Forget nukes, North Korea’s newest defensive weapon against the West is tinfoil.
“The central authorities are collecting tinfoil to support the military,” a source in North Korea’s North Hamgyong province told Radio Free Asia.
Pyongyang is instructing North Korean citizens to turn over all tinfoil to authorities, arguing it can help shield the North’s military secrets from Western satellites.
Children are even being sent out to find cigarette packs and strip them of the aluminum-laminated liners.
If a North Korean family cannot find enough tinfoil, the military will accept cash instead, which people reportedly see as an excuse to take money from the impoverished citizenry.
The Rochon military base is already covered with tinfoil, another inside source told RFA. “It is used specifically as a camouflage net for anti-aircraft machine guns,” the source revealed.
“The residents mock the authorities for collecting something that does not amount to a row of beans,” a North Hamgyong province resident revealed to reporters, “They criticize whether the North Korea People’s Army, which uses waste tinfoil for camouflage, is a proper army when advanced weapons are used in modern times.”
“The Korean People’s Army (KPA) should keep themselves fully ready to go into action in order to blow up the citadel of aggressors,” North Korean high command once told its soldiers. But, the North Korean military may not be up to the task.
While the KPA is becoming a more advanced fighting force with improved weapons, the military still faces numerous challenges, most of which tied to economic setbacks.
Last year, North Korea was forced to lighten the combat packs for the weak, malnourished KPA troops. There have been a number of reports of North Korean soldiers stealing to combat starvation.
“The authorities cannot feed the soldiers properly, so the number of soldiers who suffer from malnutrition is increasing. In this circumstance, what is going to change even if military facilities are disguised?” RFA’s source asked.
Send tips to ryan@
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.