Recovery Work in Full Swing... But Mobilized Soldiers Begging "Please Give Us Food", Flood Victims Begin Life in Shelters

Recovery efforts for flood damage in northern North Korea are now in full swing. Workers, residents, and soldiers are being fully mobilized. Still, there are frequent issues of young soldiers who can't bear hunger, begging people for food or stealing, spreading sympathy and anxiety among the public. A reporting partner living in Hyesan, Ryanggang Province, gave an update on August 10. (By ISHIMARU Jiro / KANG Ji-won)

◆ Hungry Mobilized Soldiers Demanding Food

-- Many people are being mobilized for recovery work.

There's been an order to complete all flood recovery by August, so "shock troops" from enterprises, party members, and soldiers are being fully mobilized. However, due to lack of water and food, hungry soldiers wander around private homes begging for food or stealing from empty houses, making people anxious. Young soldiers who can't eat properly beg for food when they get the chance, but their superiors see this and beat them. It's pitiful.

A soldier came to our house, asking for food. It seems he was going to get water from the guard post at the apartment entrance. Officers and non-commissioned officers saw this and beat the soldier, and everyone tried to stop them.

Also, there was a case where a soldier entered an apartment and was caught stealing shoes. At the neighborhood watch unit meeting, a security officer (policeman) notified us not to let anyone other than residents in and to report to the military police if soldiers appear.

※ Shock troops: Specialized construction and civil engineering organizations mainly mobilized for national construction projects. "Permanent shock troops" are mainly selected from youth organizations, and "temporary shock troops" are chosen from workplaces and party members for specific projects.

※ Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, contact between military personnel and civilians has been strictly limited in order to prevent infection, but such restrictions have inevitably been relaxed due to flood recovery work.

◆ The Government Says It's Building Houses for Flood Victims, But...

-- How are the people affected by the flooding doing?

Some people have lost everything, both their homes and possessions, while some households barely managed to bring out their TVs and solar power generators. To support such people, the People's Committee (local government) is asking for voluntary donations of blankets, shoes, and pillows, among other things.

The People's Committee's Food Administration Department has reportedly provided 15 days' worth of corn as emergency food for homeless flood victims. However, since everyone lives communally, individuals can’t receive the aid.

-- What about housing for people whose homes were destroyed?

The government says it will build new houses for those whose houses collapsed. There are rumors about quickly constructing new apartments and providing rooms, so some people say it's a good thing (the flood happened).

◆ Backlash against Aid Refusal: "How Are We Supposed to Manage With Just Pride?”

-- Kim Jong-un announced he would send flood victims to Pyongyang.

I'm not sure why they're taking them to Pyongyang. Maybe it's for show? Among Ryanggang Province flood victims, families of executed persons, families of defectors, and those with legal issues are reportedly being housed separately at Hyesan’s inns (not taken to Pyongyang).

Even if they go to Pyongyang, they won't receive housing but will be given group accommodation. Since the railway has yet to be restored, they'll reportedly be transported by car to Kilju.

-- Kim Jong-un has rejected aid offers from South Korea, Russia, and international organizations.

Regarding the refusal of external aid, there's a backlash, with people saying, "We're 'beggars'; how are we supposed to manage with just pride?"

※ ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.