The Korean Peninsula was hit by a historic cold snap last week, with temperatures in North Korea hovering between minus 20 and minus 30. The cold snap was particularly severe for North Koreans who, because of economic difficulties, were unable to prepare items for the winter or winterize their homes.
In fact, many North Koreans reportedly suffered frostbite when they went into the mountains to collect firewood, having been unable to purchase other heating fuels like coal briquettes.
The most vulnerable North Koreans received no support at all from the authorities despite the record cold.
Rather, they complained of being repeatedly told to rely on self-sufficiency.
Instead, North Korean authorities took measures to keep places built to idolize the leadership warm and mobilized people to clear snow off statues and nearby roads. This happens every year, so North Koreans no longer seem to even hope of receiving help from the authorities.
Daily NK talked with three North Koreans who are experiencing one of the coldest winters ever to learn about the situation there.
The following is a Q&A with three North Koreans, including one in Yanggang Province, one in North Pyongan Province, and another in Chagang Province.
DNK: A historic cold snap struck last week. How did North Koreans deal with it?
Yanggang Province resident (A): “Many people suffered frostbite and are still suffering even now. Because we haven’t been able to make much money since the start of COVID-19, to make it through the winter, you have to go into the mountains and collect firewood, no matter what. Because you’re not supposed to be out after 6 PM since the start of the pandemic, if you get busted with the wood or branches you worked so hard to collect when you come down, they take your stash. As a result, collecting firewood is sometimes an overnight task. However, the even bigger problem than spending the night on the mountain is preparing a meal box. Everyone prepares one meal each; they eat breakfast at home. Because of this, when they arrive home, everyone is [like] a corpse, famished and frostbitten. Hungry people can satisfy themselves with some soybean broth, but severely frostbitten people receive no proper treatment. Since the start of the pandemic, we have no money to buy ointment to put on frostbites. Lift itself is pain.”
North Pyongan Province resident (B): “Everyone is staying home to avoid freezing to death. Last week we burned six briquettes, when we usually need to burn only two. Some homes burned seven or eight.”
Resident of Chagang Province (C): “Everyone — children and adults — were told to stay home for three days, so we didn’t go outside even to use the outhouse. The toilet is outside, and you’d freeze if you used it even if you dressed warmly, so we put a bucket [at the entrance] where you take off your shoes and urinated in it. We only went outside to defecate.”
DNK: Did you winterize yourselves properly?
A: “People usually winterize in early winter. However, because most people are having a tough time, they couldn’t windproof every corner of their homes like they did before the pandemic. Just enough to stop major gusts, like putting a blanket on the front door when the weather gets cold like now.”
B: “We winterized enough.”
C: “We insufficiently winterized. I have problems of my own, but last week, all I did was clear snow, break ice and thaw pipes at work.”
DNK: What is the heating situation like?
A: “Well-off homes downtown are warm because they could prepare firewood before the winter. Struggling households have to buy rice and wood with the money they earn for the day, so they are getting by keeping warm as they cook rice in the morning and afternoon.”
B: “With public facilities, half are heated by boilers, and half use coal or wood stoves. The heating equipment is enough, but all the stoves were shot. It was a big to-do because the authorities said they could repair them only when people put money together for pipes and welding rods.”
C: “The heating systems at the revolutionary history research centers and community centers are shot, so they are being repaired. There’s no problem at home because they all burn firewood or coal. Fortunately, the wells didn’t freeze, either.”
DNK: Is the state taking any measures to help people who suffered damage from the cold?
A: “It did nothing in the past, and it still doesn’t. We have to solve everything on our own. It’s a fantasy to think the state will help us.”
B: “Nope. The neighborhood watch unitNeighborhood watch units (inminban, people's units) are Nort... More put together two briquettes each.”
C: “The state simply told us to be self-sufficient.”
DNK: Were there any orders regarding what measures to take to combat the cold?
A: “As for orders, the only one was to tell us to be careful not to catch cold because cold cases increase when the temperature drops.”
B: “There was an order telling households to take good care of themselves and to avoid getting frostbite. They also told workplaces and regions to do a thorough job, based on the characteristics of each region and workplace, in ensuring heating to revolutionary history research centers and to prevent accidents.”
C: “The state said to let children ages seven to 10 stay at home by not unnecessarily calling them to school or mobilizing them during the vacation period. Older children were mobilized to clear snow from their school or village roads, statues and monuments commemorating onsite guidance visits, so their homeroom teachers were told to take good care of them so that they didn’t get frostbite.”
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