North Korea: The symbols of the Kims’ power under attack, North Koreans are waking up

Seoul – “To express their anger, people are increasingly attacking and damaging” the symbols of the Kim dynasty, a source in Korea told AsiaNews. “A statue of Kim Jong-suk, mother of the late Kim Jong-il, was damaged. A door of Kim Il-sung's birthplace in Pyongyang was stolen. In universities, graffiti are appearing against the dynastic regime. The government is aware of what is going on but is unable to stop it.”

The most surprising act of vandalism is certainly the theft of a door of Mangyongdae, the regime founder Kim Il-sung's birthplace in Pyongyang. Mangyongdae is the North’s most sacred place. As a result, the Minister of People's Security, Ju Sang-song, the closest aide to Kim Jong-il, was suddenly fired and has not been heard ever since.

The attack against the statue of Kim Jong-il’s mother is also significant. “People don’t want hereditary socialism,” the source told AsiaNews. “They feel they have been had because the regime had promised that everyone would have had the same chances in life after the revolution. Now they find themselves with a royal family.”

In September last year, graffiti reading "Hereditary succession is betrayal of socialism!" and "Down with Kim Jong-un!" were found at major universities and in market areas.

They were quickly cleaned but the authorities failed to find the culprits. “They can’t line up all the students against the wall. This type of opposition scares Communist leaders.”

As an excuse to build 100,000 housing units, a project that has been shelved, universities were shut down for ten months to send students to work. However, “as soon as universities were reopened, graffiti appeared again. Perhaps the succession is not the real reason, but greater awareness among North Koreans could lead to changes."