RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR NORTH KOREAN SOCIETY | http://www.goodfriends.or.kr | email:[email protected] Weekly Newsletter No.271 April 2009 [“Good Friends” desires to help the North Korean residents through humanistic point of view, and publishes “North Korea Today” describing the way the North Korean residents live as real as possible.] ___________________________________________________________________________ [Hot Topics] City of Hoeryong Deploys 70 Kkotjebis to Farms Kkotjebi Youth Team of Hoeryong Yungsoori Farm Commended For Good Work [Food] People in Dancheon City Live on 'Porridge' Recently Dancheon Gwangcheon District, “Nine Out of Ten Households Boil Only Water in the Empty Pot” Many People in Hongwon County Living on Porridge. Most Residents of Shinpo city Barely Survive by Eating Grass Roots or Herb Gruel Hanggudong, Nampo city, Food Situation Worsens as Trades with Japan Halt [Economy] A Variety of Tile Products Sold at the Soonchun Market Cheap Corn Prices in Wonsan [Politics] The Police Bureau in Hoeryong Called an Emergency Measure Meeting in Response to Burning of Cow Fodder Gaepoong County Ginseng Factory, Inspection Includes Farmers Soonam District in Chungjin, Holds a Public Trial for 12 Societal Crime Offenders Manpo City Holds a Public Trial for Illegal Dealers 1 [Society] Shinpo City, The health of the Elderly in a Nursing Home in Danger An elderly Couple Dead After a Life of Wandering Families Led a Roving Life Because of Debt [Women/Children/Education] Pyongsung Middle School Students, Earn Meals by Bicycle [Accidents] Train Carrying Corn Derails at Changyun County Station Bongsan County Warehouse Manager Murdered [Investigative Report] [Correspondence From Pyongyang] What Good Will it Be to Become a Delegate? ___________________________________________________________________________ [Hot Topics] City of Hoeryong Deploys 70 Kkotjebis to Farms Hoeryong City sent a group of 70 Kkotjebis detained at Travelers Camp during 2007 to farms to work as laborers. The group was divided into two and sent to Yungsoori Farm and Goongsimri Farm. City Party leaders called each group an ‘Independent Youth Team.’ Members of the Independent Youth Team lodge together and essentially earn their meals. They are assigned a daily task and should finish it before they get fed. At times they may not go to their rooms even after 10 in the evening unless the task is done. Depending on the number of workdays, they might be assigned individual contract work. A vast majority of these Kkotjebis are orphans who lost their parents and siblings during the hard spring of 2007 and are from different cities. A farm manager said, “These children of city workers were never exposed to farming, and were clumsy at first. But they are pretty good now.” Another farm worker said, “I understand there are other farms that received Kkotjebis. It seems that anyone who is over 16 years old among these children and who was detained at the Camp during 2007 and 2008 is sent to the farms.” Kkotjebi Youth Team of Hoeryong Yungsoori Farm Commended For Good Work An Independent Youth Team consisting of Kkotjebis from Yungsoori Farm of Hoeryong City was selected as the “Citation Unit of Triple-Revolution Flag.” This Team, which was described as ‘a hard-working unit like oxen,’ received the honor of attending the national ceremony celebrating ‘triple-revolution unit citations’ in Pyongyang. However, the participants from North Hamgyong Province received poorer treatments in comparison to 2 other area participants. Their assigned lodging was an old inn in Pyongyang that sees few customers. Rooms had neither heat nor blankets, and the participants had to endure cold nights. Consequently, most of them caught colds. The persons in charge of participants from North Hamgyong Province returned home with all their participants right after the ceremony. The original itinerary was supposed to last ten days. However, most of the members of the Independent Youth Team were so sick with colds that they had to return home after five days. The participants from other provinces were assigned to hotel rooms with heat and blankets, much better treatments received by those from North Hamgyong Province. [Food] People in Dancheon City Live on 'Porridge' Recently The main staple of people in Dancheon City, South Hamgyoung Province is porridge. Rich people sometimes can eat corn meal or non-glutinous rice but almost every family has been living on porridge for quite a long time. In Geumbong-dong, many people suffer. They wish to have one meal a day. They live on thin porridge and spend all day at the outdoor market to get some food for the next. Hong Kyung-sim (40s) who sells miscellaneous goods said, “All my family members wait for me coming back home. If I bring a lump of noodle, then they become relieved thinking that they do not need to starve that day. However, they make the noodle as porridge to eat longer. I often wake up in the middle of night because of starving family. Also I cannot sleep well because of worrying about meal for next day.” People who do not have anything to sell at the outdoor market go to mountains and the field to dig herbs. In the winter, people usually peel off the pine tree. Fortunately the spring almost came so people are desperately waiting for digging herbs in the field. People who work at the small factories and enterprises in Bokchun-dong say they have not received any food supply. Mr. Jung Pil-kyu (50s) said, “Surviving each day becomes so difficult, I wish I could eat to be full.” There are at least one or two people died from starvation in the family of Kim Ho-chul, Kim Kyung-hwan, Kim Seong-man and Lee Sang- hak. These people have been living on porridge and suffering from malnutrition since the last spring hardship season. Some of them died before the last winter ended. From the last spring austerity season to early this year, there are tens of people died from starvation in Bokchun-dong. There are also many people who cannot stand up due to the long-term malnutrition. The situation in Deokhung-dong is almost the same. The family of Kim Chul-so, Kim Kang-ok and Kim Kwang-geun easily skip one or two meals a day. Han Young-ae (50s), wife of Kim Chul-soo, said, “It is common to cry all day long. I need to cook the rice but there is no corn rice. I only cook herbs or grass roots with very little corn powder.” Myung-hee (20s), a daughter of Kim Kang-ok, also said, “All the family members: father, mother and younger brother are suffering from malnutrition and their faces are all swollen. We do not have proper clothes, either. We collect leaves due to lack of fuels during winter. When it is so cold that we cannot go out, we have no choice but to stay in the cold room and spend the time.” Choi Ui-chul (40s), who has not received food ration since last year, said, “People in the worst condition skip the meal very often and barely eat. Others who are in a better 3 condition also eat porridge as a main meal for two or three times a day. I am not sure whether my neighborhood is poorer than others or others are also in the same situation with us. Is my neighborhood poorer than others? I wish someone could tell me the truth.” Dancheon Gwangcheon District, “Nine Out of Ten Households Boil Only Water in the Empty Pot” Gwangcheon District of Dancheon City, South Hamgyong Province has been suffering from food shortage problem since last year till now. Every resident said, “Nine out of ten households boil only water in the empty pot.” They have been starving since February of the last year and are still suffering from food shortage. Due to the long-term starvation over a year, they lost their energy and many of them suffer from various kinds of diseases. Especially, there are many children and the elderly who suffer from malnutrition. There are many factories in Gwangcheon District; wood finishing factory, food factory, paper mill, soy factory, bean factory, and spicy paste factory, chemical factory, retired soldier’s factory, jar factory, and clothing factory. However, none of these factories are running properly. They cannot even imagine food ration. They were so much in short of food, clothes and fuel that they had the hardest time ever during the last winter. In place of the head of households who failed to bring money or food to home, females in every house were busy running around to look for food. Nevertheless, family members in every house from adults to children have scabs on their faces and they were all gloomy. Jeong Se-ok (40s) who works at the paste factory said in despair, “I sigh all the time. My husband cannot go to the factory to work. He says he has no energy. So, he gets dizzy after walking a little bit. Even when he becomes sick, there is nothing we can do. We, of course, do not have any medicine, but even taking medicine would not give effect because no food was taken to give energy.” Choi Dong-seok (40s) said, “There are many families who suffer from the hunger and diseases especially in Gwangcheon District in Dancheon City. Nearly 60% of children are absent from the school.” Many people in Hongwon County Living on Porridge Hongwon County of South Hamgyong Province is famous for being the most affluent area in the Province. It has been evaluated as self-supportive thanks to good farming and fisheries. However, even Hongwon County is suffering from serious food shortage problem just like the old saying, “Even a strong man cannot stand a long-term illness.” For the past few years, Hongwon County's output has been much short of its self-demand.