JPRS ID: 9398 KOREAN AFFAIRS REPORT

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• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00850R000300050018-4
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• Document Page Count: 16
• Document Creation Date: November 1, 2016
• Sequence Number: 18
• Content Type: REPORTS

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JPRS L/9398 -
17 Nov~mber 1980
- Korec~n Aff~irs Re ort -
p
~FOlJO 12/80)
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JPRS L/9398
17 November 1980
KQREAN AFFAIRS REPORT
~ (FOUO 12/80)
_ CONTENTS
SOUTH KOREA
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
- Letter From ROK Describes Tense Political Atmoaphere in South
Ko*-ea
~AKAHATA, 28 Sep 80) 1
NORTH KOREA
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Kim Yong-Nam Clarifies Rim's Remark on Armistice Agreement
(Rawauchi; MAINICHI SHIMBUN, 15 Sep 80) 3
Japanese Government's View on Rim's Remark on Armistice Agreement
(MAINICHI SHIMBUN, 15 Sep 80) 4
MILITARY AFFAIRS
Japanese Reporters View Military Demarcation Line From North
Side
(MAINICHI SHI?~BUN, 16 Sep 80) 5
SOCIAL CONDITIONS
Japanese Journalists Report on Life in North Korea
(Kunio Hayashi, Akira Iahikaiwa; MATNICHI SHIMBUN,
various dates) 8
- a - [III - ASIA - 109 FOUO]
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S. KOREA/POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
LETTER FROM ROK DESCI3IBES TENSE POLITICAL ATMOSPHERE IN SOUTH KOREA
Zokyo AKAHATA in Japanese 28 Sep 80 p 3
[Reprint of a letter from a Japanese born Korean woman liv~ng in South Korea to
her Japanese friend wno is a school teacher in Tokyo: "A Letter From a Woman in
- , Korea Who Lives Under Chon Tu-hwan's Dictatorship"--original paragraphing not
followed]
[TextJ Recently, a woman school teacher, S(age 29), in Tokyo
_ received a letter from the ROK, the country run by Chon Tu-hwan
like a"prison without bars." The letter was written by a
Japanese-born Korean, who recently married in Korea an.d is a
close friend of S. It is commonly said that there is no free-
dom of communication in Korea and that letters are opened regu-
larly, but this letter arrived, perhaps dodging the censors.
Soldiers on Midnight Raid
Pardon #hy impudence for beginning like this, but I must ask what in the world is
happQning in Soi~*_h Korea, where I now reside. Based only on the strange things
that are happening around me, it is difficult to understand what is hapgening to
the entire country. I have taken the pen to let you know how I am doing,, and wish-
ing at the same time that you can answer my questions.
_ In this country, all meetings and rallies are naturally prohibited; it is even
impossible for three persons to hava a conversation. I cannot inadvertently talk
about things that are political in nature in my own home. This ia because I never
know who is listening and where the listener is. Yes, it feels as if the walls
- have ears, and the paper slid.ing doors have eyes. We are surrounded by a network
_ of spies. My neighbors are fearful and cannot talk about anything.
It happened just recently. There was a spy-hunt in my neighborhood. The soldiers
raided at midnight and carried [the suspect] off in a truck. But I haven't the
slightest idea where he was taken or why he was arre;3ted. In Korea today, if some-
one points a finger at you, that's the end for you. The phones are tapped, letters
are opened; it is as if the only thing left for people to do is to close their lips
and hearts, and do their best making money....
Armed soldiers guard school gates, pitch tents in schoolyards, and act as if they
own the place. In the vicinity of newspaper buildings, many soldiers are stationed
permanently on the lookout.
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_ "Spying" on the Bus Is Encouraged
I have been in Korea only a little while. This, coupled with my anxieties as an
inexperienced housewife, makes the Seoul's atmosphere extremely oppressive. As a
diversion from daily routines, I play cards with wives in the neighborhood. It is
an ordinary card game, but we have secretly named it, the "Chon Tu-hwan game."
We play under the rule that when someone yells "Chon Tu-hwan!" all the rules are
by-passed and that person can demand any card she needs. I think it sounds a bit
childish, but....
These days I really detest going out. It's the posters I see on my walks, plas- -
tered everywhere, encouraging people to turn in the spies. They show rewards that
- vary according to how [the names] are reported--whether, for example, its voluntary
or through an informant. The rewards range from 5,000 won to lOQ,000 won. I sup-
pose one won is about.0.4 yen now. It seems that the rewards are ranked and handed
out accordingly. On buses and subways, there is the constant reminder that says, -
~ "If you know a spy, let's report him." It is unbearable.
Mass Media Praises the "New Era"
Speaking of mass nedia, a campaign is now underway to elevate Chon Tu-hwan as the
new leader for the new era. A few evenings ago when I turned on the television,
there was a program t~at appeared like a strange prayer meeting. When I looked
closely, I realized that the man seated in the center was that man. It turned out
to be a prayer meeting to extol that man (Chon Tu-hwan). The newspapers, of cour~e,
carry articles praising that man, but next to these are articles on the people who
have been arreated in the name of "regional purification" or "school purification,"
as well as on college presidents and professors who have been relieved of their
posts.
Private Lesson5, and "Cram Schoo`ls" Prohibited
~ I am dissatisfied with still another thing; it's something personal. Under instruc-
tions of the authorities, all private lessons, private "cram schools" and part-time
- work for college students have been banned. A~.thosgh the authorities explain that
all of this is "for social g~urification," it's totally beyond me why they have to
intervene in these areas. But one gets into terrible trouble if he does wha~ is
prohibited, so I too have discontinued my calligraphy lessons. Besides, my in-laws
here have also suggested that I stop....
- I spend my days not knowing what to do with myself. I hope you will understand.
Well, till next time.... _
With the letter in her hand, S spoke to us: "I don't know if I'll ever receive a
letter like this from her again.... Today, the [Japanese] news again reported how
Kim Tae-chung and others are bravely fighting the military tribuna7. But....
From her letter, I can get a glimpse of how the nameless and tr~e poor are living
in Korea, not knowing what's happening to their own country. Must they be forced ~
- into silence and endure it forever, she and the others...."
COPYRIGHT: Nihon Kyosan-To Chuo Iinkai 1980
971p
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N. KOREA/POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
~ -
KIM YONCENAM CLARIFIES KIM'S REMARK ON ARMISTICE AGREEMENT
Tokyo MAINICHI SHIMBUN in Japanese 15 Sep 80 p 1
- [Dispatch by special correspondent Kawauchi, 14 Sep 80, Pyongyang]
[TextJ New Development Concerning Unification With U.S. Troop Withdrawal From the
"South"
Kim Yong-nam, director of the International Department of the Korean Workers' Party
[KWP] (member of the KWP Politi~al Co~ittee) met witn Japanese reporters accom-
panying the visiting delegation of Liberal Democr~tic Party's Asian and African
Problems Research Society [AA Research]. Regarding President Kim I1-song`s state-
ment made on the same day to the visiting AA Research delegation, "At the time a _
peace treaty with the United States is concluded, military alliances with the PRC
and the USSR will be dissolved," Kim Yong-nam explained that it was a"restatement
of the original DPRK policy" and represented the fundamental position of the DPRK
(North Korea).
International Department Director Kim stated, "It was made clear when the DPRK and
the USSR con~luded the Friendship and Mutual Assistance Treaty, that if Korea be-
came unified, the said treaty would be abrogated. ri'he same was true with the PRC."
When the reporters asked "Aren't the conclusion of a peace treaty with the United
States and the unification of the North and the South different?" Department
Director Kim replied, "If a peace treaty is concluded between the DPRK and the
United States and U.S. troops withdraw (from ROK), there will be a new development
toward independent and peaceful reunification. If that happens, the military
agreement between the South and the United States will be nullified and there
would be no need for the DPRK to maintain military pacts with other countries." -
Furthermore, regarding the influence that the inauguration of ROK's Chon Tu-hwan
regime will have on North-South dialog, Department Director Kim commented, "It is _
hard to say exactly whether Chon Tu-hwan and ROK authorities will begin to seek
talks with a sincere attitude favoring unif~cation and not division. The outcome
of the present North-South contacts must be calmly watched."
COPYRIGHT: Mainichi Shimbunsha 1980
9134
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- N. KQREA/POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
- JAPANESE G0~'ERNME.IT' S VIEW ON KIM' S REMARK ON ARMISTICF. AGREEM}3NT
= Tokyo MAINICHI SHIMBUN in Japan~se 15 Sep 80 p 1
,
[Text] View of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Regarding Pr~sident Kim I1-song's statement that, "If the Armistice Agreement,
- presently concluded between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)
and the United States, is replaced by a peace treaty, the DPRK is willing to can-
cel the military 311i~nces with the PRC and the USSR," JapanPse Foreign Ministry
[JFM] sources commented on 14 September 1980 that North Korea had been up to now
advocating the switch from Armistice Agreem2nt to a peace treaty as part of its
peace offensive, and it is not a new development. Wtiile so stating, JFM sources
considered it noteworthy that for the first time, the DPRK commented that if a L
peace treatiy is concluded, military alliances with the PRC and th.e USSR may be
dissolved.
As its background, it can be pointed ~ut that faced wtth the deep-rooted confronta--
_ tion between the PRC and the USSR, the DPRK is sensitive to both [countries] and
i~n order to maintain the balance, "its position is such that it must be mindful of
- both countries in the conduct of its diplomacy" (JFM soL~ces). For this reason,
the DPRK is beginning to show in its recent attitude ita "desire" to become neu-
tral vis-a-vis the PRC and the USSR.
In other words, the recent Kim I1-song`s announcement indicates, on the one hand,
a desire to shifr to a peace treaty, i.e., a peace offensi~*e against the ROK, and
on the other, to dissolve the complicated tortuous relations wtth the PRC and the
USSR, which are a heavy burden on North Korea. In analyzing the significance of
Kim I1-song's statement, JFM sources he~ieve that it 3ntends to "kill thren birrls
with on:. stone." The interesting point is t:~e revelation of North Korea's true
intentions of wanting to keep a certain distance from borh PRC and USSR.
However, the existence of thF ROK is not clearly indicated in the Armistice Agree-
- ment. According to JF:I sources, the aim of the DPRK in switching to a peace treaty ~
is to conclude the treaty without regard to ROK's existence and to assert uni-
laterally its advantageous position. Therefore, North Korea's assertion is from
the standpoint of gaining leadership over international conferences to unify the
Korean peninsula and over elections held for unification purposes through this
peace treaty.
COPYRIGHT: Mainichi Shimbunsha 1980
S134 ~
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_ ~
N. KOREA/MILITARY AFFAIRS
JAPANESE REPORTERS VIEW MILITARY DEMARCATION LINE FROM NORTH SIDE
Tokyo MAINICHI SHIMBUN in Japanese 16 Sep 80 p 2
[Article: "What We Saw From the Tense Military Outpost"]
[Text] "Do you want to see our military outpost at the military demarcation line?"
, In the afternoon of the I3th, I get into the car, jumping at the invitation of the
Panum~om district commander of Kaesong's Korean People's Ai~my (KPA). It is the
firet time a group of Japanese reporters is shown the military encampments of the
outpost. The destination is the flbservation post nearest the military demarcation
line on a nameless hill about 35 kilome~ers east of Kaeaong and Panmun~om where
the armist{.ce talks were held. Just outside of Ka.esong and at the entries and -
exits of every village, there are checkpoints and crossing gates, and guards at t
each crossing.
Nearing the destination, the road narrows and the pavement changes to a muddy road.
The car passes through a ravine 200-300 meters above sea level. The car is a Benz _
sent over from headquarters. Trenches from the time of the Korean War still remain
here and there. Perhaps there are honeycombed underground defenses in ~hese moun-
tains. Intentionally there are no bridges over two rivers along the way--one about
8 meters wide, the other, 5 meters. The Benz splashes in and drives across. There
is easily a ton of graniLe p~.led up along both sides at places where the road has
been cut through; the road can be closed at any time.
We pass through fields and ravines where oxcarts and charcoal-driven cars still
remain; then suddenly, at a curve where human habitation has vanished, two steel-
- helmeted, completely equipped soldiers armed with rifles come rushing out.
"Stay With the Soldiers"
"From here on is the outpost. Stay with the guards." The KPA lieutenant riding
with us cautions us. He is exceedingly affable, but he has keen observing eyes
and his hands are swollen with calluses from karate. The nameless mountain of our
destination is about 25 meters above sea level. It is a mountain of boulders and
- red clay covered with shrubs. We get out of the Benz and walk a few mi}tut~s.
Large barracks wherP a unit of about 300 men can be stationed have been built at
the foot of the mountain in a thick forest, making use of the opposite slope of
the mountain. Perhaps nothing can be detected from air reconnaissance.
The soldiers are all young and ener~etic. The KPA is a volunteer system; it is a
2-year military service afte~ graduation from a people's higher middle school
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7
- (17-18 years of age). Eve*youne was saying, "Z ~ant to go to a university with a
military i~eccmmendat3on after my military service is over." From the barracks to
th~ top we climb a zigzaggir~g ca~a:unicati~n trench for about 5 minutes. The
trench, covered with cogongrass as a camouflage above o~sr heads, turns at right _
angles here a:~d there like a road in an old castle town; it iA like a ma.ze of a ~
- puzzle. At the top, a~n observ~ation p~st about 4 meters wide and 15 meters long
has been built, and trE top is covered with camouflage net; large high-power~d
' telescopes hav~ been pla~ed in three locations. The ravine down the sl,ope ahead
~ is the military demarcation line. The top of the hill rising above it is South '
= Korean territory.
"It is .;.8 kilometers by straight line f.rom the U.S. armed forces' positiun to
here. The reason why ft is 3.8 kilometers is because the American imperialists
broke the armistice agreement that 2 kilometers north and south of the military
demarcation line would be demititarized, and invading about 200 meters on this
side, they built a concre:e wall." The explanation of the tna~or of the battalion
protectir.g this ~lace is smooth and unfaltering because he has served as guide
many times. However, a straight line from this position to Seoul is about 40 kilo- _
~ meters. That is about 1 hour's 3istance by tank. The gugaksan, the mountain in
back of Seo~il, can be clearly seen. One could feel how militarily strategic this
place is. It is exactly withi.n hailing distance.
"Look at that. The American imperialists and their puppet forces (South Korean
- army), after the Panmun~om poplar incident of 1976, built a concrete wall 12 meters
wide and 5 meters high along the 240 kilometer east-west military demarcation line
in order to make t:~e division of North and South permanent. The reason is to pre-
vent our advance ir~to the South. But it can be seen that that is not true from
the fact that there are steel doors in the wall here and there. The doors are 4
meters high and 3 meters wide. That is just the size of a tank. It is clear that
they would use them for sorties. It doesn't mean they built the entrances for our
" tanks." The ma~or explained very sarcastic411y, p~inting to the south slope. In-
deed, like ttae Great Wall of China, a concrete wall runs from east to west parallel
. with the rolling mountains like a belt. Here and there, there are encampments
centering around observation towers, and the flags of the Korean army and the flags
of the UN forces are illuminated in the afternoon sun. There are many barbed wire
entanglements abaut 200 meters in front of the concrete wall. Naturally, this is
prohibited by the armistice agreement, but forceful reconnAitering skirmishes and
contacts have not ceased.
�
"When the necessity arises, we are prepared to destroy it in one stroke. All our
fire power is aimed at it; breaking through would be simple. It is the same as
with the T'ang who could not be protected with the Great Wall of China." The
lieutenant acting as guide threw out his chest full of pride. I asked the ma~or
about tunnels for an advance into the South. He laughed it off and said, "Do you
still believe what the South says? The puppet government of the South says we
will make an advance into the South, but if that is true, we have had many chances.
In 1960, when Syngman Rhee fell; last year, when President Pak was assassinated;
and this year, at the time of the Kwangju incident... If we have hands for digging
tunnels, we would dig anthracite coal. Isn't the shortcut to unification advancing
the establishment of a socialist peace?" However, both the North and the South
are confrunting each other 27 years after the armistice. Underata~lding everything
about the situation of the other party means that they know all the movements of
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this side. It is not at all strange rhat the more both sides confront each other ~
at the supply encampments, the stronger the temptation to dig tunnels for an under-
ground war.
Passing 0�f Misery
'I~ao kilometers behind the concrete wall, there is a village of about 200 Northern -
European styled homes with blue and red roofs. The construction of these houses
are different from those around here. "That is the American imperialists` village
of freedom. They are deceiving us by [showing] how good life is in the South. aut
no smoke comes out, and the lights all go on at the same time and go off at the _
same time. It can be seen at a glance that it is uninhabited."
The lieutenant sp:aks light ly of it. Conversely, in the North near Panmun~om,
1 there is a"peace and cooperation agricultural village." Here also, as is said
in th~ South, is a uninhabited village. Is it perhaps the arbitrary viewpoint of _
this visitor of 1 week that the misery is being passed off and charged with humor
when the tension is this high? If one stands 3.8 kilometers on the opposi.*e side
in the South, pernaps he will hear an explanation 180 degzees the reverse of the
explanation hpard here. No t only in Kaesong, but everywhere in the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea, there will be a great harvest this year. The corn is
rustling in the wind and the rice plants are hanging heavily. However on the
~ther hand, this 4 kilometer wide demarcation line is diarup~ing exchanges, even
exchange of letters between families in the North and the South. And this extreme
tragedy is deeply and harshly tearing apart the heart of the same people.
COPYRIGHT: Mainichi Shimbunsha 1980
9400
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N. KOREA/SOCIAL CONDITIONS
JAPANESE JOURNALISTS REPORT ON LIFE IN NORTH KOREA
Tokyo ~fAINICHI SHINBUN in Japanese 28, 30 Aug, 2, 4, 5 Sep 80
[Article by Kunio Hayashi and Akira Ishikaiwa: "In the Outskirts of Pyongyang"J
[28 Aug 80, p 1~
[Excerpts] S tudying Daily To Become "Nation's Cadres"
It is not often that one sees two young people huddling close in Pvongyang. We
- see young men and women but they are more often found in groups of+the same sex.
The Kim I1-song Univer~ity is located on the hills situated to the north of
Pyongyang. There is a cool pine forest on the way to the Natural Science Depart-
ment buildin g from their proud 22-story Social Science Department building.
There are many benches in the area, and several groups of male and female stu-
dents were carrying on discussions or reading quietly.
The Kim I1-s ong University, which consists of 13 departments and a student body
of 12,000, was in the middle of summer vacation. The campus was rather deserted
because many students were working in the villages. Nevertheless, the library
- was crowded with many students, including students from Africa and Laos.
Althou~h tod ay there are more than 150 colleges and universities all over the
Democratic P eople's Republic of Korea (North Korea), the Kim I1-song University
is an elite among the elites. The students there are full of pride and study
very hard to become the future "nat~i,on's cadres" by pursuing a 5-year social
science curr iculum or 6-year natural science curriculum.
I met and ta lked with a few students. 'I'hey talked about their dreams--a third-
year female student majoring in foreign languages expressed her desire to do
translation work on chuche ideology which is concerned with thoughts centering
around human beings; a third-year male student majoring in economics expressed
his desire to contribute to the development of the economic relations with Japan.
Before part ing, one of the students straightened himself and spoke solemnly:
"we are living very comfortably. Please be sure to pass on this information to
the youths and students who live under oppression in South Korea. Unification
of our nation is our goal."
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[30 Aug 80, p 1)
[Text] Music To En courage Increased Production
T'iie sound of music filled a spacious production site of an electric locomotive
plant. When this reporter visited the Kim Chon-t'ae Factory in Pyongyang, over
10 workers were blowing their t~.orns looking very serious. "The members of our
propaganda unit are playing the music to encourage our workers to win the 100-
day battle," 0 Chun-kun, a deputy manager of the plant explained.
In socialist countr ies, a campaign to increase production is often likened to
a"war." In the neighboring China, terms such as battle or engagement are often
used to establish goals that are appropriate for the period. The goals of this
100-day battle are for the Sixth Korean Workers' Party Congress to be held in
October.
Soldiers fight with unity and cooperation in the face of an enemy in the battle
field. A soldier ends up losing his own life if he neglects his duty by think-
ing f~r example of unfairness of the pay. Having everybody perform his task in ~
production just as if he were in the battle field is the idea behind this "com-
bat style production." "We want everyone to understand the significance of in-
creasing production before this party congress," said a responsible functionary
of the factory. He said they were achieving significant results there.
Still, man's desire to work cannot continue by spiritual stimulation alone. Un-
less there is a system for adequate compensation for wor.k to meet the actual con- -
dition, the shout, "battle," will fall on deaf ears. In North Korea's heavy
industry, wages are categorized fram grades one to eight. The Deputy Manager 0
= said: "The average wages paid at our plant to a 36-year-old, an average working
_ age~ is 90-100 won (1 won = 150 yen ap~roximately) . The wages reflect the qual-
ity as well as the quantity of work." One can surmise that the "piecework"
system has probably been adopted.
- 'The 100-day battle was not only confined to the production site. We saw banners
with the "battle" slogans strung across the streets everywhere in the ci~Ey. As
part of their lesso ns du~ing summer vacation, elementary and middle school pupils
- were studying "the party congress and the significance of completing the 100-day
battle." In the square, rehearsals of the mass games that will be played at the
opening of the party congress were being held...and news concerning the progress -
of the 100-day batt le were reported every day by newspapers, radio and television.
Amidst all these, the sound of "music of encouragement" flowing f.rom every fac-
tory can well be said to be a scene that gives a glimpse into the present condi-
tion of North Korea.
[2 Sep 80, p 1]
- [Text] Old Fashioned Pleasures Are Vanishing -
Citizens of Pyongyang are serious and polite. For more than 10 days since I
have been here, I h ave never seen a street f ight or people trying to be first
on the bus. This was probably attributable to the successful political lessons, "
but my first impres sion was "it was too well done."
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However, no matter whaC the political system may be, a societ~ proba~ly cannot
exist if no "breathing spell is permitted." Article No 37 of the constitution
- of Che DPRK states: "We uphold and protect the heritage of our national cul-
- tu?-e and oppose *_he infiltration by the imperialist culture and the reactionary
tendencies...." This is the ma~or premise of theiY cultural policy. Thinking
how oppressive (this rule is] as I stepped into a theater, I was more than sur-
priaed to f ind that the atmosphere was very relaxed.
The film that was shown was a classic drama "The Tale oi Ct-i'unhyang." There
were people who wept with compassion for the fate of the lovers who ca~e from .
diff~rent social classes, and there were people who in the last scene shouted -
with joy when the lovers were united. Although upon visiting the studifl, I was
told that "the film was produced in accordance with the ptiase of the socialist
construction," I felt after viewing this film that great respect has been placed _
on national traditions, its customs and tastes. When i visited a worker's home,
a housewife told me that "!~er enjoyment is television, then movies...."
The arnusement park situated inside the Taesongsan castle having enormous grounds
becomes crowded with families on Sundays. In spite of this, the park is surpris-
ingly orderly. Almost everything one sees in a Japanese amusement park, includ-
ing jet coasters, can be found here. What was most interesting was the fact that
_ adults as well as chi.ldren were lau~hin~ and shouting and were enjoying them-
selves. ~ healthy outlet of energy.... Such scenes of family togetherness were
also seen at the Zoological and botanical gardens adjacent the amusement park.
- However, the "old fashioned pleasure" of "drinking, singing, and dancing on a -
- str.aw mat spread out on the ground" was no longer seen.
"Amusements have also been modernized," said a functionary concerned. In the
recently constructed huge health center are many fac~Zities including mass sauna
and family sauna. A large number of people use these facilities and the range
of leisure activities is growing. This is another profile of North Korea striv-
ing to achieve modernization..
[4 Sep 80, p 1]
(Text] Subway 30 Kilometers Long; Fare 15 Yen f
1 rode the Hyoksin line subway which brought me to Taesonsan amusement park ~
where the zoological and botanical gardens are located. It was Sunday and _
there were many families and groups of children. Unlike sceneS often seen in
Japan, there were no children who ran around inside the train making noise as
if they owned the train. Children as well as adults were all very well _
rnannered. Inside the train there were box seats and it was spacious because of
the broad gage track. Of course there were no advertisements to be seen. The
melody of a Korean folksong drifted from the speaker.
This Hyoksin line (completed in 1978) and the Chollima line (completed in 1973) -
run norrh-south and east-west across the city. There is a plan to build a loop
line wh ich will encircle the city. At present, the total length of the subway _
system is 30 kilometers. There is a train every 5 minutes, and every 2 minutes `
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during the rush hours. It runs from 0600 till 1300. Approximately 200,000
people ride the subways every day. The fare is 10 sen (15 yen) and free for
students of the people's schools," Yi Tok-su, my guide and the station master
of Hwanggunwon station explained unhesitantly.
Subways in Pyongyang run at the depth of from 180 to 200 meters. The under-
ground stations accessible by high-speed, steep escalat~rs are truly "under-
ground palaces." Domestic marble is used lavishly. Huge murals and sculptures
on display at every station, depicting the themes of the achievements of Kim
I1-song or the revolution or the socialist construction, are the pride of the
city. The station names such as "Sungri [Victory]," "Tongil [UnificationJ,"
- "Kwangmyong [Glory]," "Kwangbok [Restoration]," and "Kaeson [Triumphant Return]"
also tell the story of the path North Korea has trod as well as its future
direction.
_ That which serves as the legs of 400,000 citizens of Pyongyang more than the
subway is the trolley bus system. There are three trunk lines of trolley bus
system from which regular bus routes stretch out like the tentacles of an
octopus.
Automobiles consist mainly of trucks and buses, and there are very few privately
owned cars. Consumpt~_on of imported oil is discouraged while development of the
public transportation system supported by the abundant electric power is being
pursued aggressively. One also clearly saw their effort to become economically
indeQendent by solving their energy problem.
[5 Sep 80, p 1J
[Text] From Quantity to Quality, Daily Stability
- The average wage earned by a worker in the DPRK is approximately 90 won (1 won
is approximately equal to 150 yen), equivalent to 13,500 yen a month.
It is quite wrong, ho~aever, to try to measure the life in North Korea using a
capitalistic ruler and say "so little a month?" Because, in this socialist
country, in addition to the labor wages (called "livelihood pay" in North Korea)
there are many other forms of pay including pay in the form of actual goods, and
daily necessities are usually priced very low.
Take rice in North Korea for example. The price of rice is 60 sen per kilo when _
the government purchases it from the cooperative farm. Rice is then sold to t:~e
worker at a price of 8 sen per kilo. Therefore, th;: government shoulders the
"difference" in the form of subsidy amounting to 560 won a year for each working
household.
As to education, the compulsory education (11 years) is completely free. If.
- one enters college, he is entitled to a scholarship. Medical care is also free.
The rent including light and heat is also held down to 2-3 percent of the
"lifelihood pay." Since there is no tax, living expenses can be quite small.
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An average family can live very well on 70-80 won a month. Besides, in most
families, both husband and wife together work for a living so that they can live
- quite comfortably.
I visited some of the nationally operated s~tores and stores belonging to the
cooper~ive farms. hlthough there was not a great variety of general merchan-
_ dise, clothes and materials, and school supplies were adequately stocked. The
prices or electric products are more expensive: electric washer, 250 won, re- -
frigerator, 300 won..., but the daily necesGities such as fresh food are very
_ cheap. ,
Eggplants, 7 sen; tomatoes, 15 sen; watermelons, 40 sen; kimchi, 20 sen...--
these are the prices per kilo found at the nationally operated stores along
the Chollima street. The prices of ineats are (per kilo): duck, 3.2 won; chicken,
3.4 won; and pork and beef, 4.5 won. -
Everywhere I went I was told that the emphasis is shifting "from quantity to
quality." Although it cannot be described as abundant, at least everything is
adequate for a comfortable living.
COPYRIGHT: Mainichi Shimbunsha 1980
9113
CSO: 4105 END
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