The reporter’s shoes are covered with snow because he walked on a snow piled road for drawing water. (Taken by Mindulle/January 2015/ ASIAPRESS)
The reporter’s shoes are covered with snow because he walked on a snow piled road for drawing water. (Taken by Mindulle/January 2015/ ASIAPRESS)

 

Q: Is the market still open?
A: Yes! I go to the market for my own business, even if I skip my work place.

Q: How do you heat your home?
A: I burn fire wood that I have purchased from the military last December. I paid 500 Chinese Yuan (U$75) for a load of Tongbangho( a brand of Chinese truck) and treated them with meals (to soldiers).

Q: Can you endure the winter with that? How do other people prepare for heating?
A: We don’t have enough stuff for heating here! So people are remodeling Kudul! (floor heating system of Korea). They remove the Kudul tube (tube for heated air circulation) in unused rooms to save fire woods. They install that heating system only in rooms for sleeping at night and make the distance short between the fireplace and chimney

*Kudul=Ondol: A heating system of Korea to warm up floor

*ASIAPRESS smuggles Chinese carrier mobile phones into North Korea to communicate.

Rimjingang_banner001Editor’s notes on North Korean reporters
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