North Korea’s president Kim Jong-Un has urged citizens to prepare for a “difficult” crisis. Due to the corona virus pandemic the country brought trade with china, to a standstill, cutting off its economic lifeline.
Mr Kim appeared to compare the situation to the infamous deadly famine in the 1990s, when he spoke at a party conference calling on party officials to “wage another more difficult ‘Arduous March’ in order to relieve our people of the difficulty, even a little”.
This is also on top of existing international economic sanctions over Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
The term “Arduous March” is a term used by North Korean officials to refer to the country’s struggle during the devastating famine in the 1990s. The fall of the Soviet Union left North Korea without crucial aid leaving round 3 million people dead on estimate.
Reports say, there have been warnings for months that the people of North Korea are struggling and they seem to be coming especially from towns near the Chinese border, where smuggling would have been a huge earner for many.
In recent times,the price of corn, a staple in the diet of most of rural North Korea, has reportedly fluctuated tremendously that at times a kilogram of corn cost more than a month’s wages.
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