North Korea Prepares Its People to “Chew the Roots of Plants Again”

The regime has shown in the past that it is more than willing to let hundreds of thousands of citizens to starve to death because of sanctions and it appears they are getting ready to do it again:

North Korea is telling its citizens to prepare for famine.

State-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun published an editorial Monday telling the people of North Korea that food shortages and economic hardship are on the horizon, Time reports.

The news comes less than a month after the United Nations Security Council handed down  harsh sanctions for North Korea continuing its nuclear and missile programs. The sanctions, targeted at the nation’s elite and their assets, prohibit certain luxury items and ban exports of resources being used to finance the country’s weapons pursuit.

A result of this struggle, the editorial says, “We may have to go on an arduous march, during which we will have to chew the roots of plants once again,” invoking a metaphor used by North Korean leadership for the four-year famine in the country beginning in 1994, during which approximately 3 million people died.

“The road to revolution is long and arduous,” it continued, calling for renewed support for Kim Jong Un in the form of a “70-day campaign of loyalty” that involves each already-struggling residents of Pyongyang donating two pounds of rice per month to state warehouses. Farmers are also being forced to “donate”portions of their crops to the military. [US News and World Report]

You can read more at the link.