As the oppressive summer heat drags on, more and more North Koreans are turning to traditional health remedies. This is especially true for farm workers, who face back-breaking labor under the scorching sun.
“It’s been so hot lately that you break into a sweat just standing still. Farm workers regularly make chicken or duck stews—they consider these healing dishes. They’re worried they won’t survive the summer if their bodies give out,” a source in South Pyongan province told Daily NK recently.
On farms in Sukchon county, groups of ten farmers share a duck or chicken stew once a week. The farmers see this as crucial fuel given the brutal work they face in the blazing heat.
Since meat is scarce in North Korea, crew members take turns providing a few chickens or ducks each week.
In previous summers, farm workers would approach wealthy donju—members of North Korea’s emerging business class—asking for nourishing meals that they’d pay back after the fall harvest. But authorities now strictly forbid farmers from using harvest proceeds to settle debts, making even this arrangement impossible.
Instead, farm workers now prepare their energy-boosting meals using chickens and ducks they raise at home, then log the costs in the farm ledger as group meals. When a worker shares a chicken with his crew, he records 25 kilograms of corn—equivalent to one chicken—as a personal expense in the books. A duck gets recorded as 35 kilograms, while a dog or goat counts as 150 kilograms.
The system allows farm workers to pool their personal livestock and get reimbursed during the fall harvest distribution.
Since no farm produce actually leaves under this arrangement, workers feel comfortable sharing substantial meals with their teammates, the source explained.
“Of course, the farm workers can’t be sure they’ll get properly paid back for their animals in the fall. But they need real food to do their jobs well, so they prepare these special meals to get through the worst heat,” the source said.
“People these days often survive on scraps and leftovers. Since farm workers can’t expect much reward for their hard work, they’re at least determined to protect their health.”
