Foreign currency earners in North Korea were persuaded to donate “loyalty rice” this year in order to ensure sufficient No.2 (wartime) rice reserves reached the people, a source has revealed.
People’s Committee overseers attempted to persuade those with personal rice stocks to offer it up to the state in exchange for a “letter of commendation” direct from Kim Jong Eun.
The source from North Hamkyung Province told Daily NK on the 21st that, “Recently, overseers were dispatched from the executive department of the No.2 rice store to tour workplaces and People’s Units within each district, where they tried to procure ‘loyalty rice.’ Those sought out were people rumored to have a lot of money, and foreign currency earners.”
Furthermore, “The overseers tried to persuade these people by saying, ‘The more you provide the better the reward.’ For example, if 500kg worth of rice was donated, a commendation and thank you note from the ‘Marshal’ was promised.”
“It was said the thank you note would result in favorable treatment if they were ever caught doing something wrong. But this was deceptive, as many have received the promised certificate and reaped little benefit, which they are not happy about,” the source explained.
Via its network of inside sources, Daily NK reported in the first half of this year that the North Korean authorities had distributed wartime rice reserves to the people. Sources believe that this move has resulted in relatively stable rice prices in markets across the country.
“As the wartime reserves stored in warehouses lessened due to this years’ distribution drive, overseers started large scale procurement of ‘loyalty rice.’ Their intention was to give their performance results a boost. However, the people were well aware there was almost no value in giving up their rice, so they would disappear before the local overseer turned up at their house,” the source reported.
Others have responded to this move by asking, “Is the party ordering the procurement of ‘loyalty rice’ because they anticipate that the wartime reserves will be insufficient?”
Finally, the source explained, “The authorities are maintaining that they will keep their promise to those ‘model zone’ laborers, and provide them with 70% of the harvest. But as soon as the laborers saw the overseers going to such pains they began to get worried, saying things like, ‘Are they giving out large portions of the newly harvested rice because the wartime reserve has been exhausted?’”
The No.2 store is a national rice reserve capable of feeding the military for a three year period should war break out. Generally, newly harvested rice is added to the store each year, and the older rice is distributed to the people.
