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WELL STOCKED: Kim Jong-un at a new potato plant in Ryanggang Province, North Korea
The beggar country could be tipped over the edge if a plan to cut off its oil supply goes ahead, experts warn.
Donald Trump has called on Kim’s ally China to impose even harsher sanctions on North Korea in a bid to halt its nuclear weapons programme.
But he has been warned this could send the country back to the Dark Ages.
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North Korea is a largely mountainous region that outside of the capital Pyongyang suffers from very poor standards of living and is heavily reliant on farming.
It experienced a devastating famine between 1994 and 98 and over a million people are estimated to have died.
Since the famine, most people in rural regions live isolated, humble existences despite the government propaganda boasting of nationwide prosperity.
The North Korean army is already struggling to find resources, according to reports coming out of the country.
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PYONGYANG: North Korean life in the capital is very different from rural areas
“After this, the soldiers were taken through the ideological and physical drills and told to express their enthusiasm for becoming ‘young heroes of the nation,’ but their reactions were lukewarm at best.”
Soldiers are now ordered to acquire their own supplies, a stark contrast to the situation under Kim Jong-un’s predecessor, his dad Kim Jong-Il, who ensured they were well fed and feasted on the first of every month.
“It is quite absurd that military personnel have to collect these provisions themselves. And such orders were handed down in all provinces, covering all military divisions across the country,” said the source.
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ORDERS: Kim giving advice to his generals in Ryanggang Province
The Kapsan region is one of many to suffer from increased looting and raiding by the military on civilian villages and fields.
Soldiers from the 43rd brigade swept out across a large farm on November 2 at night and plundered the corn, an unusual event before recent times according to the source.
A North Korean defector revealed: “The main difficulty conscripts must endure is constant hunger.
“Soldiers in the special units are well taken care of but those stationed outside the capital Pyongyang are only given two or three potatoes a meal or are fed solely on raw corn kernels or corn rice.”
The defector went on to say: “The military police are always on the lookout for soldiers who’ve escaped to look for food.
“I’ve heard that some senior officers will even order soldiers to go out and steal. If they fail they may be punished.
They told the Sun: “In my high school class, there were 25 boys. Five went to college and the remaining 20 went into the military.
“Soldiers are given home leave to recover. Most are too weak to even walk by themselves, so their parents pick them up and feed them back to health.
“When they improve they go back to the army.
“The lucky ones serve in the special unit or serve under good officers who take care of them.
“The unlucky ones die of hunger before their parents have a chance to help them. The only thing these parents pray for is the safe return of their sons.”
The UN Security Council capped NK’s crude imports in September.
At the time, President Trump called for a blanket ban, but conceded to appease Russia and China.
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