{"id":4109,"date":"2019-03-01T13:41:21","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T04:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4109"},"modified":"2019-03-28T13:18:30","modified_gmt":"2019-03-28T04:18:30","slug":"state-welfare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2019\/03\/recommendations\/state-welfare\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cInside N. Korea\uff1e State Welfare: Citizens Forced to Enroll in State Insurance Plan to Prop up Government"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Photo) An official forces a young woman (left) selling goods on the street to pay a tax. Photograph taken in South Pyeongan Province in March, 2013 by ASIAPRESS<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6Sanctions are working but the economic burden is being forced upon the people<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Due to economic sanctions ordered by the U.N. Security Council, North Korea has seen its trade revenue drop by about 88 percent compared to 2016, leading to a total loss of 2.7 trillion South Korean won. While this has certainly impacted the regime\u2019s treasury as well as the lives of Pyongyang\u2019s elite class, the economic burden has largely fallen upon ordinary citizens as the government finds new ways to exploit its people. (Kang Ji-won\/ISHIMARU Jiro)<\/p>\n

The North Korean government frequently extorts resources and cash from citizens in order to complete road repairs, school maintenance, military upgrades, and various other construction projects. Now, with sanctions tightening, the regime has begun to demand even more from the local population.<\/p>\n

A local merchant in provincial North Korea explained the increasing burden, \u201cIf you add up all of the individual costs, the state extorts about 80-100 Chinese yuan (13,000-16,000 South Korean won) from us each month.\u201d This total represents 30-50 percent of an average household\u2019s monthly income. Though not officially levied by the government, citizens call the practice a \u2018tax burden\u2019.<\/p>\n

Aside from this unofficial tax, the government has found new ways of exploiting ordinary citizen for state funds. Starting from December of last year, authorities began forcing all households to enroll in a state-run insurance program. A reporting partner\u00a0 in a Northern region of the country said that the program is being run by the \u2018General Directorate for Korean National Insurance\u2019.<\/p>\n

Next page : Enrolling in an insurance program to prove loyalty to the state\u2026 <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25c6Enrolling in an insurance program to prove loyalty to the state<\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to the reporting partner, \"At inminban<\/em> (local political unit) meetings, we are told to enroll in the insurance program as a show of patriotism. We are not told any information about the contents of the insurance plan or its supposed benefits. We know that our loyalty to the state and our leader is being judged, so everybody apart from those who are clearly too poor to do so, has enrolled in the program. We know the state has no money, so we view it as making a sacrifice for the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cost of this sacrifice, though, a premium of 2,000 won per month (230 South Korean won), is simply too high for many to pay. According to the reporting partner, \u201cinminban <\/em>leaders are acting like debt collectors, making people quite upset.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those who enroll in the insurance plan are given a \u201chousehold property insurance card\u201d that summarizes the policy conditions and benefits but, as the reporting partner explained, \u201cNo one has heard of anyone actually receiving payments through the insurance plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u25c6With no fuel, military forced to use ox-drawn carts<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The reduction of imported foreign currency has greatly impacted the regime\u2019s treasury, as can be seen through ASIAPRESS surveys. Further evidence of this funding gap, however, can be found through a study of the North Korean government\u2019s failing national programs, listed below:<\/p>\n

\u25aa Distribution of new national ID cards, which began in late 2017, took until February 2019 to complete<\/p>\n

\u25aa The tradition of distributing special rations to celebrate North Korea\u2019s founding or the birthdays of its leaders, was discontinued after the anniversary of Kim Il-sung\u2019s birthday in April of last year<\/p>\n

\u25aa Construction of the Samjiyeon Special Tourist Zone at the foot of Mt. Baekdu, labeled by Kim Jong-un as a top priority national project, has been delayed due to financial difficulties. Due to sanctions, the project ran out of rebar and other necessary materials.<\/p>\n

\u25aa Due to financial difficulties and soaring fuel prices, military units are forced to use ox-drawn carts or charcoal-fueled vehicles to transport supplies.<\/p>\n

\u25aa From November last year, the electricity supply for residents across vast northern regions has been cut off almost entirely.<\/p>\n

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