Upon the 3rd year anniversary of Kim Jong Il’s death,
Pyongyang passed out food rations to residents across the nation, Daily NK has learned.
“North Korea held off passing food rations until right around the 3rd year anniversary of Kim Jong Il’s death,” a source in
North Hamkyung Province reported to the Daily NK on December 19th, adding that
rations of 3 parts rice and 7 parts corn were being distributed through the
Public Distribution Centers [PDC] throughout the nation on December 15th.
He noted that these particular food rations were sent by the
government in “consideration of the grieving residents,” and as a one-off event, “they will not continue.” These
were the first food provisions provided by the state since the potato ration
distribution back in October.
The allocated supply reportedly came to under half the normal amount,
unsurprisingly given the broken nature of the Public Distribution System, but “even though
the ration was half the amount of the stipulated amount to be distributed each
month, the Public Distribution Center was teeming with people the entire day,” the source pointed out. Most residents breathed a sigh of relief to see the distributions deploy
because rice prices rose back up to 5300 KPW [0.66 USD], he added.
Chronic droughts wreaked havoc on North Korea this year,
eroding harvest production in key sources of sustenance for residents,
particularly rice and corn. Against this backdrop, grain production in South Pyongan Province and
Hwanghae Province– areas collectively known as the “breadbasket” of North
Korea–amassed to drastically reduced output compared to a normal year. These factors saw the recent price of rice in the markets creep from 4800 KPW [0.60 USD] up to 5300 KPW [0.66 USD].
“If they blocked the market and regulated trade like last
year’s mourning period, there would be no way to stop rice prices from
spiking,” the source explained. However, because no protracted mourning period
was decreed this year, and rations were distributed as a sole occurrence near the third
anniversary of Kim Jong Il’s death, “the price of rice in the market will be
stable for awhile,” he asserted.
“The people call this ration ‘the holiday supply’ even
though they know that it’s the 3rd year anniversary ration,” he went on to add. “There needs to be more days [death anniversaries] like this in order for us to
be receive more ‘consideration.'”
Meanwhile, during the 10 year anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s
death in July 2004, North Korea distributed 10 days worth of food rations while
stringently regulating the rice trade, resulting in a spike in the price of rice sold
by traders from their homes and complaints by residents unable to afford to pay the difference.
