North Korea - Living Conditions
People who get ahead by going to the best schools are those who have grown up amid relative privilege. Members of the second-generation leadership — typified by Kim Chong-il — who went to North Korea's most prestigious schools, who avoided spending eight to l0 years in the military, who have lived in comfortable homes, played tennis, driven cars, and vacationed at beach resorts while others have been doing volunteer labor on the farms are somewhat out of touch with the mass of people who lead very different lives. Certainly. they are a different breed from the first-generation leaders — self-styled guerrilla fighters with little formal education, devoted to the cause of Korean independence and reunification. and much more egalitarian in their thinking.
In keeping with the regime's priorities, the system has produced an elite group — perhaps 1 percent of the population — that meets the twin criteria of excellent songbum and proven loyalty to Kim. As in other Communist countries, members of this group enjoy privileges. tangible and intangible. that make their lives vastly different from those of ordinary North Koreans. The price, however, is high: close and constant monitoring of all but the most senior party and government officials.
At the same time, the system has produced a basic egalitarianism in the lifestyles of most other North Koreans — more noticeably so than in other Communist countries. In addition the regime's emphasis on political loyalty and constant observation prevents even those with privilege from flaunting their status.
So great is the difference between living in P‘yongyang and living elsewhere in the country that some feeling for P'yongyang is necessary. It is the center of everything — the government, the arts, science, and technology. Kim Il-song built a showcase city in Pyongyang that is atypical of the rest of the country. There is great natural beauty in its parks and rivers and grandeur in its public buildings and wide, tree-lined avenues. Added to this is the city's extraordinary cleanliness. some even say sterility.
Relative to wages, all prices are high — reflecting the limited role of money in the economy and the minor role of the open market in the distribution of goods and services. A nylon sweater and two pairs of nylon socks cost the ordinary worker a month‘s wages.
No formal rationing system exists for clothing as it does for food. However. since clothes are distributed through schools, factories, offices. or cooperative farms, the regime has almost total control over the process. Everyone is issued two winter outfits and one summer outfit, but the higher quality designs and fabrics go to those in the privileged occupations and schools. The nominal cost of state-supplied clothes has no relation to the price of ciothes in the stores. The latter are for sale to those who can afford extra clothing not deemed essential by the state. Compared with other items sold on the open market, clothing is reasonably priced, except for quality woolen and leather goods.
The life of an average North Korean family is still spartan, although there have been some gradual improvement. The average working-class family (all but the most privileged and the elite) still needs two wage earners to meet basic needs. Even with two salaries. the average family income of l20 to 180 won per month barely covers the costs of food and clothing.
Most people cannot afford to have more than two children, even though the government — in an effort to ease the labor shortage — offers limited incentives to families to have more children.
Most women — whether married or single — must work out of economic necessity They make up just over half of the work force, dominating such areas as teaching, medicine, and textile manufacturing. Women are predominant in the party and government at the middle level and below, but there is only token representation at the higher levels in both organizations. Women are also well represented in higher education but are generally restricted to those professions they dominate.
Because of military service, marriage is forbidden until a man is 30; a woman is discouraged by the state from marrying before age 24. Divorce is difficult to obtain and harmful politically. Children are quickly introduced to state-sponsored group activity. Most of the family's limited leisure time will be spent with the work unit rather than together. All children join the Young Pioneers at age 9 or 10 and the Socialist Working League between l4 and l6. The latter introduces the child to basic political indoctiinations, self-criticism sessions, and volunteer labor. Student schedules for vacations, political study, and volunteer labor will differ from those of their parents. Still, family ties appear to remain strong and stable.
The difficulty associated with shopping in North Korea is occasioned by the fact that everyone shops at the same times: on the way home from work or during the midday break. There are no other times to shop because almost everyone is at work or attending school. Visitors to North Korea all attest to the emptiness of stores during the day except during these rush hours. North Koreans also must shop every day. Without refrigeration, most people have no means of keeping food fresh, especially in summer.
The regime has controlled the consumption of consumer goods and services through the rationing of basic foodstuffs, the direct distribution of essential work and school clothes, and tight control over the distribution of all other goods (including extra clothing and additional foods, basic necessities such as haircuts and bathing services, and nonessential items such as wristwatches and bicycles) through a system of artificially low wages and artificially high prices.
The chronic and cumulative shortage of food, the shortages of basic medicine and fuel, the damage to the infrastructure from floods, and the difficult economic circumstances of the DPRK pose substantial challenges to improving the nutritional status of its children. On the other hand, the presence of the PDS [Public Distribution System], the evident order and discipline in DPRK society, the universal access to health care, the dedication of the care providers and the high literacy rate augur well for the likelihood of successful resolution of the crisis if adequate food, medication and training can be made available
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
