According to an Open Radio for North Korea source on the 11th, “The North Korean authorities have ordered mobilization of citizens recently, so people in every region are being mobilized for planting rice.” The source said that usually people in factories, enterprises, the military, schools, and every organization are mobilized for the spring rice planting. Due to various factors, mobilization is not working well this time, the source reported.

 

The source delivered the news that, “The number of people who are being mobilized for this rice planting is large. The number of people who are actually participating in this mobilization isn't even reaching half of the number required.” The source said the reason for this is that, “Even though the mobilization happens at a national level, only the poor and general people are participating, while wealthy people don’t.”

 

If a woman in the Housewife People’s Unit wants to slip out of the mobilization for one day, she needs to pay 10,000 North Korean won, and if she does not want to do it for a week, she needs to pay 100,000 North Korean won to the leader of the People’s Unit. The source added that the wives of the Workers' Party’s executive members, laborers abroad, or wealthy men pay this money and are able to get out of the mobilization.

 

Since the situation is like this, people who have been mobilized for rice planting are complaining by saying, “What are the people, who don’t participate in the mobilization, doing?” Then, the source added that a leader of the People’s Unit answered back, “They are the lunch-preparing team at the rice-planting site. Do you want to participate in the farm supporting activities without lunch?”

 

The source reported that the situation for factory workers is much harsher. They said, “Since there is an insufficient level of oil for operating machines to plant rice on the farm, the authorities are stating that factory workers need to secure more raw materials.” The North Korean authorities announced to factory workers, who have been mobilized for the farm-supporting activities, that, “People, that give 50L of gasoline or 100L of diesel oil, will be exempt from the whole period of the farm-supporting activities.”

 

Because of this situation, North Korean people are saying that even though the regime mobilizes people for the rice planting every year, “mobilization for rice planting is actually bribery,” and are complaining, “Wealthy people always slip out of the mobilization, and only poor people, who don’t have power, are always mobilized.” 

 

Source: Open Radio for North Korea