(14.9.2017) There was a rumor for a long time that the gas supply would be cut, but no one expected the stations would be closed all at once,” the source said, adding that speculation quickly spread that gas sales had ended because of international tensions over North Korea’s illicit nuclear and missile programs.

“Gas stations are regarded as state-run organizations, with some controlled by the military and others by the Daesong General Bureau of Office 39 of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party,” the source said.