[“Good Friends” aims to help the North Korean people from
a humanistic point of view and publishes “North Korea
Today” describing the way the North Korean people live as accurately as
possible. We at Good Friends also hope to be a bridge between the North Korean
people and the world.]
The Ministry of
Agriculture Orders Purchase of 200 Thousand Tons of Fertilizer
200 Million
Dollars Allocated for Repairing Agricultural Equipment
North Hamgyong
Province in Better State as Crisis Continues to Worsen Nationwide
“Do Not Ignore”
the Hostile Remarks from North Korea, a North Korean Official Said
“The Possibility of North-South Dialogue Had Been Open since
May”
|
“A Monk’s Earthly Mission: Easing North Koreans’ Pain”
by Choe Sang-hun (April 27, 2012, NYT)
Venerable
Pomnyun, Chairman of Good Friends, speaks on North Korea
Today in his recent interview with New York Times. Follow the link to read the article on NYT’s website:
|
The Ministry of
Agriculture Orders Purchase of 200 Thousand Tons of Fertilizer
North Korea’s
Ministry of Agriculture has ordered the Ministry of Foreign Trade officers
stationed abroad to purchase 200 thousand tons of fertilizer. There are about ten officers of the Ministry
of Foreign Trade currently stationed abroad to buy agricultural input materials
including fertilizer. According to one
officer from the Ministry of Foreign Trade, it has been virtually impossible to
buy Chinese fertilizer, lately. China,
with a purpose of restricting fertilizer export, adjusted its import and export
tariffs starting on January 1st this year, with a special tariff imposed
during seasons of high demand. The
special tariff rate of 75% is imposed between January to May and again from
October to December on a number of fertilizer products, including chemical fertilizers
and ammonium chloride. The Ministry of
Foreign Trade officers are looking into buying Russian fertilizer, and it would
cost one hundred million dollars just to purchase. North Korea’s annual fertilizer need is
approximately 500-600 thousand tons and its output is known to be about 50
thousand tons. After construction of
Hungnam Chemical Fertilizer Company, the output may have gone up to 100
thousand, but is still far below the amount needed.
200 Million Dollars
Allocated for Repairing Agricultural Equipment
The Ministry of
Agriculture allocates two million dollars for repairs of plowing tractors and
other agricultural equipment that are aged or broken. Most of the tractors found on the collective
farms are not in good condition as they were mostly made in Russia back in the
1950s or 1960s. The Ministry of
Agriculture and the Ministry of Foreign Trade are working hard to purchase
tractor parts to make the most use of the existing ones. However, one staff at the Ministry of Foreign
Trade had stated that: "Even in
Russia, these parts are hard to find. Due
to the age of the equipments, there are very few people who recognize the
parts, and we need to find retired mechanics to ask about the parts. Many factories have been closed. Even the ones that still make parts, unless
it's a big order, they hesitate to commit as it may not be profitable. We could buy new ones from China, but we have
no money. Although the archaic Russian
tractors are not gas efficient, the machines are sturdy and strong as long as
their parts are replaced properly, hence we continue to seek new parts in
Russia."
North Hamgyong
Province in Better State as Crisis Continues to Worsen Nationwide
As deaths from
starvation due to the ongoing food crisis continue to be reported across the
country, one official of the Central Party had expressed concern that even in
Pyongyang the food situation was worsening.
"The South and North Hwanghae Provinces currently have nothing to
eat, not even plant roots. People who
have returned from those areas have said that there seemed to be more suffering
than during the Arduous March. Even the
granary areas are so horrible, it is needless to state the severity of the food
situation in other areas. The mountain
areas of Kangwon and South Hamgyong provinces have been in a food shortage for
a long time, and the current food situation in Pyongyang is no better. People are constantly dying across the
country; furthermore, I’m afraid to even think about the number of lives that
would be lost once the spring lean season
befalls." According
to this official, the situation in the border areas is better than that of the
interior. The livelihood in North
Hamgyong, Pyongan and Ryanggang Provinces is
relatively easier, thanks to the peddler businesses with Chinese. An official of the Central Party stated that: "The country would reach a pivotal
moment this Fall. If there are no aids
or no rations, it may lead to either deaths of a great number of people or a
mass defection. Depending on the Government's
action or inaction, public sentiment can either turn against the state or
remain calm." He added that resolving the food crisis
needs to be made the top priority of the new leadership.
“Do Not Ignore” the
Hostile Remarks from North Korea, a North Korean Official Said
The ferocity of
North Korea’s declaration of war against South Korea is getting more
aggressive. The President Lee
Myung-bak’s radio address and the series of anti-North Korea rally that had been
held in Seoul before and after the 100th commemorative ceremony of
the Day of Sun were picked as issues.
On the 13th, members of a
conservative organization had an event of missile intercepting performance at
Gwanghwamoon Plaza in Seoul; following this, college students from a conservative
group held a flash-mob event censuring North Korea’s third hereditary
succession and the likes on the 15th. On the 16th, President Lee
Myung-bak criticized North Korea’s Kwangmyongsong-3 launch in his radio
address.
Through the statement by spokesperson of
the People’s Army Supreme Command on the 18th, North Korea denounced the evil
deed that dashes cold water on the celebration mood of the 100th Day
of Sun and defiling the supreme dignity, and they escalated their degree of
fury adding the comment, “whoever he is, wherever he is, a merciless revenge
will be given upon him. Even if it is a center of Seoul, a special action will
be conducted to blow the whole thing up.” The next day, on the 19th, [North
Korea] issued a statement that demands an apology for the serious crime that
gravely blasphemed the Day of Sun in the name of government, political party,
and organizations. In this statement,
[North Korea] points out the President Lee Myung-bak’s mentioning of the
missile launch cost in his radio address on the 16th, and rebukes it
as an “intolerable insult and most vicious provocation raising a fury.” President Lee has said, “It is assumed that
North Korea spent $850,000,000 directly on launching this (Kwangmyongsong-3). With that much money, 2,500,000 tons of corn
could be bought and 6 years of food shortage could be solved.”
On the 20th, the anti-South
Korea protesting rally by the military and civilians of Pyongyang City was held
at the Kim Il Sung Square. At last, on
the 23rd, the Supreme Command of People’s Army Special Action Unit predicted a provocation
to South Korea by saying “Soon special actions of revolutionary power will
commence.”
An official of the Central Party warned
“not to ignore” the North Korea’s daily and continuing hostile remarks. [According to him,] These are not an ordinary
response. Another Central Party official
said, “The External Communication Unit and External Intelligence Agency had already
received reports about the enemy’s move on February 16 Holiday and the 100th
anniversary of the Day of Sun since end of last year, and they had sent letters
to ask South Korean government to stop it through many channels. We have been making it clear that we will
even wage a war if South Korean government encourages rather than controls the
anti-North activities by the groups mostly consisted of North Korean defectors,”
and said that waging war is not a just political rhetoric. Since the end of last year the North Korean
Security Agency obtained information that anti-North activities will occur in
both North and South at the same time by the anti-North organizations including
the defectors group on 2.16 and 4.15 holidays, and they have been devoting
their efforts on disclosing the spy connection in the country. At the time, North Korea had warned, “Scattering
fliers and setting up a broadcast for propaganda may be overlooked, but the
anti-North rally can never be overlooked," and that they would consider it
a war waging conduct.
“The Possibility of
North-South Dialogue Had Been Open since May”
One official of
the Central Party criticized South Korean government’s bellicose attitude
against the North Korea’s major agenda such as the recent Kwangmyongsong-3
launch, the memorial event of the Day of Sun, and the likes. North Korea issued warnings several times by
letter, and at the same time kept the door open for dialogues, but South Korea never
accepted that, according to the official.
He said, “We were about to start the dialogue with them from May if
South Korea government banned the anti-North activities acknowledging the
gravity of the situation, but they ignored.”
He also said that the plan has been
prepared already since the October of last year, even before the death of
Chairman Kim Jong-il, that “Keep on the hard-line to South until April, then
after the general election of South Korea, get into the soft-line by opening
the window of North –South dialogue.” He
said that the further plans have been prepared by considering both domestic and
international variables. The Central
Party official reported, “Our government thinks that Lee Myung-bak government
intentionally irritates us to wage a war. It will hold South Korean government
responsible for local skirmishes if any of it
happens in the future.”
