{"id":5965,"date":"2022-09-24T17:53:13","date_gmt":"2022-09-24T08:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=5965"},"modified":"2022-09-27T14:04:32","modified_gmt":"2022-09-27T05:04:32","slug":"mobilize1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2022\/09\/society-economy\/mobilize1\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cInside N. Korea\uff1eRecent farming situation (1) Farm mobilizations begin in earnest\u2026The authorities work hard to prevent stealing of harvested crops"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(FILE PHOTO) A woman mobilized to work on a farm lying down for some rest during her work. Taken by ASIAPRESS in the northern part of the country in June 2013.<\/p><\/div>\n

With the start of the fall harvest in North Korea, the authorities are mobilizing city dwellers to work in collective farms in earnest. The restrictions on those mobilized this year are stricter than last year, and the food provided is insufficient, leading to discontent among the mobilized urbanites. An ASIAPRESS reporting partner in Yanggang Province gave an update about the situation on September 21. (KANG Ji-won<\/em>)<\/p>\n

\u25c6 The authorities order for all citizens to be mobilized to the farms<\/strong><\/p>\n

The reporting partner, who lives in Hyesan \u2013 a major city in Yanggang Province \u2013 said that the authorities are mobilizing members of the urban workforce and regular people to farms in Samjiyon and Unhung counties, explaining:<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the workers at factories and enterprises in the city have been mobilized to agricultural areas with the people\u2019s committee (the local government) designated who goes where. This year, even Workers\u2019 Party cadres have been ordered to participate in the mobilization without question.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

North Korea\u2019s agricultural mobilizations occur twice a year, in spring and fall. There are two kinds of mobilizations: One where workers head to farms in the morning and come home in the evening; and another where workers live in the agricultural areas for set periods of time. Those outside of the workforce, such as housewives and university students, are mobilized by the Socialist Women\u2019s Union of Korea and Youth League, respectively.<\/p>\n

Yanggang Province is very mountainous with few farming areas. Mobilized people are mainly harvesting potatoes and storing, drying and threshing harvested corn.<\/p>\n

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(FILE PHOTO) Women mobilized during the farming season weeding in the fields. Taken by ASIAPRESS in the northern part of the country in June 2013.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6 Facing hunger, those mobilized steal harvested crops<\/strong><\/p>\n

The biggest obstacle facing farming areas, however, is the robbery of harvested goods by people mobilized to work on the farms. Urbanites all face difficult economic conditions, which means that many of them turn to robbery once they arrive in farming areas.<\/p>\n

The reporting partner told ASIAPRESS that 70% of the food eaten by those mobilized is provided by people\u2019s committees, while the remaining 30% is provided by the collective farms themselves. Many collective farms, however, are unable to provide sufficient amounts of food. According to the reporting partner:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was an incident in mid-September where four laborers mobilized to a farm in Samjiyon County stole some potatoes they were harvesting and went into the mountains to cook and eat them. They were caught in the act and all four were sentenced to three months of unpaid physical labor. Someone who returned from being mobilized in Samjiyon told me that last year the collective farms gave out boiled potatoes as snacks, but this year they didn\u2019t hand out anything and just put people to work. He said it was like working in a prison. There\u2019s a lot of discontent felt by those mobilized.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25c6 Even those caught stealing a single potato face punishment<\/strong><\/p>\n

The authorities are taking efforts to ensure that food isn\u2019t siphoned off from agricultural areas during the harvest season. They are deeply concerned about the lack of food available for those with priority to receive government rations, including soldiers, security personnel, and workers at munitions factories.<\/p>\n

As a result, farm managers are doing searches of people\u2019s personal items when they leave the farms after their mobilization period is over. Mobilized people are unhappy about this because the farm managers are searching even those with very little personal belongings.<\/p>\n

The reporting partner told ASIAPRESS, \u201cIf even one potato is found in the personal items of those searched, the organization the mobilized person is affiliated with is required to pay back 10 times the cost of that single potato. Moreover, the authorities are threatening that anyone who steals will face more than six months of unpaid labor.\u201d<\/strong> (To be continued in the next installment)<\/p>\n

\u203b ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.<\/p>\n

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Map of North Korea ( ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

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