Daily NK
Han Young Jin
8/15/2007
The Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League magazine, “Youth Vanguard” maintained, “Every household should plant at least five stumps of fruit trees, according to Kim Jong Il’s command. A beautiful landscape made up of persimmon, apple, and pear orchards and houses peace is unfolding in the fatherland.”
Youth Vanguard said on the 5th,”Every home should plant fruit trees. The great General has ordered that each farm plant over five stumps of fruit trees and he has now ordered that agricultural households start a fruit tree planting movement.”
Further, it stressed, “It is the esteemed General’s heart’s desire and the Father’s, who has sacrificed his entire life to provide a life for us citizens, noble will to help expand persimmon or pear houses in every village.”
Also, it said, “The esteemed General has offered his whole heart and energy to nourish this lofty goal into a reality,” and introduced the following anecdote.
It was a day in Juche 87 (1998), January.
The esteemed General, who has provided high-powered leadership in several areas of business through strenuous efforts while fighting the strong snowstorm in the northern region, told a person in charge of a district that he did well in ceaselessly managing the area, but a fruit-tree planting movement should take place in every household.
After saying so, he ordered the construction of 55 homes and to plant fruit trees in every home. At that moment, the worker could not stop his passions from flowing.
The 55 homes were cozy homes, which supported the teaching of the esteemed General, and were built next to a mid-size powerplant.
The homes were newly built and since this is the coldest season of winter, the home owners had not yet thought about how to decorate the surroundings.
The worker in charge had felt touched by the warm grace of the esteemed General who let us civilians to live in such nice houses and even taught us about planting fruit trees, so that we could enjoy delicious fruit and perspire under scenic fruit trees.
The esteemed General, while looking at the workers, re-emphasized that every home should plant fruit trees this spring.
The Youth Vanguard relayed, “The children who are starting new lives in order to observe the will of the Party have started a new custom of sending and receiving young fruit tree plants whenever given the chance.”
Regarding this, North Korean defector Lee Min Bok, whose background is the Academy of Science for Agriculture, said, “In 1978, an order also came down to plant five stumps of fruit trees in domestic homes.”
Lee said, “The party said to plant five stumps of fruit trees, so I planted them diligently, but after a little while, my mother had chopped down all of the trees. When the trees bear fruit, it is easy to be stolen, so my mother exhibited wisdom.” Other houses also cut them away before the trees started bearing fruit.
He reminisced, “We could not even eat corn and life was so hard, so how people could plant trees and eat fruit from them? They even told us not to plant corn, but I planted them anyway in secrecy.”
One defector said, “The North Korean authorities, under the pretext of dissolving the food shortage, created plots of grass all over the country and made us breed goats and rabbits. They also made us pursue a fish-farming business.”
He pointed out, “Who would create a pasture for raising goats in a matter of few years while he or she is in the midst of starvation? Would goats provide several days worth of food? If there is available land, our situation dictates that we plant an additional row of corn.”
