◆“Even if you have a washing machine, there’s no way to use it”
Only some wealthy households own refrigerators and washing machines. A explained how they are actually used:
“A lot of families use the refrigerator as a place to keep dishes or snacks, not to preserve food. The voltage is unstable, so they break down easily. Repairs cost money, so some families just use them as cupboards.
And even if you have a washing machine, how are you supposed to use it? The water and sewer systems don’t work and the water pressure is weak, so it won’t run. Well-off families who buy washing machines brought in from China don’t hook them up to the water pipes. I hear they scoop the water in by hand with a dipper. That’s even more trouble than washing by hand, so it seems people mostly use them as spin dryers.”
◆Rumors of electricity from Russia
During the large-scale price survey in May and June, Reporting Partner B in Ryanggang Province said, “There’s a rumor that Russia will start supplying electricity this summer, so everyone’s really looking forward to it.”
As of October, however, this does not appear to have happened. According to A, similar rumors spread in North Hamgyong Province. “People heard that electricity would come in from Russia and China and be available 24 hours a day, so trading companies brought in refrigerators from China. But they didn’t sell. Now some companies rent them out for a monthly fee over several years. Not many people feel they need a refrigerator in the first place.”
There is no known basis for the rumors that Russia or China will begin supplying power. It is also highly doubtful whether running transmission lines from Russia is even realistic.
The reporting shows that power supply for ordinary people in the provinces remains a low priority, just as it always has been.
※ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.
