With China having cut off North Korea’s
mineral exports, Pyongyang’s Central Party propaganda officials have been
disseminating rumors that resumption of coal and mineral shipments is imminent in order to dissuade the country’s newly affluent middle class, known as the
donjuLiterally "masters of money," donju refers to people who hav... More, from halting their investments in related facilities.
DonjuLiterally "masters of money," donju refers to people who hav... More are the fulcrum of North Korea’s coal
industry, their massive dollar investments propping up foreign-currency earning
enterprises tasked with production and export of a product
providing North Korea with much-needed cash from a resource-strapped China. These “money masters,” as literally defined in Korean, wield their sizable monetary influence to secure the land surrounding coal mines, the ports exporting portions of it, and every logistical detail connecting the two. The greater Jikdong Mine area in South Pyongan
Province is known to have a high concentration of such operations helmed by donjuLiterally "masters of money," donju refers to people who hav... More from across North Korea.
“On news that coal exports have come to a
halt, donjuLiterally "masters of money," donju refers to people who hav... More, the chief actors in the country’s coal distribution industry, have stopped investing,”
a source from South Pyongan Province told Daily NK on Tuesday. “Some had been
thinking of completely giving up their coal handling and storage facilities,
but with the rumors of exports starting back up in a few months time they’re now mulling over whether to reinvest.
This news was corroborated by two separate
sources in the same province.
It is important to note that these rumors
are not coming from members of the public, but from ‘above’ (state
authorities), the source explained, stating, “The Party’s Department of
Propaganda and Agitation is even creating chatter that people should invest
during the temporary suspension so they can benefit from the lower prices.”
Such talk has cast many donjuLiterally "masters of money," donju refers to people who hav... More into a state
of confusion, scrambling to determine if current circumstances should be
considered a “perfect opportunity,” or “a dangerous gamble.” Most have
solicited trusted Chinese traders with whom they share personal and
professional ties to help them arrive at a decision.
Certainly, such deliberation is distressing
for officials, who know full well that a prolonged strangle on donjuLiterally "masters of money," donju refers to people who hav... More investment
could eventually challenge the operation of the mines themselves, and by extension stymie a
robust source of funds buttressing the leadership. Moreover, rations, however
meager they may be, are nevertheless anticipated by the workers and miners
moored to these enterprises. To cut them off suddenly could sow further discord
and have disastrous repercussions for management and further up the chain of command.
For their part, ordinary residents welcome
the chance to see coal banned from export trickle down to them for fuel
instead. This is improbable, said the source, because “the priority for those above [Kim Jong Un] is securing
funds for the Party; they’d never sell it off cheaply.”
