The release of an image captured by NASA showing the Korean peninsula by night has reignited public interest into the long-standing fuel shortages suffered by the bulk of the North Korean population.
Defectors have confirmed to Daily NK that while some hydro-electric power stations continue to function, most small and medium-sized stations remain shuttered, full of decrepit machinery.
Pyongyang and other areas that idolize the ruling Kim family are given first priority in the distribution of the limited power available in the North, meaning that those far from the center of power have no choice but to continue on with their lives in the dark.
Construction began on hydro-electric power stations throughout the country in the late 1990s in a bid to overcome the worsening energy shortages as quickly as possible. Today’s Huichon Power Station, the Changja River Power Station in Jagang Province, the Sungun Youth Power Station in Baekam County, Yangkang Province and the Samsoo Power Station near Hyesan are the results of this policy, defectors claim.
First priority for power distribution is given to buildings and zones that idolize the Kim family. Next in line is the military, powerful national organizations and public agencies. Pyongyang also receives more electricity than the rest of the country, as befitting its status as the “Capital of the Revolution.”
In contrast, those who reside in areas like Yangkang and North Hamkyung Province receive barely any power at all. Defectors report that days when the lights come on are few and far between, and creative methods have been conjured up to overcome the perennial shortages.
An inside source from Yangkang Province told Daily NK on the 5th; “A small amount of electricity was provided recently during the heightened crackdowns as a way to catch citizens contacting people in the South. Now, though, it’s hard to get power even for an hour a day. People either siphon electricity or use car batteries to generate power.”
A former employee at a distribution office now living in the South explained, “Powerful cadres get electricity after cajoling the office and installing their own power line. Those with money, too, are paying bribes to the distribution office and there are even monthly payment systems in place. Such people even install electric heaters in their animal pens.”
“The cadres siphoning the power at no cost to themselves go to great lengths to prevent light escaping during the night. Some go as far as covering their doors with blankets and placing multiple layers of paper on their windows,” the defector went on.
Those continuing to suffer from lack of electricity have come to adopt a number of coping mechanisms. One such method involves secretly connecting a line to a cadre’s power supply during the night to avoid detection. During the day the line is either disconnected or buried underground. In some cases, defectors say, a third line is secretly connected to the one stealing power from the original source.
“As such activities grow commonplace, quarrels erupt between people and the security agents have been able to punish the perpetrators accordingly. People are unhappy that the power only goes to buildings that deify the Kim clan, and some even say things like, ‘We live like dogs. We can’t use electricity even though we are living and breathing, but ridiculous structures [statues of the leaders] are able to be seen every night,” said the defector.
