◆ Special Rations: Two Pairs of Socks and Cooking Oil
It is customary on the Day of the Sun for special rations to be distributed to residents by area and workplace. In the past, these included food, rice, liquor, tobacco, school supplies, school uniforms, and toothbrushes. In recent years, however, reflecting the deteriorating economy, both the quantity and quality of rations outside the capital Pyongyang have declined markedly. What were this year's special rations?
"For the holiday rations, each household received 500 grams of cooking oil and two pairs of socks produced at a local factory. They also sold one kilogram of bread per household. That was it."
In addition, the local community office (dong office) reportedly distributed three kilograms of food to households that had completely run out of both food and money — so-called jeollyang sedae ("food-exhausted households") — in conjunction with the holiday.
"Even that was given first to poor veterans and those with meritorious service, so other elderly people struggling to get by were voicing complaints — 'We're all human, so what makes them different?'" the Reporting Partner added. It should be noted that the contents of rations may vary by region.
According to a report by Korean Central News Agency on the 16th, the April 15 memorial visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun — where Kim Il-sung's body lies in state — was attended only by party and government officials. Kim Jong-un did not attend and sent only a floral basket.
North Korea has long used its own calendar system known as the "Juche era," counting from 1912, the year of Kim Il-sung's birth, as Year 1. In October 2024, however, the country officially discontinued its use.
※ ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.
