Every time there has been a protest or a bit of resistance by average North Korean citizens against some new policy or practice, some commentators were quick to predict that the regime in Pyongyang was on the verge of collapse. I am not one of that group; however, I do see that current dissents are indeed occurring in an environment that appears to be much more tolerant – circumstances are different. I will explain in a bit.

To begin, however, it is important to understand the backdrop against which current activities are taking place. There is a long and bloody history of protests and rebellions of various dimensions in North Korea that are often forgotten or ignored when discussing present day agitations.