Hyesan officials are discussing building new housing for families whose houses were destroyed by a series of explosions on Aug. 3, Daily NK has learned.
According to a Daily NK source yesterday, city officials plan to start construction on the new housing immediately after the end of the monsoon season.
The source said that city officials have emphasized that while construction labor will be provided by the local government, building materials for the new housing must be supplied through “self-sufficiency.”
“The authorities told locals affected by the incident to discuss [how to supply] cement and concrete [for the new housing],” the source said. “They also said that [locals who lost their homes] must provide lunches for construction laborers.”
Hyesan authorities also told them to “quickly decide on how the construction would go ahead” and if they “fail to come to an agreement” then the housing construction will go ahead as “originally planned.”
According to the source, the authorities have essentially threatened the now homeless people that they will “choose a person from the same district [Tapsong District]” if they are unable to pick a director to manage a committee deciding on items related to the construction project.
Families who lost their homes have reportedly expressed frustration with the response from the authorities. “They are still sad over the loss of their loved ones and are focused on caring for the many people still in the hospital,” the source said, adding, “People find it ridiculous that Hyesan authorities are asking them to hand over money [for the housing construction].”
He further said that “people are having a hard time understanding why government officials are suddenly interested in building the homes when the same officials failed to provide them with a temporary place to stay after the explosions destroyed their homes.”
According to him, some people are speculating that the reason why the authorities “can’t ignore the problem” is because news of the incident spread to China and other places.
The source also noted that families affected by the incident have all been provided with “storage boxes” to place portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
“The storage boxes were given out to the people even before they were given new housing, which they desperately need,” he said.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
