{"id":4196,"date":"2019-05-14T17:36:43","date_gmt":"2019-05-14T08:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4196"},"modified":"2019-05-17T17:45:04","modified_gmt":"2019-05-17T08:45:04","slug":"reinforcement-rumor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2019\/05\/military\/reinforcement-rumor\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cInside N. Korea\uff1e \u201cChinese Forces Preparing for Regime Collapse?\u201d...Police Chase Down Source of Rumors as Popular Dissent Snowballs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As social unrest continues, fortune-telling becomes more prevalent. (ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

2019\/May<\/span>\/7<\/em><\/p>\n

\u25c6 Rumors bely a serious deterioration in living conditions<\/h2>\n

A number of reporting partners in North Korea reported in late April that police are investigating into rumors that suggest \u2018regime change\u2019, with word spreading across the country that \u201cThere will be war with the United States\u201d and that \u201cChina has begun preparations for the collapse of the country\u201d. (Kang Ji-won)<\/p>\n

A reporting partner, living in the northern region of the country said, \u201cRecently, there has been a widespread rumor that the Chinese People\u2019s Liberation Army has been building up its forces along the border. The reason, they say, is because North Korea and the U.S. are preparing for war. Either that, or because they want to prevent the regime from collapsing in order to stop people from crossing into China en masse. These rumors have spread so much that the authorities are now looking to control them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rumors that are said to be spreading in the country, all seem to suggest the collapse of the regime.<\/p>\n

Another reporting partner, living along the border with China along the Yalu River in Hyesan, Ryanggang Province, said, \u201cIt is likely because the economy is getting worse day by day. People at the markets are complaining openly about the system, saying things like, \u2018It would be nice to be handed over to China, even if it was just Hyesan City,\u2019 and \u2018If it works, then perhaps better to side with the U.S. rather than with China. If so, we can become capitalist\u2019.\u201d
\nNext page : Police investigate false rumors...<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25c6 Police investigate false rumors<\/h2>\n

The authorities seem to have become more sensitive to the spread of these rumors and complaints. According to reporting partners from various areas, since mid-April, the police and secret police have launched investigations in order to uncover the sources of rumors spreading at the markets.<\/p>\n

A reporting partner said, \u201cWe have been warned through the local political unit meetings that, \u2018It is a crime to spread groundless rumors to others\u2019. We haven\u2019t heard of any arrests regarding the sources of the false rumors yet though.\u201d<\/p>\n

In North Korea, \u201cfabrication and dissemination of false rumors\u201d is defined as the following:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone who creates or disseminates false rumors that may cause social disruption or distrust in the state shall be sentenced to up to 1 year of hard labor\u201d (Article 211 of the 2015 Revised Criminal Code).<\/p>\n

Belying the rumors is the disappointment and anxiety over the continued economic sanctions following the failure of the Hanoi summit talks in February.<\/p>\n

People\u2019s livelihoods are getting worse day by day but the government has no solutions, instead simply calling for \u201cself-reliance\u201d. As such, the people\u2019s dissatisfaction with the Kim Jong-un regime seems to be growing.<\/p>\n

\u25c6 Rumors of the execution of 4 diplomats<\/h2>\n

In addition, rumors have been spreading that 4 foreign ministry officials have been executed for their role in the breakdown of the Hanoi summit in late February.<\/p>\n

The reporting partner from Hyesan said, \u201cOfficials say that the summit talks ended without success because foreign ministry officials sold information to the U.S. in advance,for which they were executed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u203b ASIAPRESS contacts its reporting partners through smuggled Chinese mobile phones.<\/p>\n

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