Following a call by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to accelerate efforts to produce nuclear weapons, North Korean authorities recently ordered its trade officials and workers in China to contribute money to support the country’s military industry.
“Officials are running around to borrow money after North Korea ordered trade delegations and workers to ‘contribute to the fatherland’s military industries by collecting munition funds of loyalty, even if trade officials and overseas service sector workers have to sleep little and eat less,'” a reporting partner in China told Daily NK on Friday, speaking of condition of anonymity.
According to the reporting partner, North Korea is demanding payments of “munition funds of loyalty,” calling on North Koreans working overseas to “make emergency preparations to contribute their share to the material and technical base for the country to become a great nuclear power nobody can touch through the rapid development of our military industries.”
While hurriedly demanding that officials and workers carry out the payments to mark the holiday celebrating the birthday of North Korea’s late founder Kim Il Sung on Apr. 15, North Korean authorities called on them to meet their assigned quotas of money and to keep the order secret so that outsiders do not learn of the effort.
However, officials at North Korean trade delegations in China and on-the-ground managers are going around to Chinese traders and acquaintances to borrow money, explaining to them that they have been tasked with contributing the funds. This has led to rumors spreading that the North Korean authorities issued such an order, the reporting partner explained.
For example, North Korean trade officials and on-site managers are telling Chinese traders and acquaintances: “When they tell us to send money because the fatherland is struggling, if we fail to pay up, it won’t matter how well we’ve done in normal times. Please lend me money. I’ll pay it back later with interest.”
Some officials are asking lenders to change the money into dollars at banks, while others tell lenders they can simply send the money to a particular account.
“North Korean trade officials said they are collecting RMB 2,000 [around USD 290] per person in munition funds of loyalty,” said the reporting partner. “They are lamenting their situation, complaining that they’ll become debtors and swindlers if the fatherland suddenly orders them to return home.”
Meanwhile, the reporting partner said some Chinese traders and acquaintances are refusing to lend money, even as they take pity on the North Korean officials. To the requests, they are responding: “This isn’t the first time you’ve asked for money, and won’t the funds collected ultimately support North Korea making nukes?”
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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