North Koreans are rushing to prospect for gold amid rising international prices, defying government bans through an elaborate system of bribes.
According to a source in North Pyongan province, prospectors are increasingly renting farmland between the fall harvest and spring planting for large-scale gold hunting operations. This marks a shift from traditional gold panning in rivers and streams to a more organized approach targeting agricultural land.
These amateur prospectors are not taking any half-measures – they’re renting heavy machinery like excavators to dig up the fields. However, since private prospecting is illegal in North Korea, the operation requires an intricate web of payoffs to local party officials, police, and state security agents.
To legitimize their activities, prospectors often bribe branches of state-authorized foreign currency earning agencies, such as the Number 5 Management Company, to operate under their umbrella. The scheme works particularly well on farmland because the prospecting can be disguised as routine field preparation and fertilization.
Farm managers are typically eager participants, viewing the arrangement as beneficial for spring planting preparation. However, failing to bribe the right officials can lead to swift consequences. Earlier this month, inspectors from the provincial agricultural management committee discovered unauthorized prospecting on a collective farm in Sinuiju, leading to an investigation of farm managers.
“The prospectors got into trouble because they tried to cut corners,” the source explained. “If they’d paid off the committee members from the start, there wouldn’t have been any problems.”
“While the government officially prohibits private prospecting, you can rent entire fields for mining if you know who to bribe,” the source added. “In North Korea, money opens all doors.”
December 24, 2024 at 06:02AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)