Many people in Hamhung, South Hamgyong Province, are quite unhappy after the authorities recently raised fees to use the bathrooms in local markets.
A source in the province told Daily NK on Friday that the Hamhung people’s committee raised the fee to use the bathroom at markets from KRW 100 to KRW 200 this month.
“People who use the marketplace bathrooms are complaining about the measure,” he said.
According to the source, the price hike originated during an emergency meeting of the party committee of South Hamgyong Province in the middle of last month.
With major cadres from the provincial, city and county parties, the prosecution, Ministry of State Security, Ministry of Social Security and people’s committee in attendance, the meeting dealt with a number of pending issues, including the construction of the greenhouse farm in Yonpo and food shortages.
Among the topics, however, the meeting reportedly held concrete discussions on ways to support the construction of the greenhouse farm in Yonpo.
The Rodong Sinmun reported on Feb. 19 that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for construction of Yonpo Greenhouse Farm to be completed by this Party Foundation Day. Kim had attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the farm in Hamju County, South Hamgyong Province, on Feb. 18, stressing the importance of distributing vegetables to the people.
The emergency provincial party committee meeting brought up the need for efforts to support construction of Yonpo Greenhouse Farm with little time left before the Party Foundation Day deadline, with the chief secretary of the provincial party calling for ways to raise money to support construction.
The source said somebody at the meeting brought up a plan to raise fees to use marketplace bathrooms as a way to put together the money for support activities. After a discussion, those attending the meeting decided to adopt the plan immediately.
Afterwards, the people’s committee of Hamhung called in the heads of market management offices on Aug. 27 for a meeting to convey the decision of the provincial party’s emergency meeting, and ordered them to double the bathroom fee starting on Sept. 1.
Accordingly, Pyongsu Market, Sapo Market and other marketplaces in Hamhung started charging KPW 200 to use the bathroom each time, doubling the previous KPW 100 fee.
Local people are reportedly quite displeased with the fee hike.
“People are complaining that ‘[the authorities] are now using clever means to loot them,’” said the source. “Locals snort that it’s absurd that they are raising the bathroom fees when paying market fees is tough enough.”
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