RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR NORTH KOREAN SOCIETY http://www.goodfriends.or.kr / [email protected] Weekly Newsletter No.298 September 2009 [“Good Friends” aims to help the North Korean people from a humanistic point of view and publishes “North Korea Today” describing the way the North Korean people live as accurately as possible. We at Good Friends also hope to be a bridge between the North Korean people and the world.] ___________________________________________________________________________ [Hot Topics] Most Wonsan Enterprises Forced to Close Their Doors 6.4 Vehicle Factory in Wonsan Manufactures Doors for Individual Homes instead of Trains Wonsan Shipyard, Once a Sought-After Employer, Now Struggles with Rusting Machinery Wonsan Fishery Enterprise Reduced to a Fraction of Former Output [Food] Volunteers Urgently Needed for Fall Harvesting in Tongchon County, Kangwon Province Increasing Absenteeism due to Food Shortage in Farmhouses near Sukwang Temple, Kosan County, Kangwon Province More than Half of the Residents at Seedling Farm Barely Manage to Live with Corn Porridge [Economy] State-Wide Grain Price Increase from September North Hamgyong Province Provincial Party Orders Severe Punishment for Illegal Trade of Pine Mushroom [Politics] 1 Large Gang of Thieves with Connections to the Police Apprehended in Pyongyang Renewal to the Discarding of Japanese Vehicles [Society] Patients in Drug Rehabilitation Center Left Untreated due to Lack of Medication Government Officials Should Concern Their Relative’s Record to be Promoted [Women/Children/Education] Mother Worried about Hospital Expenses Says “I cannot go to hospital for only myself while feeding sons potatoes” Poor Young Women Work for Day and Night or Marry Chinese Man [Accidents] Soldier Loses His Legs While Stealing Corn ___________________________________________________________________________ [Hot Topics] Most Wonsan Enterprises Forced to Close Their Doors The economic situation of most of the enterprises in Wonsan, Kangwon Province has taken a turn for the worst. As the food shortage lingers, an old reputation for prosperity has been replaced with misery. The seriousness of the decline is revealed by absenteeism. The 6.4 Vehicle Factory, the only factory capable of producing cargo trains in the nation, has 8,000 employees on its payroll. Currently, the number of employees reporting to work is less than 1,200. Wonsan shipyard has around 500 employees reporting to work out of 3,000. In the case of the Fishery Enterprise, only 700 report to work out of 2,500. As these represent the three banner enterprises of Wonsan, other enterprises are in worse shape. Recent completion of the Wonsan Youth Electric Plant has eased electricity problems in the area to some degree. Despite the improvement, only a few factories are in operation, such as the Patriot Textile Factory and Export Textile Factory, which are run by joint management. The other regular factories and enterprises are still not in operation. A simple shortage of raw material caused operation to cease, with the exception of the 8.3 Work Units and units producing daily necessaries. Many residents of Wonsan in the past could make a meager living by wholesaling used items imported from Japan. But in the past few years, Japanese products were banned, which caused a sharp drop in living standards. Residents exchange greetings with worries, saying “The price of grain increases with the coming chilly fall. How can we survive?” 2 6.4 Vehicle Factory in Wonsan Manufactures Doors for Individual Homes instead of Trains The 6.4 Vehicle Factory has been manufacturing cargo trains since the days of the Japanese occupation and has more than 6,000 laborers on its payroll. Even in the 1970s and 1980s, its annual production reached 200 to 300 trains. However, with the coming of the 1990s, it has almost suspended operations due to a shortage in raw material and electricity. Naturally, wages and food rations have stopped. Now that laborers have to take care of themselves, they have been trying to find ways to support themselves, causing massive absenteeism. Only around 1,000 workers report to work out of 6,000. The factory used to manufacture a few trains whenever the government provided steel plates. Now, even that has stopped. Instead, the factory repairs those damaged trains transported here or produces daily necessities as 8.3 products. The factory takes orders mainly for doors of individual homes and warehouses, charging around 180,000 to 200,000 NK won per order. Wonsan Shipyard, Once a Sought-After Employer, Now Struggles with Rusting Machinery The last ship the Wonsan Shipyard built was the 3,700-ton Ryongnamsan in 1985. Since then, there has been no other production. The shipyard is now primarily involved in the repair of ships rather than construction. Even repair operations present challenges because major machinery, including ship- hauling equipment, has been discarded due to excessive rust. Laborers in heavy industry, such as those at the 6.4 Vehicle Factory and shipyard, find it hard to transfer to other places of employment. In the old days when benefits were good, many people competed to find employment in these factories. Employers had to offer priority to those who finished military service and middle school graduates. These days, there are hardly any applicants and only about 500 laborers report to work in the shipyard out of 3,000. Wonsan Fishery Enterprise Reduced to a Fraction of Former Output The Wonsan Fishery Enterprise has 2,500 laborers on its payroll and is not considered a large enterprise along the east coast. The Enterprise is one of three major companies in Wonsan. In the past the Enterprise was doing relatively well because of large catches of flounder. However, since the navy took over the fishery farm, the fishery enterprise has reached the point where it had to cease operations. The reason for the end of the Fishery Enterprise lies in the method of the naval headquarters’ management. After enlarging operations to catch any and all fish without limitation, flounder numbers have been critically depleted. Additionally, the Daeheung Trade Company allowed Japan fishery rights in the area, causing severe competition with Japanese fishermen. Overseas 3 Fishery was attempted, but failed because of difficulties in facilities investments. Currently, only the No. 9 work unit is in operation, which sends caught fish to Pyongyang. Virtually all the fishing activities of the Fishery Enterprise have come to an end. The City of Wonsan currently has around 250 ships of different sizes in operation. Mostly of the ships belong to the military, trading companies earning foreign currency, and some wealthy people. Only those organizations or individuals capable of providing fuel can operate fisheries. Throughout Kangwon Province, small vessels with capacities of 8-HP (horse power) and 28-HP are concentrated in the Counties of Tongchun and Gosung. These small vessels are operated by individuals mainly because they require much less fuel to run. [Food] Volunteers Urgently Needed for Fall Harvesting in Tongchon County, Kangwon Province Since April 2009, most of Sindae village households in Tongchon county, Kangwon province have barely managed to live by only eating corn porridge. Those without corn porridge could not even go to work on the farm. Fall harvesting is difficult without the help of volunteers from Wonsan city. For being a poverty stricken area, less than 15 households have a television. Even less households have a fridge (refrigerator). About 4 households have a fridge, but it is useless because there is no electricity. Increasing Absenteeism due to Food Shortage in Farmhouses near Sukwang Temple, Kosan County, Kangwon Province Due to food shortage, many households near Sukwang temple, Kosan County, Kangwon Province barely manage to live on porridge at every meal. Because of such dire situation, more than 30% of 300 households could not go to work on the farm. As a reason for their absenteeism, they say that “there is no energy (physical strength) left for them to go to work on the farm.” If asked what they do when they do not go to work on the farm, they reply that they are busy doing various side jobs. To eat porridge, they do everything such as cultivating a patch of field up in the mountain or gathering medicinal herbs and sell them in the market. They pay no attention to farm management council’s propaganda to successfully complete the “150-day battle.” They simply ignore the farm management council’s propaganda because they feel that they are stuck in a dire situation with no hope. 4 More than Half of the Residents at Seedling Farm Barely Manage to Live with Corn Porridge There are about 80 households at a seedling farm located in Song-Buk Ri, Yi- Chun County, Kangwon Province and more than half of them barely manage to live with corn porridge. While they usually serve unglutinous rice for friends who come over, they do not even have rice for visiting friends let alone for themselves. The residents complain that they are very likely to die out of malnutrition and starvation. Li Mi-Hye (alias), a farmer at Chae-jong farm, said “Every month we have people die of starvation. So, we don’t have much feeling even at the news of someone’s death in the village. People even think those who died at the hospital for various reasons died because of starvation.” [Economy] State-Wide Grain Price Increase from September Starting this September there has been a sudden increase in grain prices statewide. For example, in Chungjin City, North Hamgyong Province, the cost of rice remained at 1,900 NK won until June then increased to 2,000 NK won in July and there have been signs of gradual increases starting from the end of August. That increase has reached 2,600 NK won by mid-September.