Some residents of Samjiyon were forcibly relocated to nearby Pochon county during North Korea’s three-stage reconstruction of the city as a supposed model of rural development. Behind the glossy propaganda in North Korean media portraying Samjiyon as the “standard of mountain cultural towns,” people have endured significant hardship and loss after being driven from their homes.<\/p>\n
“People forcibly moved to Pochon county from Samjiyon’s Potae Workers’ District (now Potae neighborhood) during the Samjiyon beautification project three years ago still struggle to adjust to their new homes,” a Daily NK source in Ryanggang province said recently.<\/p>\n
Most of those forcibly relocated to Pochon county belonged to “hostile classes” under North Korea’s social classification system, including relatives of defectors, according to the source. The regime apparently targeted “hostile class” residents for removal while promoting Samjiyon as an ideal model provincial city.<\/p>\n
The issue is that relocated residents \u2013 particularly the elderly \u2013 cannot adapt to their new environment and suffer severe physical and psychological distress.<\/p>\n
“Though Potae and Pochon county aren’t far apart, forcing elderly people to leave places they’ve lived for 50 or 60 years creates tremendous psychological stress,” the source said. “They also feel deeply deprived knowing someone else is living in a new home where they once lived, while they were moved to old, dilapidated housing.”<\/p>\n
In other words, those forcibly relocated inevitably feel a sense of emptiness, alienation and deprivation.<\/p>\n
The recent death of a man in his 60s who was relocated to Pochon has drawn attention. The man was reportedly added to the eviction list because one of his relatives had defected to South Korea.<\/p>\n
Since being forcibly relocated in late 2021, he had expressed profound loss, complaining that he felt “uprooted and tossed onto barren land.” His health rapidly deteriorated, and he died last month.<\/p>\n
“Even young people struggle to adjust to new surroundings, so it must be extremely difficult for the elderly,” the source said. “He might have been fine if moved to better housing in a nicer area, but they essentially banished him to an old home, causing his physical and mental health to decline.”<\/p>\n
North Korea apparently conducted these forced relocations to alter Samjiyon’s demographics in keeping with the city’s designation as a “revolutionary holy place” following reconstruction. Essentially, some people are suffering because they were expelled from their homes to unfamiliar locations for the sake of regime propaganda.<\/p>\n
“TV and newspapers boast of a nation of socialist civilization, portraying Samjiyon as impressive and beautiful, but in the shadows behind this, people are suffering,” the source said. “Those forcibly relocated due to their ‘hostile class’ status continue to barely survive day-to-day even now.”<\/p>\n
North Korea carried out an extensive three-stage reconstruction project in Samjiyon over five years between 2016 and 2021 on orders from leader Kim Jong Un. During this project, North Korea elevated Samjiyon from county to city status and continues to promote it as a model national city.<\/p>\n