Editing Politics of North Korea (section)

===Protests===
In 2005, a [[riot]] began at [[Kim Il-sung Stadium]] during a [[FIFA World Cup qualification|World Cup qualification match]], after a dispute between a Korean [[Football player|player]] and a Syrian [[Referee (association football)|referee]] and the subsequent [[Disqualification (sports)|disqualification]] of the player.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2005-04-02|title=Soccer Riot in Tightly Controlled North Korea Surprises Observers|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-apr-02-fg-soccer2-story.html|access-date=2020-09-14|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|language=en-US}}{{subscription required}}</ref>

Between 2006 and 2007, "market riots" erupted in the countryside when the government "unsuccessfully tried to restart" the Public Distribution System.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Lankov|first=Andrei|title=[[The Real North Korea Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia]]|date=December 2014|isbn=978-0199390038|page=108|publisher=Oxford University Press }}</ref> [[Andrei Lankov]] goes on to say that the "outbreak of public discontent usually happens at the markets when vendors believe that their right to make money is being unfairly infringed by some decision of the authorities".<ref name=":1"/>

In June 2011, it was reported that the government had ordered universities to cancel most classes until April 2012, sending students to work on construction projects, presumably for fear of [[Arab Spring|similar developments as in North Africa]]. In the previous months, the regime had ordered riot gear from China.<ref>{{cite news|title=North Korea shuts down universities for 10 months |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/8602525/North-Korea-shuts-down-universities-for-10-months.html |access-date=16 October 2018 |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=28 June 2011}}</ref> However, "as soon as universities were reopened, graffiti appeared again. Perhaps the succession is not the real reason, but greater awareness among North Koreans could lead to changes."<ref>{{cite news|title=The symbols of the Kims' power under attack, North Koreans are waking up |url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/The-symbols-of-the-Kims’-power-under-attack,-North-Koreans-are-waking-up-23970.html |access-date=16 October 2018|author1=Joseph Yun Li-sun |publisher=AsiaNews |date=14 Feb 2012}}</ref>