he took himself and a letter breaking this news.
The North Korean source said all relief goods from South Korea sent by truck, train or boat are being deposited in other places like Sinuiju.
After the supplies are sorted rigorously, trademarks and all other signs that the supplies are from South Korea are removed, and then only some of the goods are provided to the Ryongchon citizens.
The North Korean source said in his letter he sent with his photo that Ryongchon citizens are using some of the relief supplies from China.
He also said that unlike what we’ve come to understand, recovery efforts are not taking place at all.
If you look at a photo taken by the source on Wednesday, you can see right away that recovery efforts are not taking place.
He also said that Ryongchon citizens are being segregated in a separate place, and only Worker Party officials are making periodic patrols of the site.
The source said that the poor progress of the recovery effort was because the North has been unable to secure the equipment and the electrical power.
Accordingly, it seems it will be difficult to complete reconstruction in three months, as the North said it would.
If these rumors are confirmed true, they are expected to cause quite a stir as far as a quick recovery from the Ryongchon disaster is concerned.
Don’t know if it’s true, but it’s not exactly something I’d put past the North Koreans either.
10 Comments
So why haven’t South Koreans anticipated this and stockpiled relief supplies in unmarked containers — or better yet, ones that are marked with the appropriate DPRK symbols?
I’m not being sarcastic — it’s a serious question. If all you want to do is put aside politics and help your fellow Koreans, then you might as well go all the way and completely debase your own political system — particularly in view of the abject posture many ROK citizens evidently adopt towards the North, as chronicled in this blog.
A lot of the relief supplies would still no doubt be diverted for use elsewhere in the north, or for corrupt purposes — but perhaps this way a few more would get through to those who need them.
I think Paul H. asks some good questions.
For what it’s worth: the markings-removal is kind of a charade. One thing I remember from my reading of Andrew Natsios’s book on the North Korean famine was that many North Koreans were quite aware of the provenance of food aid, even after markings had been erased. The citizens weren’t– and aren’t– completely stupid (though they might be heavily brainwashed). Certainly the black markets hawking aid supplies are run by people who know where the food comes from.
Having said that, I think Paul H. has a point. Why not simply mark all the supplies per NK specs? In for a penny, in for a pound.
Kevin
Mark or no mark, relief supplies aren’t going to the people who got hurt in Yong Chun. It doesn’t matter where the supplies came from. It’s going to Kim Jong Il’s special interests. His loyal commie buddies.
Anger. Anger. Rage against the Kims.
What kind of leader is he? Unmarking supplies will take weeks. More people will die or suffer irreversible medical consequences.
I was kind of hoping that the DPRK’s piss-ppor response to the disaster would’ve caused enough anger in the people that some form of protest would’ve taken place - something similar to what happened in Armenia after that massive earthquake when it was still part of the Soviet Union. I guess the DPRK government has just worn down the people too much and has the country in an iron-grip.
They did send a nice little thank you note.
And this is the gov South Koreans want us to believe is ‘more than willing to change and open up’.
Or do they even claim to believe that any more?
One of the papers ran an editorial the other day that said something like, “We can understand why the reclusive Stalinist state worries about exposing its people to the outside world, but….’
But what?!
It is as if they have gotten so used to the idea of North Korea as their friendly neighbor, they don’t even have to sell it by saying NK IS changing. Like they are saying, “Yeah, yeah yeah, we know all that, but who cares? (Where this or that are NK getting more nukes or killing their own with concentration camps while giving food aid to the military). We feel better when we say this or that. We’re tired of the “Cold War” syndrome……”
Not surprised
Not even remotely surprised.
Actually I just finished reading Aquariums of Pyongyang and if that book doesn’t convince anyone of the atrocities and horror that goes on in NK then I have no idea what will.
If you haven’t read it, you should. It’s a very easy read though incredibly disturbing.
Who the hell would be suprised by this?