North Koreans near Samjiyon, Ryanggang province, have faced various mishaps while blueberry picking to supplement their income amid the country’s ongoing food crisis. In late August, two middle school students who skipped class to pick blueberries were robbed by thieves of their day’s harvest and outer clothing, highlighting the risks faced by desperate foragers.
A source in the province recently told The Daily NK that more and more North Korean families are sending their children to work to put food on the table. In Samjiyon, many people are bringing teenage children who can do the work to pick blueberries, which are in season.
With so many people flocking to the blueberry fields, there are reports of theft and outright robbery.
“The blueberry picking season lasts about two months at the most. The 180-li (around 55 miles) route from Samjiyon to Mount Paektu is packed with blueberry pickers trying to make a living and blueberry buyers filling quotas for organizations and companies. This has brought out all the bandits,” the source said.
On Aug. 31, two girls from a middle school in Samjiyon went to a blueberry patch in the Mubong area early in the morning and spent the day picking blueberries. While on their way to the blueberry picking area, they ran into robbers. Fortunately, the two girls were not hurt, but the robbers took their buckets of blueberries and their outer clothes.
Bandits make off with 200 kilograms of blueberries
There are also many representatives of organizations and companies in Samjiyon who have set up tents and buy blueberries picked by others. In late August, masked men with knives approached some of these tents and made off with over 200 kilograms of blueberries, the source said.
“Despite the recent spate of crimes in the blueberry fields of Ryanggang province, people who have been robbed have no recourse and nowhere to report the crime. They say you should give your blueberries to the robbers if you want to live,” the source said.
“People say this is a world that will gouge your eyes out if you’re not careful,” the source added. “You can pick 3-4 kilograms of blueberries in a single day, with a kilogram selling for 25-30 Chinese yuan. People are so afraid of robbers that they travel to the blueberry fields in groups.”