The North Koreans changed their currency to catch those who made money. And now the North Korean regime has decided that it would be simpler to just shoot anybody trying to leave than to catch them, "try" them, and then work them to death in penal camps:
The National Defense Commission — the top government body headed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il — recently instructed soldiers to kill unauthorized border crossers on the spot, South Korea's mass-circulation Chosun Ilbo newspaper said, citing unidentified sources inside the North.
It said the order could be an attempt by the communist government to stop members of North Korea's middle class who are angry over suddenly being deprived of their money from leaving the country. ...
The reported move came amid signs of growing anger among North Korean citizens left with hoards of worthless bills.
On Monday, the government informed citizens and foreign embassies that it would redenominate the national currency, the won. But it limited the maximum amount of old bills that could be converted into new ones, telling residents to deposit the rest in government-run banks, according to media reports and diplomats.
There are widespread doubts among North Koreans whether they would be able to get their money back, they said.
Angry citizens burned piles of old bills at two separate locations in the eastern coastal city of Hamhung on Monday, the Daily NK, a Seoul-based online news outlet that focuses on North Korean affairs, reported Thursday, citing an unidentified North Korean resident.
It quoted the resident as saying he saw graffiti and leaflets criticizing North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in and around a college in Hamhung — a rare move in a country where the totalitarian government keeps tight control over its 24 million people.
I've stopped trying to predict when North Korea will collapse, although like this news the signs of collapse getting closer keep cropping up.
But as long as we don't save them from their own stupid policies, it is clear that North Korea is in a long collapse.
