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FILE PHOTO: A sentry post on the Sino-North Korean border in Sakju County, North Pyongan Province. (Daily NK)

Many families of North Korean border patrol officers along the China-North Korea border lack enough cash to buy food, Daily NK has learned.

“The families of officers of the border patrol in Hoeryong have recently been suffering food shortages,” a reporting partner in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. “The families used to make a living from the money earned from aiding and abetting smuggling, but they haven’t been able to earn that kind of money because of the border closure.”

Prior to COVID-19, many border patrol officers received huge bribes of RMB 5,000 to RBM 10,000 (around USD 733 to 1,466) from smugglers in return for meditating shipments of smuggled goods from China.

These circumstances allowed families of officers to live more affluent lives than ordinary people prior to COVID, but after the bribes dried up due to the closure of the border, even the families of officers began to suffer. 

The reporting partner claimed that officers’ families are suffering even more serious deprivations than ordinary people these days. 

What’s more, many officers feel even more helpless than usual given that “Soldiers’ Day” is approaching. During Soldiers’ Day events, officers must prepare meat, rice cakes and a variety of side dishes, but without money, they cannot buy the food they need.

This has led to complaints among officers’ families about the lack of rations from the government, including salted radishes. 

“Whenever Soldiers’ Day approaches, the families of border patrol officers get frustrated,” said the reporting partner. “They are unhappy about the government dumping the problem of feeding soldiers on the families of officers. Families of officers are acquiring food for Soldiers’ Day to protect the pride of their family’s breadwinner, even if they have to incur debts.”

Border patrol officers have recently been visiting smugglers to borrow money to lighten the load on their families, telling the smugglers that “they will pay them back right away when [cross-border] smuggling activities begin again,” the reporting partner added. 

Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler. 

Daily NK works with a network of reporting partners who live inside North Korea. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.  

Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

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