Amid economic hardship, a growing number of North Koreans are flocking to gold mines in Unsan and Pakchon counties to earn money through odd jobs or gold panning, a source in North Pyongan province said recently.
Unsan and Pakchon counties are home to gold mines operated by powerful agencies such as the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the Supreme Command of the National Guard. Alluvial gold is known to occur in the rivers and streams of the two counties.
Gold mining in North Korea has been slow, as gold exports declined after the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, fewer people panned for gold as the North Korean authorities cracked down on private gold sales.
North Korean authorities still consider the private mining and sale of gold illegal and severely restrict the practice, but people still pan for gold – a potentially profitable venture – by bribing enforcement agencies, the source said.
“Since the enforcement officials also need money, more and more of them are taking bribes to allow private gold panning,” the source said.
Under these circumstances, even people in coal mining areas have recently begun working in gold mines instead.
Coal mines provided rations even during the Arduous March, but recently, as more and more mines either delay the provision of rations or provide rations only for individual workers without provisions for their families, residents of coal mining areas are increasingly worried about their livelihoods.
As a result, even residents of coal-mining counties have been flocking to coal mines using the so-called “8.3 method” – paying a fixed amount to their official workplace to skip work and earn money elsewhere.
“Since coal mining companies need workers to pay for ‘8.3. work,’ and workers can make money in gold mines, gold mining is coming back to life when several conditions come together,” the source said.
Residents of coal mining areas are earning money in the gold mines by transporting or crushing ore.
So-called gold traders, who buy and sell privately mined gold, are also gearing up. Gold dealers kept a low profile during the COVID-19 pandemic while North Korean authorities cracked down on the buying and selling of gold, but as gold mining has heated up recently, gold dealers have begun to move.
“Because gold dealers are buying gold, many people working in the gold mines are filling their pockets with stolen ore,” the source said. “It feels like all gold-related activities are picking up again.”
The Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
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