North Korean leader Kim Jong-un executed an official in charge of foreign currency exchange amid rising prices, low construction rates, and a sluggish economy, and a number of key cadres who violated epidemic-prevention regulations and shipped in supplies were also executed in August, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said at a plenary session of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, Yonhap News Agency reported on November 27.
North Korea has suspended fishing and sea salt production for fear of contaminating seawater with the neoconavirus, according to Kim Byung-ki, a member of the committee and a member of the Joint Democratic Party. Earlier this month, the DPRK blockaded the waters of Rajin, Hyesan, and more recently Pyongyang and Jigang Province, exacerbating economic difficulties due to the prolonged blockade.
According to the Korea Institute of Intelligence, the scale of DPRK-China trade in the first 10 months of this year has dropped to a quarter of the same period last year, at $530 million. Due to the embargo on goods from China, the price of foodstuffs such as sugar and spices has quadrupled. At the same time, North Korea’s industrial operating rate has fallen to its lowest level since Kim Jong-un came to power due to disruptions in the import of raw materials and equipment, while sanctions, epidemics, and floods have led to a crisis in the DPRK that could lead to unreasonable actions by Kim Jong-un.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service also revealed that North Korea unsuccessfully attempted to attack the internal network of a South Korean pharmaceutical company in order to steal vaccine information.
Recent Comments