As North Korea’s food crisis deepens, theft of kimchi — a dietary staple that families rely on through the winter months — has become increasingly common, with one case in Ryanggang province turning violent.
A man in his 40s was caught stealing kimchi in the Yonbong neighborhood of Hyesan on the night of March 6 and was beaten by a group of local people, according to a Daily NK source in Ryanggang province on Thursday. The incident occurred in the early evening rather than late at night, the source noted, compounding the thief’s humiliation.
Kimchi holds an outsized role in North Korean households. Because fresh vegetables are largely unavailable during the roughly five to six months of winter, kimchi is referred to as “half a year’s food” and serves as the primary source of vitamins and minerals for much of the population during the cold season. For families with little to eat, a meal of corn rice and kimchi is often all there is.
The source said families need to prepare around one metric ton of kimchi to last through April, but many households are now making only around 300 kilograms. “There are a lot of households that didn’t make kimchi this year, and even those that did only made about 300 kilograms, so many homes have already run out,” the source said.
Supply cuts leave families without cabbage for kimjang
The shortage stems in large part from the collapse of workplace distribution systems. Factories and state enterprises once supplied affiliated workers with cabbages at the start of kimjang — the annual kimchi-making season — either free of charge or at subsidized prices, but that practice has largely ended.
Even when workplace farms do produce cabbage, the source explained, military units take priority, pushing rank-and-file workers to the back of the line. Those who cannot afford to buy cabbage and other vegetables at the market are left with no kimchi at all.
The social response to kimchi theft has hardened along with economic conditions. The source said empathy for thieves has given way to collective anger. “In the past, people would feel sorry and say, ‘How hungry must they be to steal kimchi?’ But now that everyone is struggling to eat, attitudes toward kimchi thieves have become harsh,” the source said.
The man caught in Hyesan was beaten so badly by the crowd that he could not stand up. “People vented all their pent-up frustration on him at once,” the source added.
In response to rising theft, some people have begun hiding their kimchi inside their homes rather than storing it in traditional underground kimchi cellars. The source said those living in single-story homes have taken to digging storage spaces beneath kitchen floors. “The taste suffers, but people say it’s better than having it stolen,” the source said.
A Note to Readers
Daily NK operates networks of sources inside North Korea who document events in real-time and transmit information through secure channels. Unlike reporting based on state media, satellite imagery, or defector accounts from years past, our journalism comes directly from people currently living under the regime.
We verify reports through multiple independent sources and cross-reference details before publication. Our sources remain anonymous because contact with foreign media is treated as a capital offense in North Korea—discovery means imprisonment or execution.
This network-based approach allows Daily NK to report on developments other outlets cannot access: market trends, policy implementation, public sentiment, and daily realities that never appear in official narratives. Maintaining these secure communication channels and protecting source identities requires specialized protocols and constant vigilance.
Daily NK serves as a bridge between North Koreans and the outside world, documenting what’s happening inside one of the world’s most closed societies.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: dailynk.com
