North Korea in Response to the Crises in Middle East

North Korean authorities blocked all cellphone lines that have been opened for two months and sent personnel to university dormitories to watch out for 24 hours.

A source in the city of Hyesan in the Yanggang province said on Thursday to Radio Free Asia that “the news that the series of popular protests in Africa and Middle East overthrew governments are spreading quickly in this area through personnal connections to citizens who have access to phones.”

He explained “most of the North Koreans who have been sent to Libya as nurses and construction labourers are personally connected to the officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and members of armies under the cabinet. The news of Middle East are sent by those persons [in Libya] and are quickly spreading to these regions.”

The source also spoke of an increase in the number of college security guards from 1 to 4 after Kim Jong Il’s birthday (February 18) and newly installed securities in order to watch over students’ daily behaviours.

A counter-Pyungyang radio Free North Korea Broadcasting quoted a source in the Hamgyung province that “the securities in borders had a meeting recently to discuss the ways to prevent popular disturbance, that included thoroughly blocking the borderlines and closely watching over the families and friends left by defectors.”

The source also informed that “they [the securities] also considered intercepting telephones and paralyzing all communications owned by those who seem suspicious.”

Another source in the city of Hoerung in the Hamgyung province said “there are many security guards in the marketplace but they do not interfere commercial activities.”

The sources predicted that there is “little possibility that the pro-democracy movements in Middle East will have an immediate impact on North Koreans, despite of their increased discomfort due to the halted service in cellphones and home phones except those of high officials.”

On the other hand, there are estimated 200 North Koreans staying in Libya as nurses, doctors and construction workers.

Translated from original article: http://www.nocutnews.co.kr/email/email2009/news_print.asp?idx=1728515&gubun=TOP