From the Daily NK:
‘Good Friends’, an organization for aiding North Korea, revealed on a newsletter of the 14th that, “The North Korean upper-class families usually live in the houses valued at from 27 million to 40 million won and have a bed valued at 300,000 won($100) and furniture at 800,000 won($267)”, and “some have housemaids in their houses”.
Furthermore, the upper-class families furnish with VCRs, vacuum cleaners and electronic heaters besides six home appliances (Refrigerators, sewing machines, TVs, washers, recording machines and electronic fans) that general North Koreans wish to have once in their lifetimes.
Plus, it added, “They spend 30,000 won in purchasing rice, pork, egg, Alaska pollack, various fruits and vegetables a month, and their total expenditure a month including other expenses amounts for more than one million won”.
It explained, “In the case of North Hamkyung province, their main sources of income are generally black market, drug traffics, curio dealing, wholesale carrying food and industrial products by car to Najin or Chonjin”, and “To get guaranteed, generally they closely connect with officials working at judicial authorities”.
According to the newsletter, however because most of the North Koreans maintain subsistence level, the gap between the rich and the poor are increasing.
It newsletter further explained that, “The gap between the rich and the poor varies according to areas, countries or cities”, and “This gap results from the distributional differences produced by productivities of each factory, operations, electronic situation, operational conditions of trains or cars, and demand difference of food, industrial products and necessities according to areas”.
Of the cities, Pyongyang is the most advanced city, Sariwon, Hamhung, Chongjin, Hoiryeong, Rajin, Shinuiju, Pyongsung are the second advanced cities, and the other cities are at the level of the subsistence.
In the case of North Hamkyung province, the upper middle class lives in houses valued at 1,500,000 won to 4 million won, and spend 100,000 won to 150,000 won in rice, pork, eggs, and some alcohol a month. Their main sources of income are some black markets, crossing a river, helps of relatives living in China, or business.
The low class can not even see rice, and generally lives on rice mixed with corns, corn noodles, vegetable soup. Their expenditure a month is around 30,000 won to 40,000 won.
Their main sources of income are trifling jobs such as vegetable sale, house repair or cleaning night soil. Although they want to do their own businesses, they have no money to do. Salaries are their only source to get some money, but they are not paid on time.
The lowest class of the elderly, the disable and Kotjebi(Street children) lives barely. They usually sleep in buildings, under bridges, garbage dumps, or riversides. Recently the people of the lowest class are increasing.
