Some Chongjin residents were recently moved to tears by the story of a teenage boy struggling to make ends meet after becoming the sole earner for his household.
“Instead of going to school, the teenage boy is out every day from dawn until dusk dragging around a handcart to earn money. Chongjin residents who have seen the boy making the rounds can’t help feeling sorry for him,” a source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
The boy was forced to start providing for his family after his mother died of a disease. His mother had been the sole earner in the family, but after she died, the family faced starvation because no one else was earning money.
The boy has a father, but he is not in a position to take responsibility for the family’s finances, the source said.
“People take it for granted that women are the ones who ought to earn a living and keep their families fed. The men don’t know how to make any money — all they know about is the jobs they do without receiving wages or rations for their toil. If there aren’t any women at home, the other family members have little choice but to wait for starvation to overtake them.”
The Chongjin boy’s family faced a similar situation. His mother had been providing for the rest of the family, and their standard of living plummeted after her death. In the end, the boy had no choice but to start transporting items for other people just to keep food on the table.
North Koreans are now preparing for the winter, so the boy’s main source of income has come from transporting coal and firewood. But even after spending a whole day out with his handcart, he only takes home about KPW 2,000, the source said.
“A large number of families are in such financial straits that they face starvation, just like this boy’s family. There are also an increasing number of families that have exhausted their food supplies. Some North Koreans who witness these tragic circumstances are asking why the government isn’t doing anything when the people are suffering so badly.”
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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