Border residents supplied with glass for windows to replace plastic sheeting
New rural village in Kim Hyong Jik (Huchang) County, Ryanggang Province. Image: NK Times
North Korean authorities are reportedly taking steps to improve the country’s appearance by supplying glass for the windows of houses facing China.
Under the slogan “the border is the face of the country,” residents are being encouraged to replace plastic sheeting with glass in their windows.
According to a North Korean source who spoke to the author on Aug. 3, officials in Ryanggang Province have begun inspecting and repairing windows, giving priority to homes that are most visible from outside the country. These include houses in border villages that can be seen from China, as well as homes along roads used by foreign visitors.
Newly built houses in North Korea are generally fitted with glass windows, but in rural areas residents often cannot obtain replacement glass when windows are broken. As a result, plastic sheeting, fertilizer sacks, pieces of cloth and other materials are commonly used as substitutes. During winter, residents sometimes add several layers to keep out the cold.
The source said authorities believe such makeshift repairs give foreigners the impression that North Korea is poor and underdeveloped.
Officials are particularly concerned that tourists visiting China have photographed and filmed North Korean villages across the border and later circulated the images and videos overseas.
“I understand that the central authorities issued instructions saying that the border is the face of the country, so the dilapidated appearance of homes cannot simply be left as it is,” the source said. “They are identifying houses whose windows are covered with plastic and supplying them with glass.”
“It was pointed out that tourists visiting China were filming homes with plastic-covered windows and using the footage to disparage the DPRK,” he said. “The idea behind this directive is to prevent such videos from being filmed anymore.”
The move is a typical example of the priority North Korean authorities place on managing the country’s image rather than addressing the underlying problems affecting living conditions.
Authorities are reportedly paying particular attention to repairs in Kim Jong Suk and Kim Hyong Gwon counties, where videos showing aging houses and windows covered with plastic sheeting have reportedly circulated widely overseas.
Han was born in 1989 in Taehongdan county, Ryanggang province, North Korea. She graduated from Hyesan Teacher's College in 2012, after which she worked as an elementary school teacher. She defected to South Korea in 2016 and works as a reporter at NK Times in Seoul.
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