SEOUL, Feb. 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has halved the size of Pyongyang in a possible bid to ease the burden of keeping the loyal residents of the capital well-fed amid deepening food shortages, sources here said Monday.
According to the sources that cited 2009 and 2010 almanac maps from North Korea, the city of 3 million has relinquished most of its southern half and a portion of its west to surrounding areas.
"We believe about 500,000 people have been excluded as Pyongyang citizens since 2009," one source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the maps were obtained through intelligence means.
Another source, also requesting anonymity, said the impoverished state appears to be trying to cut the costs of feeding the Pyongyang residents, considered the most loyal to the regime.
"It is possible that the benefits only given to Pyongyang residents have put pressure on the state finances," the source said, adding that Pyongyang occupied 2,600 square kilometers until last year.
Pyongyang is also home to the ruling elites that govern the country through rations and a military-first policy. It is located in the southwest region of the country that has a population of 24 million.
North Korea is one of the poorest countries in the world and its economic difficulties have deepened since it conducted two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, inviting tougher sanctions while years of economic mismanagement dried up the state coffers.
Despite the troubles, Pyongyang residents have enjoyed a special standing in the country, even carrying their own identification cards, while those entering the capital from outside are required to report to authorities regularly for a permit, the sources said.
"Another reason for the reduction of Pyongyang in size may be that the North is trying to develop the surrounding regions economically," one source said.
The Unification Ministry in Seoul said Monday in its annual assessment of the state structure in North Korea that Nampo, a port city to the west of Pyongyang, has been upgraded in rankings.
Nampo is no longer part of South Pyongan Province, now standing independently as a city and supervising several other towns that belonged to the province before the readjustment, the sources said.
North Hwanghae Province, which is south of Pyongyang, has also been expanded as a result of the shrinking of the capital, they said.
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Pyongyang covered in snow in late January. (Yonhap file photo) |
samkim@yna.co.kr
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