The number of homeless on the streets of North Korea is growing as people face increasingly severe economic struggles in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Against this background, Daily NK has learned that provinces were recently ordered to elevate the role of nationwide task forces aimed at managing the increase in kkotjebi, or homeless people.
“With citizens becoming increasingly impoverished due to the pandemic, the number of homeless is the rise, and the government has once again stepped in to address the problem through an order by the Supreme Leader [North Korean leader Kim Jong Un],” according to a Ryanggang Province-based source on June 11.
Although the homeless have long been a focus of government crackdowns since the 1990s – when their numbers skyrocketed because of the period’s economic crisis and famine – the source reported that authorities have recently been scrambling to come up with measures to deal with the sudden rise in the number of homeless on the streets.
Following the issuance of the order, officials in each province, city and county have reportedly been mobilized to serve as permanent members of the task force, including: members of provincial, municipal and county party organizations and people’s committees; officials of provincial, municipal and county police and prosecutors’ offices; and members of local Socialist Women’s Union of Korea and Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Youth League chapters. The authorities have essentially ordered all of them to help “stabilize the lives” of the homeless.
In particular, the Ministry of Social Security (formerly the Ministry of People’s Security) has ordered that homeless people living in regions outside of their original residencies should be returned and that anyone who has committed a crime should, in principle, be sent to forced labor camps as punishment.
According to the Ryanggang Province source, the central government’s move to throw more resources at the problem has led to a larger number of officials working to deal with the rise of the homeless in the province. Officials in the province have already begun “dispersing” homeless people roaming or loitering in train stations, train station waiting rooms, or in the vicinity of hotels, marketplaces and alleyways.
There are also plans to designate temporary shelters for the homeless in each province. The homeless are to be separated by age and sex and people will be hired manage these facilities, including kitchen staff. Ultimately, however, each province will be responsible for footing the bill for rice and other foods to be served in the facilities.
“Although efforts to improve the lives of the homeless are underway, provinces do not have the financial resources to handle large numbers of homeless people,” the source told Daily NK. “This is causing a headache for officials in each province, city and county who are unsure how they’ll be able to pay to house all of the homeless when they already face difficulties paying for food and construction materials to be sent to national construction projects.”
The order was handed down in Kim Jong Un’s name, which means local officials will have to find a way to see it through. Everything, however, comes down to money and that is something they lack.
“Officials have little other choice but to resolve the [money issue] by taxing the people more,” the source added.
*Kkotjebi originally referred to just homeless children in North Korea but is now used much more broadly to refer to the homeless of all ages
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
