Food Riot Reported Near Camp 12, North Korea

North Koreans, it seems, didn’t really feel much like celebrating on February 16th:

One person was killed by armed guards on Feb. 16 when a group of people attempted to rob a food train at Komusan Railway Station in Puryong-gun, North Hamgyong Province, defector group North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity said. The attack came on North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s birthday after a disastrous currency reform sent food prices skyrocketing. The train was loaded with rice imported from China, the group said. Workers, outraged over the death, attacked armed guards with ploughs and police and military were called in.

“North Koreans are angry that guards shot a worker dead for a few kilograms of rice but protesters are unlikely to get off lightly because the incident happened on Kim’s birthday,” the group said. [Chosun Ilbo]

The North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity (NKIS) reported that a North Korean was shot dead in a fight after he, along with several other hungry residents, attempted to loot food items by jumping on a train in North Hamgyeong Province. The train shipping imported foods from China was passing through the region. The province shares a border with the northeastern part of China.

“A man, who was identified only as Jung, died during a physical fight with security forces,” the report said. [Korea Times]

Are North Koreans really resisting their government more, or does the proliferation of cell phones mean that we’re just more likely to hear about it when they do? My guess is that it’s a bit of both, since resistance against this regime certainly isn’t an entirely new development.

In any event, I was interested in knowing where this riot had occurred to put it into the context of the the region, prior reports of disturbances, and the size of the population there. Komusan turns out to be a small, isolated town along the railroad line from Hoeryong on the Chinese border down to the large North Korean city of Chongjin, the city described in Barbara Demick’s recent book. It also turns out to be just 7.5 miles as the crow flies from the village of Chongo-ri, which has given its name to the infamous prison camp I located just east of there, with much help from David Hawk and Chuck Downs, and some key tips from Curtis and my wife.

The north side of the town is taken up by what appears to be a large mill serving the numerous mines in the surrounding hills. As we’ve learned, there are copper mines in this area.

Here are some closer views of the town and the station.

This area has long been a hotbed of discontent. It’s geographically isolated, so disturbances would be easy to contain. That may be why various Korean regimes have long sent malcontents to this part of the country. But today, this area has become strategically significant. The main supply routes from China to North Korea run through Sinuiju in the West and Hoeryong in the East. This railroad line is the eastern route from China that supplies the provinces of North and South Hamgyeong and Kangwon. It runs south to Chongjin, then southwest along the coast to Hamhung, Hungnam, and Wonsan. North Korea’s interior is mountainous. It has a few roads and rail lines, but most appear to be poorly maintained. If disturbances interfere with this rail line, the next best ways to supply the east coast would be by ship, using those cities’ dilapidated ports, or by bringing the supplies through Sinuiju in the west through Pyongyang, then to Wonsan and up the coast again.