Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader has ordered all citizens to produce 100 kg (220 lbs) of human poo per day and deliver it to their local government officials. This is the most recent measure of the dictatorship to counter a trailing economy and a starving population.
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According to The Sun, North Korea is facing a shortage of fertilizer to support its agriculture. Resultantly, in a desperate attempt to turbocharge the farming sector, the dictatorship is turning to cheap manure.
Frustrated North Koreans
Radio Free Asiareports the inability and frustration of the North Korean population in meeting the surreal daily quota of 100 kg (220 lbs) of human poo per day or 3 tons per month.
If able-bodied persons cannot fulfil the daily quota themselves they can instead deliver 300 kg (660 lbs) of compost instead. Citizens are also able to pay in cash as compensation, in case they do not have the poo to meet the respective quota.
According to the radio station, increasingly more workers in North Korea are asking to be paid in poo rather than in cash at their workplace, just to be able to meet the unbelievable quota from the government.
The Sun, citing a DPRK source, claims that the state mobilized everyone to focus on this national priority at the beginning of the year. However, people are becoming frustrated because they are unable to fulfil the demand of the government.
Agricultural aspirations as a façade to receive cash
According to Radio Free Asia, there is a huge discrepancy between people living in urban areas as opposed to those in rural areas. Citizens living in an urban area just pay their quota in cash.
While increasingly more citizens are becoming frustrated about this policy, obviously the quota is set high so that people pay in cash instead.
Additionally, during winter there is not much manure or compost so again this brings in more cash payments to the state.
According to the source of The Sun, cash payments exceed the delivery of manure:
Cash payments exceed the value of the manure that actually ends up being delivered, so people are saying the regime is just using the quota as a means to collect more money from the citizens.
Sources used:
- The Sun: ‘Kim Jong-un demands every citizen hand over huge piles of human poo as North Korea faces fertilizer crisis’
- Radio Free Asia: ‘North Koreans Struggle to Fulfill Daily Human Manure Quotas’
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