Sources from Pyongyang have revealed that the authorities provided the people of the city with ‘special distribution’ to mark the 66th anniversary of the founding of the Chosun Workers’ Party on October 10th, advertizing it as stemming from Kim Jong Eun’s love for the people, the first time that such distribution has been described as stemming from the solicitude of the successor, rather than that of Kim Jong Il or Kim Il Sung before him.
A source from the North Korean capital explained to The Daily NK today, “Each Pyongyang citizen was provided with 13 days of distribution to commemorate the Party founding. Enterprises and people’s units described this holiday distribution as coming from the ‘Young General’s care’.”
The source continued, “A part of the rice from the No. 2 Store was released to form this special distribution, both to console the Pyongyang people who are being mobilized for all kinds of construction activities on the one hand, and to show that the Young General knows all about the difficulties the people are suffering on the other.”
No. 2 Store is used to maintain emergency supplies of rice, corn, shoes and clothing etc under the department of the Workers’ Party that oversees military supplies. It amasses grain stores at the end of every fall harvest for the military, while the food in the grain stores is ordinarily exchanged for fresh supplies once every 4 years.
The people of Pyongyang reportedly had mixed feelings about the arrival of the food.
“People had more interest in how much food they were getting than that it was coming thanks to the care of the Young General,” the source noted. Nevertheless, “People seem to think it is good that the Young General is taking an interest in the ordinary people’s food problems.”
However, “To the news about the food coming from the No. 2 Warehouse, the response has been worry about future food problems since ‘the state rice jars are all empty.’” It has also reportedly been pointed out that distribution is only “special” if it comes on top of regular distribution.
Not only that, the source added, people worry that “If they are throwing 13 days of fodder at us, who knows how much mobilization there will be now.”
In North Korea, the state has long given special distribution to the entire population on four major days; Kim Il Sung’s birthday on April 15th; that of Kim Jong Il on February 16th; the day of the state’s proclamation on September 9th; and Party founding day on October 10th. This provision has traditionally included oil, snack, pork and such like; things that are in rather short supply otherwise.
