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Words attacking 'Dear Leader' Kim Jong-Il are scrawled on a poster featuring Kim in a military uniform.
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Sohn Kwang-Joo, editor of the NGO's "Daily NK," said in an interview with East-Asia-Intel.com that it was the first time hard evidence of organized anti-regime resistance activity has been obtained.
The photographs Sohn's group obtained included Kim Jong-Il's picture in military uniform upon which was written, in red ink: "Who are you Kim Jong-Il? You are the dictator. The people will not forgive you and will drive out of your throne. We want freedom and democracy. Reform and liberalization are the way to life." It was signed "The Freedom Youth Alliance."
The posters were found at the "Jan. 17 factory" in the city of Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province. In North Korea, factories and military units are often named after the dates of Kim Il-Sung's visit.
Daily NK is operated by a group of former North Korean defectors and refugees who have settled in the South. The group, the Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights, is headed by the highest ranking North Korean official to defect to the South, Hwang Jang-yop.
South Korean government agencies reacted cautiously to the reports, saying they were seeking additional information. Reports last year of dissent were subsequently discredited.
Dr. Cho Myong-Chul, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for International Economy (KIIE) who used to teach at Kim Il-Sung University before he defected to Seoul in late 1990s, said there were some isolated incidents in the past, like graffitti on toilet doors or leaflets scattered on the ground. "Now, more than anytime in the past, the atmosphere seems to be ripe for protest activities like these," he said.
Some of the photographs from inside the factory show posters, also in red, declaring: "Topple Kim Jong-Il" and "Let us rise to drive the dictatorial regime out."
