{"id":4238,"date":"2019-06-13T13:43:31","date_gmt":"2019-06-13T04:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4238"},"modified":"2019-06-17T17:28:19","modified_gmt":"2019-06-17T08:28:19","slug":"arduous-march","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2019\/06\/recommendations\/arduous-march\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cInside N. Korea\uff1e Homeless and Helpless: Residents Young and Old Beg as Population Fears a \u201cSecond Arduous March\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Reference Photo) A homeless teenage girl warms herself next to a charcoal fire at a market. Photographed in Hyesan City, Ryanggang Province in November, 2012 by \u201cDandelion\u201d (ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6 People\u2019s lives deteriorating as sanctions continue<\/h2>\n

There is a growing number of elderly people and children begging in the streets of North Korea\u2019s provincial cities.<\/p>\n

A reporting partner living in Hoeryong, North Hamkyung province, went to the city\u2019s market in late May to investigate the situation of North Korea\u2019s homeless children known as \u2018kojebi\u2019. Up until this year, the \u2018kojebi\u2019 were a rarity in Hoeryong City, however, the reporting partner found that, since the spring, they have become an increasingly common sight.<\/p>\n

\u25c6 An elderly man begs, saying through tears, \u201cI have nothing to feed my grandchild\u201d<\/h2>\n

Though the number of \u2018kojebi\u2019 in Hoeryong\u2019s market stood between 6-7 children at the start of the year, a recent count at the market shows an increase to around 20 children. In the past, the group of vagrants was made up of only children but, nowadays, elderly and middle-aged men are on the street as well.<\/p>\n

Most of the \u2018kojebi\u2019 children at the market look to be around 8-16 years old. They beg around the entrances of markets and ask for food outside of shops. Though they complain of hunger, few customers give them any food.<\/p>\n

On May 24, the reporting partner talked to a 14 year-old boy who had stolen food at the market. The boy said, \u201cMy parents are all dead. My house is in Kimchaek city.\u201d<\/p>\n

On May 27, the reporting partner talked to 2 children who were begging in the market. A 12 year-old girl and a 9 year-old boy said, \u201cWe\u2019re from the Sapo district of Hamhung city. Our mom didn\u2019t come home one day after going out for business and our dad died from illness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u203b Kimchaek is a city on the coast of the East Sea where a large steelworks is based. The city of Hamhung, meanwhile, is North Korea\u2019s second largest city, with many large state-run factories.<\/p>\n

There are also reports of elderly people begging in the streets alongside the \u2018kojebi\u2019 children. The reporting partner came across an elderly man wearing dirty rags, begging for sunflower seeds. The man cried, \u201cPlease help me. I have nothing to feed my grandchild.\u201d<\/p>\n

Until recently, there were several organizations set up to deal with \u2018kojebi\u2019 children, working to round them up and clothe them, using resources allocated by the local People\u2019s Committees. These days, however, the \u2018kojebi\u2019 are neglected. The reason is that their number has increased too dramatically, with middle-aged and elderly men out on the streets begging as well.<\/p>\n

Even if the organizations manage to round up the \u2018kojebi\u2019 children, there is nowhere to accommodate them. At the moment, those in charge of managing the markets simply catch the children in order to expel them from the premises.<\/p>\n

Next page : Sanctions continue to worsen conditions for ordinary people...<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25c6 Sanctions continue to worsen conditions for ordinary people<\/h2>\n

The increase in \u2018kojebi\u2019 has been reported in other cities since March of this year. In April, ASIAPRESS published an article, following an investigation of the situations in Sangsoon, Ryanggang province and Musan, North Hamkyung province. These investigations found that the \u2018kojebi\u2019 gathering in border cities were not local children but rather children coming from cities in other regions such as South Hamkyung province.<\/p>\n

The U.N. Security Council\u2019s economic sanctions have dealt a heavy blow to North Korea\u2019s exports and have had a huge impact on the lives of residents, especially those living in centers which produce exported goods. As local markets have stagnated as well, ordinary citizens have seen their incomes fall, making life extraordinarily difficult.<\/p>\n

The soaring number of \u2018kojebi\u2019 represents a public welfare emergency. Nevertheless, the Kim Jong-un regime will continue to focus on tourism projects in Samjiyeon and Wonson as top priorities, with mass games planned to entertain Pyongyang tourists in the months ahead as well.<\/p>\n

In the words of the reporting partner, \u201cLife is difficult no matter where you look. And now, with so many \u2018kojebi\u2019, people are wondering if this is the beginning of a second Arduous March\u201d.<\/p>\n

In the late 1990\u2019s, massive social upheaval occurred in North Korea, leading to an estimated 2 million people dying of starvation. This period is called the \u2018Arduous March\u2019 in North Korea. (Kang Ji-won\/ISHIMARU Jiro)<\/p>\n

\u203b ASIAPRESS contacts its partners in North Korea using smuggled Chinese mobile phones.<\/p>\n

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