Authorities in the North Hwanghae Province city of Sariwon recently carried out an intensive crackdown on money changers for failing to properly participate in the production and transport of manure, a source in the province told Daily NK on Thursday.
At the start of every year, North Korea issues general mobilization orders for the public to produce manure needed to prepare for the year’s farming. North Koreans stop what they are doing and spend over a month making manure.
This year was no different, with the authorities calling on everyone to produce manure, telling citizens that “if you’re a person who eats rice, produce manure, with no exceptions.”
But some people are avoiding the mobilizations because they are unsure how they can make a living if they take part in the collection campaign on a daily basis.
According to the source, this tendency is most pronounced in the Sariwon neighborhoods of Taesong-dong and Kuchon-dong.
In fact, about 10 money changers in Taesong Market refused to take part in manure production late last month, as if they had all pledged not to.
The source said people have been forced to engage in manure production for over a month since January without a single day’s rest, and now “they cannot put up with the daily mobilizations.”
“They are refusing the mobilization orders, saying [the authorities] should just kill them first,” he said.
In January of last year, people were mobilized for manure production and transportation every day for the first half of the month; in the second half of the month, they were mobilized once every two or three days.
However, unlike last year, people were forced to produce manure every day throughout the month this year, the source said.
He went on to relate that people disgruntled by this situation have begun openly expressing their discontent by refusing to take part in the mobilizations.
However, the neighborhood offices and neighborhood watch units to which the recalcitrant money changers belong raised serious issues with this.
When Sariwon’s party committee got wind of it, it ordered the city police to take strong measures against them.
The source said the police sent the 10 or so money changers to Sariwon’s Migok Collective Farm to perform forced labor.
“Locals are surprised at how the authorities are making people do forced labor for refusing to participation in collection campaigns, rather than provide a stable living environment for people who are finding it more and more difficult to make a living,” he said.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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