Daily NK Snapshots are synopses of select articles from our Korean website. Snapshots provide a window into Daily NK’s reporting and into everyday life and society within North Korea.
Komdok Residents Refuse to Move into New Housing Due to Poor Location
Some residents in the Komdok region of South Hamgyong Province are refusing to move into new housing developments due to their undesirable location. Komdok, an important mining area for North Korea, suffered heavy damage from Typhoon Maysak in 2020. While inspecting the resulting flood damage, Kim Jong Un announced that 25,000 new housing units would be built in the area by 2025 as part of the 2020 five-year economic plan. The housing was to be allocated to local families who had lost their homes as well as those whose current housing was vulnerable to flooding. However, many of the new units have been built in deep valleys far from transportation and local markets where they receive little sunlight and are vulnerable to rockslides. Moreover, while many of the new units appear finished from the outside, the quality of the interiors is often shoddy. Some residents are therefore choosing to remain in their current homes, even if they have fallen into disrepair. A local reporting partner commented that, while new housing is needed, building homes that no one will live in is nothing more than a waste.
Full article in Korean by Lee Chae Un here.
North Hamgyong Province Unveils Plan to Address Electricity Shortage with Solar Power
At a general plenary meeting on Mar. 25, the North Hamgyong Province party committee unveiled a plan to solve electricity shortages with solar power. The plan is a response to a state directive for provinces to address electricity shortages by developing natural energy industry and power sources. At the plenary meeting, the provincial party committee decided to build a pilot solar farm in Chongjin, the capital of North Hamgyong Province, and discussed dispatching necessary personnel for the project. The goal of the national directive is for Chongjin, and other provincial capitals, to become energy self-sufficient and contribute any surplus electricity to the national grid. The central government has removed restrictions on the import of solar panels, so the North Hamgyong Province party committee has authorized their import from abroad and plans to use imported and domestically produced solar panels in a ratio of 7 to 3. The provincial party committee held Chongjin up as a model of the new plan, saying they are confident it will ensure that 85 percent of streetlights in the city are lit from 7 to 11 PM.
Full article in Korean by Jong So Yong here.
North Korea Restricts Residents’ Movement Due to “Tense Situation,” Promotes Internal Solidarity During ROK-U.S. Military Exercises
According to multiple sources in North Korea, people have not been allowed to travel within the country even just to neighboring jurisdictions since early March, just before joint ROK-U.S. military exercises began. The Ministry of Social Security, usually responsible for issuing travel passes, has said the restrictions are due to the “tense situation” (on the Peninsula). Neighborhood watch units have also been implementing ideological education blaming the disruptions on “American imperialists and the puppet regime in the south” and claiming that North Korea has no choice but to counter the “offensive exercises” of South Korea and the U.S. with nuclear weapons. These actions seem to be intended to foster anti-South Korean and anti-American sentiment, create a tense atmosphere in the country, strengthen regime solidarity, and justify North Korea’s nuclear development. It appears that North Koreas will continue restricting residents’ movement and carrying out anti-American, anti-South Korean ideological educational until ROK-U.S. military exercises have finished completely. Additionally, while local markets have not shut down, the movement restrictions have hampered the flow of goods to small and medium-sized cities, which has elicited complaints from people in the countryside due to the inconvenience.
Full article in Korean by Seulkee Jang here.
North Korea Praises Results of People’s Army Winter Exercises, Expresses Appreciation for General Staff Department
Last month, Korean People’s Army completed the winter training exercises it began in December. After receiving an evaluation of the training from the General Staff Department (GSD), the Central Military Commission presented the GSD with a letter of appreciation on Mar. 25 praising the high marks earned by most units, especially in light of large-scale joint exercises being carried out this year by South Korea and the U.S. Evaluations of the exercises pointed out that this year is the 10th anniversary of Kim Jong Un’s Byungjin Line policy – which places equal emphasis on nuclear and economic development – and highlighted the results of North Korea’s nuclear weapons development. The importance of military morale for both national defense and socialist construction was also emphasized. Moving forward, the Central Military Commission intends to take advantage of high morale after the exercises and mark the 70th anniversary of the Armistice Agreement – called “Victory Day” in North Korea – by celebrating the “complete preparation for war” of the Korean People’s Army. The day after receiving the letter of appreciation, GSD officers, staff, and their families also received gifts and participated in a celebratory event that included games, entertainment, and athletic events.
Full article in Korean by Jeong Tae Joo here.
Summaries by Nick Seltzer. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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