◆Attempting to Address Complaints and Strengthen Control?
The 'Fertilizer Battle' has been an enormous burden, requiring outdoor work in severe cold while meeting per-person quotas of 500kg-1 ton on top of regular work and school duties. Meanwhile, the wealthy could either buy fertilizer or bribe their way out of participation, creating significant inequity. These new measures may aim to reduce both the burden and unfairness.
Alternatively, this could represent a shift from pure coercion to an incentive-based approach for achieving results. In recent years, Kim Jong-un has intensified punishments to maintain discipline within society and the Workers' Party under the banner of "fighting corruption." Perhaps there's recognition that control through punishment alone has limited effectiveness.
※ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.
- ＜Inside N. Korea＞What Happened to the Sudden '10-fold Wage Increase'? (1) Expanding Card Payments - "Frequent Power Outages are the Problem"
- ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Daytime Masked Robberies on the Rise - Young Organized Crime Groups Emerge in Hoeryong as Authorities Struggle with Deteriorating Security
- ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Kim Jong-un Harshly Condemns Official Entertainment as "Mega Crime" - Private Restaurant Rooms Shut Down in Hyesan, Citizens React with Skepticism
- ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Surveillance and Control of Mobile Phones Intensifies: Information Extracted During Repairs, Daily Photography Monitored
- ＜Inside N. Korea＞DPRK Issues Mass "Money Vouchers" to Combat Soaring Prices - Value Quickly Plummets as Public Trust Erodes
