This is huge news. The indispensable Claudia Rosett has details:
“The plan has entailed issuing new banknotes, lopping off two zeroes, so 1,000 won becomes 10. People were given just one week to swap old money for new, after which the old notes would become worthless. A limit was placed on the amount that could be officially exchanged, effectively confiscating all individual savings worth more than about $40 at informal exchange rates.”
Yeah, I can sort of see how that might piss people off.
I would say that criticizing Kim Jong Il is about as dangerous as a German criticizing Hitler in 1937, but I suspect it’s actually more dangerous than that. For one thing, the concentration camps are a lot further along…
Bonus: So Ronery.
(Hat tip: Instapundit.)
Tags: Claudia Rosett, Communism, Kim Jong Il, North Korea