Facebook
Twitter
Meetup
Advertisements, links with an http address and inappropriate language will be deleted.
2017.06.28
| Won | Pyongyang | Sinuiju | Hyesan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exchange Rate | 8,070 | 8,050 | 8,095 |
| Rice Price | 5,800 | 6,000 | 5,900 |
A provincial plan to bulldoze housing in parts of urban Yangkang Province to make way for newbuild apartments has been met with resistance from local residents who fear the effect it could have on their livelihoods, Daily NK has learned.
People living in Tapseong-dong, an area of the border city of Hyesan that has now been designated for development, oppose the development plan because they fear that a portion of the construction expenses, not to mention the subsequent costs of maintenance, will fall upon householders rather than the state.
"People have been really unhappy since they unveiled this plan to get rid of the worn out old houses in Tapseong-dong and construct new apartments, a source from the city told Daily NK on the 18th. "Most people in that neighborhood don't want this plan simply because they've have been living comfortably enough thus far, spending their own money to either build new homes for themselves or fix up their existing places."
"Although the provincial authorities say that the proposed urban development plan is going to improve the city, people reckon the authorities just don't understand their real situation," he said. "In the event that the apartment construction plan gets the green light then the burden of paying for it, including civilian mobilization, will be on the individuals. Thats why people are firmly against it."
Those most strident in their opposition are the ones who most recently invested in their current properties, the source went on. "After all the years of hardships they went through to save that money to build up their homes they cant believe that they could be demolished now. A number of people have been refusing to participate in public meetings about the plan."
To a lot of ordinary local people, many of whom still struggle day to day, it is hard to understand why the authorities insist on focusing on relatively grand development goals when so many daily problems so badly need to be addressed. One result of the political decisions being made, the source said, is alienation of public sentiment.
"Those of us who have had stable lives thus far could begin to have a harder time if there is too much social mobilization and work on city beautification, mushroom factory construction or whatever this year," a second source warned. She went on, "If livelihoods are not stable then more and more people will start to distrust the state."
People living in Tapseong-dong, an area of the border city of Hyesan that has now been designated for development, oppose the development plan because they fear that a portion of the construction expenses, not to mention the subsequent costs of maintenance, will fall upon householders rather than the state.
"People have been really unhappy since they unveiled this plan to get rid of the worn out old houses in Tapseong-dong and construct new apartments, a source from the city told Daily NK on the 18th. "Most people in that neighborhood don't want this plan simply because they've have been living comfortably enough thus far, spending their own money to either build new homes for themselves or fix up their existing places."
"Although the provincial authorities say that the proposed urban development plan is going to improve the city, people reckon the authorities just don't understand their real situation," he said. "In the event that the apartment construction plan gets the green light then the burden of paying for it, including civilian mobilization, will be on the individuals. Thats why people are firmly against it."
Those most strident in their opposition are the ones who most recently invested in their current properties, the source went on. "After all the years of hardships they went through to save that money to build up their homes they cant believe that they could be demolished now. A number of people have been refusing to participate in public meetings about the plan."
To a lot of ordinary local people, many of whom still struggle day to day, it is hard to understand why the authorities insist on focusing on relatively grand development goals when so many daily problems so badly need to be addressed. One result of the political decisions being made, the source said, is alienation of public sentiment.
"Those of us who have had stable lives thus far could begin to have a harder time if there is too much social mobilization and work on city beautification, mushroom factory construction or whatever this year," a second source warned. She went on, "If livelihoods are not stable then more and more people will start to distrust the state."
