Farm workers in North Korea are expressing frustration over receiving small allocations of the fall harvest despite their year-round labor, with tensions exemplified by a recent confrontation between a worker and manager in North Hwanghae province’s Yonan county over crop distribution.
During the harvest distribution, farm workers receive compensation in both cash and kind for their work over the past year, based on their attendance and performance. Points are allocated to each worker reflecting the number of days they worked and their level of effort. Those who have contributed more significantly to the farm’s operations are awarded additional points.
A Yonan county farmer in his mid-forties surnamed Kim (a pseudonym) had gone out to the fields each day, taking on arduous assignments, to ensure his family would be well-fed. But his actual share of the distribution fell far short of his expectations.
When harvest allocations were conducted on Nov. 15, Kim received 150 kilograms of rice, 100 kilograms of corn and 50 kilograms of wheat, all unthreshed. While that adds up to 300 kilograms, after threshing the edible part of the grain will only weigh about 250 kilograms — not enough to feed a family of three for the next year.
The family’s sole additional income came from the sale of vegetables from their garden by Kim’s wife. Consequently, Kim worked more diligently than his peers, never missing a day on the farm, in an effort to secure as much additional food as possible. He anticipated receiving 600 points, which would be two to three times more than what other workers received, yet he was only awarded 120 points.
Kim confronted his team leader directly, demanding that he ought to receive at least half of what he should have earned, if not the whole portion.
He was particularly incensed about another team member — a crony of the team leader — who had received the same number of points despite doing little work. The team member in question had been allowed to only work a couple days a week even during the busy season because he had supplied the team with fertilizer and machine parts.
Kim had felt obliged to complain about such an unfair situation. But the team leader dismissed Kim’s complaint out of hand, insisting that the distribution had followed regulations, and told Kim to keep his opinions to himself.
“At this rate, Kim’s family is likely to run out of food by March, potentially forcing them to borrow money or food,” the source said.
“Then they’ll struggle to pay back their loans in the fall as their economic situation gets worse and worse. That’s why farm workers aren’t motivated to work themselves to the bone,” he added.
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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