In North Korea’s rural counties and villages, people wear winter clothes that are four or five years old, a source told Daily NK
North Korea is in the grips of a cold snap, but people in the country are struggling to prepare for the winter, Daily NK has learned.
A source told Daily NK that many North Koreans face threats to their survival as they are unable to buy warm clothing or heating supplies due to economic difficulties.
The source, who is based in Yanggang Province, said Wednesday that while the weather in the two Hwanghae provinces and other inner regions has remained relatively mild, in northern mountain regions like Yanggang Province and North Hamgyong Province, much snow has fallen and the weather has turned frightfully cold.
“You have to bundle up, but many people feel they can’t buy [new] warm clothing,” he said.
The source said one can find many people in urban areas wearing thick, expensive winter clothing, but in more rural counties and villages, more people wear winter clothes that are four or five years old.
“You can see students at rural schools going to class in ragged, torn winter clothing, and most of them are laborers’ or farmers’ children from struggling households,” he said.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration’s Open MET Data Portal, temperatures in Hyesan, Yanggang Province, dropped as low as -25.8 degrees between Dec. 5 and 12, while the average temperature was -13 degrees.
That means despite the terrible cold weather, many North Koreans are unable to buy proper winter clothing, with poorer provincial residents facing an especially tough time.
LACK OF COAL SPELLS TROUBLE FOR MANY
Moreover, North Koreans are experiencing difficulty obtaining supplies of fuel for heating.
“Well-off families bought two or three tons of coal between September and November to complete their winter preparations, but families that are struggling are making due with barely 100 to 200 kilograms of coal,” he said.
North Koreans usually buy coal to fashion into perforated briquettes to use as heating fuel. Perforated briquettes are the most common fuel for winter heating in the country.
According to the source, relatively comfortable families have secured enough coal, but low-income families are unable to secure a tenth of what they need.
The source said the price of coal has fallen with most coal mines redirecting the coal they have been unable to export during the COVID-19 pandemic to the domestic market, but people in seriously dire economic straits cannot purchase it even if they want to.
“Because of this, in rural districts of South Pyongan Province and North Hwanghae Province, coal just sits there, piling up unsold for several months,” he said. “That’s how little money people have.”
Relatedly, according to Daily NK’s survey data on the price of coal in North Korea from 2020, domestic coal prices are generally falling.
The price of a briquette according to a survey last December was KPW 750 in Pyongyang and KPW 600 in Sinuiju, but this year, the price was KPW 600 in Pyongyang and KPW 500 in Sinuiju, about 20% cheaper.
FOREST PROTECTION EFFORTS MAKE KINDLING LESS AVAILABLE
The source said that many households have had trouble obtaining sufficient kindling as well.
People unable to purchase heating fuel such as coal head to the mountains to collect firewood, but the source said amendments made last year to North Korea’s forestry law have make even this option difficult.
With North Korean leader Kim Jong Un demonstrating great enthusiasm for forestation, crackdowns on and punishments of unauthorized logging are reportedly severe.
The source said that because of this, people can no longer cut down wood from the mountains for kindling like they did in the past.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Read in Korean