Archive for December, 2012

DPRK grain imports from China show annual decline in October

Saturday, December 1st, 2012

According to Yonhap (via the Korea Times):

North Korea’s crop imports from China plunged 62 percent in October from a year earlier, data showed on Saturday, spawning speculation Pyongyang’s crop yield was not hit as hard by floods this year as was predicted.

According to the data compiled by the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI), North Korea imported 22,331 tons of crops such as flour, rice, corn and bean in October from its neighboring country, compared with 59,369 tons a year earlier.

The October figure was also down 38 percent from the previous month, according to the data.

In the first 10 months of the year, the North imported a total of 239,325 tons of crops from its strongest ally, also down 23 percent from the 310,106 tons a year earlier, the data showed.

The data followed projections North Korea’s crop yield would plunge this year, due mainly to unfavorable weather conditions that swept the country in late-summer, exacerbating the chronic food shortage in the poverty-stricken nation.

North Korea imported a total of 376,431 tons of crops from China last year, following 313,694 tons in 2010 and 203,390 tons in 2009, according to the data.

Read the full story here:
NK’s crop import from China dip 62% in October
Yonhap (via Korea Times)
2012-12-1

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Goal of social science: Modeling whole society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism

Saturday, December 1st, 2012

Pictured Above (Google Earth): The North Korean Academy of Social Sciences (사회과학원).

This marks the 60th anniversary of the Academy of Social Sciences in Pyongyang. I mapped out the facility above with the help of a defector who is from the area so now is the time to post it.

In acknowledgement of the anniversary, KCNA issues a rather humerous statement on the role of the organization:

Kim Jong Un Refers to 60-year-long History of Academy of Social Sciences

Pyongyang, December 1 (KCNA) — The dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un in his letter “Our Social Sciences Should Actively Contribute to Accomplishing the Cause of Modeling Whole Society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism” referred to the 60-year-long history of the Academy of Social Sciences.

The letter says:

President Kim Il Sung founded the academy, looking forward to the victorious morrow in the flames of the fierce Fatherland Liberation War.

Since its foundation the academy has traversed the proud road of development along with the triumphant advance of the revolutionary cause of Juche under the wise leadership and warm care of Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il.

Kim Il Sung, who founded the immortal Juche idea in his early years and gave origin to the Juche-based social sciences, clearly indicated the mission and duty of social sciences in our era and wisely led the struggle for carrying them out. It was thanks to his leadership that our social sciences entered the new road of the Juche-based development, away from the already established framework, and sciences of all fields including philosophy, economics, linguistics and history developed into the Juche-based social sciences contributing to the revolutionary struggle and construction for the independence of the popular masses and put on a high level of the development of human social sciences.

Kim Jong Il conducted energetic ideological and theoretical activities, comprehensively developing in depth the Juche idea and the Songun idea founded by Kim Il Sung, and thus made them shine as the perfect guiding idea in the era of independence and put various fields of social sciences including Juche philosophy and science of literature and arts on the highest position.

Under the wise guidance of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il and under their warm care, the Academy of Social Sciences has turned into a reliable institution supporting the Workers’ Party of Korea in terms of ideas and theories and a comprehensive center for studying social sciences.

The academy has positively defended the idea and authority of the party and the leader, true to the party’s policy of social sciences at each stage and in each period of the developing Korean revolution, enriched the mental and cultural assets of the country and the nation with the precious achievements in scientific researches and thus contributed to developing the WPK’s ideas and theories and accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Juche.

The scientists of the academy have powerfully proved and widely explained and disseminated the greatness and immortal feats of the three commanders of Mt. Paektu and the originality, validity and vitality of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism. They have also authored varieties of theoretical books and dictionaries of national value, successfully translated and compiled national classics, unearthed precious historic remains and relics, ascertained their historical age and restored them to their original state, thereby putting our social sciences on a high ground we can stand proud of in the eyes of the world and giving full play to the advantages of the history and culture of the Korean nation.

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