Daily NK
2020.12.23 2:36pm
Multiple sources say the North Korean military has commenced preliminary work for participation in the Eighth Party Congress, which is scheduled for January.
According to a military source in North Pyongan Province on Tuesday, a general assembly of party cells and elementary party branches has been underway since Saturday. Convened at the order of the Korean People’s Army Party Committee, the assembly has been reviewing tasks from the Seventh Party Congress and recommending candidates to send to the Eighth Party Congress.
A military source in Yanggang Province also told Daily NK that a general assembly of party cells to discuss the Eighth Party Congress has been underway since last Saturday and will convene until Thursday in accordance with “conditions” set by the political departments of individual military units. The assembly must make a final report of its decisions to the General Political Bureau’s Organization Department by Sat
Daily NK
Assessing the impact of North Korea’s border blockade
Locals hate the Storm Corps even more than the US because they are cracking down on smuggling and don’t treat them like people, a source told Daily NK
2020.12.22 1:24pm
For almost a year, North Korea has completely sealed off the Sino-North Korean border in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was an aggressive measure aimed at completely blocking the entry of the coronavirus, but also led to significant negative side effects for the country.
North Korea is facing serious economic problems because the closure of the border has hindered trade with China. What is more, the border blockade has greatly upset residents along the border who made their livelihoods from smuggling but who are now bereft of income. Meanwhile, the deployment of the Storm Corps to the border to enforce the closure has seriously weakened the country’s fighting power.