{"id":2912,"date":"2017-01-17T15:05:49","date_gmt":"2017-01-17T06:05:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang-2\/2017\/01\/report\/20161026-children-homeless-01\/"},"modified":"2021-07-13T15:57:27","modified_gmt":"2021-07-13T06:57:27","slug":"20161026-children-homeless-01","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2017\/01\/news\/20161026-children-homeless-01\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cPhoto Report\uff1e Kotchebi, the Homeless, Under the Kim Jong-un Regime (PART1) A girl and a boy\u2013probably siblings\u2013sleeping on a street"},"content":{"rendered":"

2016\/Oct\/<\/em>26<\/p>\n

In the mid 90s, a number of \u201ckotchebi\u201d, which means \u201cflowering swallow\u201d, roamed around cities in throughout North Korea.  During this chaotic period, known colloquially as the \u201carduous march\u201d, children became kotchebi because their parents had died or had abandoned them due to their inability to take care of them because of the collapse of the distribution system.<\/p>\n

The number of kotchebi has gradually decreased over the last 20 years because, instead of relying on the dysfunctional food rationing system, people have learned to make their livings out of small businesses within the jamadang markets.<\/p>\n

<\/a>

A boy roaming around a city with a big cloth bag. The photographer said that, \u201cHe may have escaped from a detention center for orphans since his hair is entirely shaved off.\u201d September 2013, in Pyongsong City, South Pyongan Province. Taken by ASIAPRESS.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

All of ASIAPRESS\u2019s reporting partners say that the number of kotchebi in large cities has greatly decreased under the Kim Jong-un regime.<\/p>\n

A reporting partner in Pyongyang mentioned that, \u201cthe government ordered the building of orphanages and for officials to clear all the kotchebi from the streets, and to shelter all of them there [the orphanages]. Rumor has it this was all because Comrade Kim Jong-un was angered at South Korean and Japanese TV programs who repeatedly broadcasted stories on the kotchebi.\u201d
\nRelated article: [Video Report] The hidden homeless of Pyongyang<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Orphanages have been disguised and renamed to official kindergartens, primary schools, and a junior high schools. Many of them have been built all over North Korea.  The state-owned media has often featured them as, \u201ca fruit of love given by General Kim Jong-un.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a>

A boy wearing an oversized jacket meant for an adult in a city central. September 2013, in Pyongsong City, South Pyongan Province. Taken by ASIAPRESS.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>

A boy has been crying hard. September 2013, in Pyongsong City, South Pyongan Province. Taken by ASIAPRESS.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAside from orphanages in Pyongyang which are used for propaganda, the government does not provide local orphanages with any food. Local administrative offices are forced to take charge of the orphanages.  Since local officers cannot pay for food out of their own pockets, ordinary people have to offer requisitions or pay bribes to opt out.  Some children escape from the orphanages due to the lack of food,\u201d said a middle-manager at a local administrative office in South Pyongan Province.
\nRelated article: \uff1cInside N. Korea\uff1e Kotchebi, the Homeless, Under the Kim Jong-un Regime<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

All the pictures in this photo report were taken after Kim Jong-un took over power of the regime. (ISHIMARU Jiro)<\/p>\n

<\/a>

A girl and a boy\u2013probably siblings\u2013hugging each other while sleeping in front of a warehouse near a market. They are not wearing shoes. August 2013, in Hyesan City, Ryanggang Province. Taken by ASIAPRESS.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\uff1cKotchebi, the Homeless, Under the Kim Jong-un Regime\uff1eView article sections<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u3010Related article<\/strong>\u3011
\n\u25c6 More Kotchebi Homeless Children Under the Kim Jong-un Regime<\/a><\/span>
\n\u25c6 Kim Jong-un\u2019s Starving Soldiers \u2013 \u201cJust a spoonful of oil for me\u2026\u201d A soldier pleads for grace<\/a><\/span>
\n\u25c6 \uff1cInside N. Korea\uff1e Student absenteeism on the rise due to excessive requisition from school; a third of students are absent from school in local cities.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"rimjingang_banner001\"* <\/span><\/a>Editor\u2019s notes on North Korean reporters<\/a><\/a> <\/strong><\/span>
\n ARCHIVE(pdf) >><\/a><\/span>
\n DPRK MAP >><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2016\/Oct\/26 In the mid 90s, a number of \u201ckotchebi\u201d, which means \u201cflowering swallow\u201d, roamed around cities in throughout \u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3558,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[7],"tags":[16,18],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2912"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2912\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}