According to an Open Radio for North Korea source in Yangkang Province on the 15th, “Executive members of the province and construction employees are suffering because the Party ordered the construction of roller skating rinks in every region in North Korea.”

 

While all students and laborers are mobilized for spring rice planting, the regime’s order for constructing roller skating rinks raised complaints among North Korean people and executive members, the source reported.

 

Kim Jong Eun directly promoted this measure to make roller skating the national exercise activity. However, people in charge of the work in each region are having a tough time to find the right place.

 

The source said, “There are many mountains in Hyesan, and flat areas are already filled with universities, schools, theaters, Provinces, Special Cities, Directly-governed City Committees, etc., so there aren’t appropriate places to construct roller skating rinks.”

 

The Chief Secretaries of provinces and executive members of the Party have already made an inspection of the potential building site in Sunghoo-dong in Hyesan. There are several problems with the site; there are already private houses and some facilities there. The problems have meant that related executive members have not even started the construction yet, the source stated.

 

The source also said, “The craze over roller skating is spreading in North Korea, so even children from poor families have at least one pair of roller skates.”

 

Among college students or laborers, wealth determines whether they have a computer or laptop. The rich and poor among elementary or middle school students is decided by whether they have roller skates or not, or how much they paid for their roller skates.

 

Because of the spread of roller skating in North Korea, the source said, “This is something like compensation for the time when the control over riding bikes was extremely strict.”

 

Source: Open Radio for North Korea