North Korean phone system blocked.

[Snow]

I just saw this on the Los Angeles Korean TV news. It seems that since Monday foreigners - diplomats and the like - living in North Korea, mostly Pyoungyang, have been unable to make phone calls to any North Koreans. They can call up other foreigners, they can make calls out of the country, but they can't call up any locals. Since a lot of what these guys do is business sorts of things, this is a problem. More ominous, though, why would the NK government cut the diplomats off from being able to talk to the locals. This is very worrisome. Anyone else have any insight?

[Dover]

1. Can you find a link to the story somewhere? It might explain the problem.

eom

[Snow]

3. Here's a link,

seems it's originally from a Russian news agency:
http://english.kbs.co.kr/news/newsview_sub.php?menu=1&key=2004082512

-snip-
In Moscow, the Itar-Tass News Agency says the city telephone network in Pyongyang has been suspended for a third consecutive day.
A correspondent of the Russian news agency stationed in Pyongyang told KBS in a telephone conversation Tuesday that international calls can still be made from the North Korean capital, but that intra-city telephone service has been dead for the past three days.
-snip-

But it really doesn't do anything to explain what's going on. Anyone else have a perspective on this? This could be something very serious folks - there could be a coup d'etat happening, or Kim might be planning a military adventure.

on edit:
Here's the original TASS link
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=1166496&PageNum=0

[daleo]

2. North Korea seems pretty paranoid about Bush lately

I can't really blame them, I am pretty paranoid about Bush too (yes, I know NK's leadership is said to be quite nutty as well). There was another thread about Bush planning war games near North Korea in late October (October surprise?), so they may be trying to limit contact between foreigners and their citizens out of fear of espionage, etc. Their recent name calling of Bush may be a manifestation of this fear.

[teryang]

4. Don't know what to think

Perhaps it is a political power struggle of some type. Could be justified or unjustified Kim paranoia.

My understanding is that the infrastructure in the North is on the brink of diaster, if not in diaster. I hear this in reference to the power, fuel supply and agricultural situation.

I noticed last night that history channel rolled out a Dictator Kim Jong Il program that ran practically all night over and over again.

The coverage of his gulag system was pretty ugly stuff. Also the litany of terrorist acts and kidnappings over the years, but not much new there. The interviews with escapees were interesting but only anecdotal evidence.

I wondered what it would be like if someone ran a special on American supported terrorism over the years. Our record would dwarf Kim's.
Our gulag penal system breaks a lot of records as well. The funny thing is that S. Korean criminal justice standards are quite lenient.

I can't read the tea leaves on this one. I've been waiting for some sort of coup for a while. Cheney hinted at such when he was over there last. Then several days later there was the huge explosion at Sinuiju which I believe was sabotage and had a heavy historical tinge to it because of the long tradition of railroad control being emblematic of political control. This is where MacArthurs advance failed and is a critical tie to China. The symbolic significance is so great, I felt the "roll back" fanatics who still speak in cold war rhetoric in weaker moments were at work, namely, Assistant Secretary Bolten, who has virtually vowed to destroy the regime.