Musan residents asked to provide their best winter clothes to soldiers
North Korean military authorities are reportedly forcing ordinary people in North Hamgyong Province’s Musan County to give clothing to soldiers because they are unable to properly provide them with winter outfits.
In a phone call with Daily NK on Wednesday, a source in the province said authorities commenced a military “support program” aimed at residents of Musan County from Jan. 8. Essentially, the program involves ordering families to contribute one pair each of winter pants and thick underwear.
According to the source, the order specified that people provide the highest quality items they wear. He added that while people have taken part in past wintertime programs to support soldiers with food or socks, “it is rare to force people to provide alternative uniforms like [the authorities are demanding] this year.”
North Korea provides soldiers with winter clothing every November, but has often been unable to properly do so due to economic difficulties. Accordingly, it has been easy to spot soldiers wearing patched-up uniforms.
There have even been such absurdities as people feeding leftover cloth from uniform or shoe factories into pulverizers to soften it up like cotton for use in clothing. ......
[Source: Daily NK]
