North Korea’s Spring Farm Supporting Activity, Students Suffering Greatest Damages

[imText1]An inside source in North Korea informed in a telephone conversation with the DailyNK on the 27th, “Normally, the rice-planting season begins on May 20th. This year authorities announced it started on the 5th” and added, “Students, laborers, the unemployed. Anyone who can work is being called.”

Further, the source said, “Fertilizer was distributed from the 7th by the South Korean Red Cross… In some provinces of North Hamkyung, fertilizer was sent on two occasions, on the 7th and 9th.”

Distribution of fertilizer began in March. So far, around 139,000tons of the 300,000tons promised has been sent to North Korea. It seems that the government plans to send the remaining fertilizer by early June.

The source said, “As production on collective farms is relatively low, city students and laborers are being called in a plot to increase production” and explained, “It is obvious they are trying to restore the rations by increasing food production.” Following the nuclear experiment last October, North Korea has claimed that circumstances have now allowed for the people to live good lives and hence is trying to restore the distribution system.

However, the North Korean people have already found their own means of survival and are paying no attention to the authority’s propaganda.

In North Korea, conscription for farm workers occurs all year round. In particular, Farm Supporting Activity which occurs every spring and fall becomes a national enterprise. However, it is customary for people who have participated voluntarily in the farm supporting activity all their lives to avoid the conscription.

The people who suffer the most during this season are students. In particular, reduced class times and excessive labor damages the students greatly, informed the source.

The moment North Korean authorities called for students to work on the farm supporting activity, all classes were suspended for 40 days in Musan, Hoiryeong and Yeonsa in North Hamkyung.

Students from various middle schools throughout Hoiryeong (Nammoon, Hoiryeong, Ohsandeok, Kangan and Ohbong Middle Schools) in grad 4, 5 and 6 were made to work on the farms. However, of these students, children with talents worthy enough to represent schools and those who displayed discipline in creative arts such as computer studies and Taekwondo are dismissed, informed the source.

Further, the source said, “Parents who are reluctant to send their children to the farms bribe officers with cigarettes asking them for a favor. But when this doesn’t work, they even get into arguments.”

“Each middle school student must fulfill their day’s worth of work (rice-planting an area of land, 200pyeong, equivalent to 660square meters)” said the source and added, “Class captains or vice-captains who receive cigarettes, alcohol and money from their parents to give as bribes often work in the food category and are excluded from physical labor on the farms.”

On the other hand, with the onset of farming duties, living costs have escalated a bit in North Hamkyung province. According to the source, a kilo of rice in Hoiryeong normally costs 50won, and corn 30won. However, rice now sells as 900won (US$0.3) and corn 300won.

The source said, “During the rice-planting season, opening hours for Jangmadang (markets) becomes shorter. People roaming around and caught without a license are dragged to the farms and forced to work for 3~10 days.”