North Korean residents in Hyesan are being forced to fund reconstruction efforts following severe floods in late July. The disaster destroyed embankments and barbed wire along the Yalu River, and locals are now being asked to cover all costs of reconstruction materials and supplies through imposed quotas, a source in Ryanggang Province told The Daily NK recently.
According to the source, the Hyesan People’s Committee in early August asked families in each neighborhood watch unit in the city to hand over 20,000 North Korean won to pay for construction materials (including gravel, sand, lumber and rebar) and workers’ supplies (tofu, eggs, pork and work gloves).
Families in Hyesan have been asked to make two more payments since then: 15,000 won at the end of August and 5,000 won on Sept. 3. In effect, each family was forced to cough up 40,000 won within a month.
According to Daily NK’s regular market price survey, one kilogram of rice sold for 6,580 won at a marketplace in Hyesan on Sept. 2. At that price, 40,000 won would buy about six kilograms of rice at the market.
For North Koreans who struggle to earn enough money for a single meal during a day’s work at the market, 40,000 won is an enormous amount of money. Being forced to fork over that money for public projects provokes anger against the state, the source said.
Flood victims in Hyesan asked to contribute
Moreover, the people of Hyesan themselves were among the victims of the floods. Far from being offered aid, the locals, who are desperate to rebuild their own homes, are being asked to contribute to the cost of reconstruction. This has the effect of doubling their discontent, the source said.
“What is the difference between the flood damage in Sinuiju and Hyesan? Why should Sinuiju residents reap all the benefits while we’re being squeezed? No matter how common non-tax burdens have become, no one is suffering more than we are right now,” a resident of Hyesan’s Hyemyong district was quoted as saying.
Another resident of the area openly expressed his frustration. “When the Japanese were in charge, people paid monthly school fees, and even in the Chosun Dynasty, tribute was paid to the government on a monthly basis. I don’t see how families can get by when they’re expected to meet double or even triple quotas from their neighborhood watch, their workplace, and their school.”