North Korean university students are spending their month-long vacation hauling manure to farms. While authorities tout this as a “manifestation of patriotism,” students have expressed dissatisfaction with the mandatory labor.<\/p>\n
According to a Daily NK source in North Hamgyong province, Chongjin O Jung Hup University of Education ordered all students last month to deliver a daily bucket of manure to designated farms. The mandate extends through Feb. 25, requiring students to make farm visits even during their vacation period \u2013 a time traditionally meant for rest and recuperation.<\/p>\n
Students who fail to meet their quotas face criticism from the university’s Socialist Patriotic Youth League chapter, prompting them to devise various strategies to fulfill their obligations. Some diligently make daily trips to farms by bicycle, while others negotiate with farm officials to inflate their reported contributions.<\/p>\n
The source noted that only about 15% of North Korean students enter universities annually, with 80-90% of university students coming from privileged families. These well-connected students often arrange deals with farms to handle their assignments, creating a stark divide in how the burden is distributed.<\/p>\n
This disparity has fueled growing resentment among students who must physically complete their tasks daily. Adding to their frustration, the university recently changed its policy \u2013 instead of collecting and delivering manure as a group, students must now individually transport their quota to farms.<\/p>\n
“The university likely switched to individual assignments for simpler management,” the source explained. “Students are now closely watching who submits farm confirmation certificates without actually doing the work.”<\/p>\n
While the university frames the manure assignment as an “act demonstrating loyalty toward the socialist system and patriotism,” students have privately mocked this characterization, with some remarking that they “might as well not have a vacation at all.”<\/p>\n
Students who went home for the break must return to campus by Jan. 20 to make up missed deliveries. Consequently, some have foregone visiting family altogether to focus on completing their assigned tasks.<\/p>\n