Citizens harvest hemp at the Duru Island Collective Farm in the Daedong River in Nangnang-guyeok, Pyongyang / Rodong Sinmun (July 23, 2004)
This just may be the wackiest thing I’ve ever read coming out of North Korea. Courtesy the Chosun Ilbo:
“Let’s cover the whole country with hemp fields through a mass movement!”
This was the title of an editorial that appeared on the front page of the Aug. 25 edition of the Rodong Sinmun. The editorial said, “Those who strive and strive again to accomplish the nation’s hemp farming plans are patriots of the Songun (military-first) Era. We must cover the whole country with hemp fields by having each person plant 10 roots, 100 roots.”
Ahead of this, the Rodong Sinmun ran five pieces on hemp cultivation on Aug. 24, describing the atmosphere by saying, “These days, the whole nation is talking about hemp.” It also described hemp as “The General (Kim Jong-il)’s sky-like love and essence of his benevolent affection.”
Of course, if I lived in North Korea, all I’d be wondering is where I could get my hands on some hemp, too. But then again, perhaps North Korea ain’t such a bad place. After all, it’s run by a guy whose benevolent affection is expressed in pot.
In this way, hemp is becoming a topic of conversation in North Korea.
Of course, this is in accordance with an order from North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
Cool!
North Korea introduced in the June 25 edition of the Rodong Sinmun that the country was researching new breeds of hemp and cultivation technology and trying to acquire seeds in accordance with an order from Kim Jong-il, and called on the masses to plant hemp for the first time. Since then, North Korean media has been extolling the utility of hemp and encouraging its cultivation.
Considering how the Rodong editorial from Aug. 25 said the “hemp cultivation plan” had been placed alongside the “revolutionary potato cultivation plan” and “revolutionary two-crop farming plan,” which are pillars of current agricultural policy, it would seem clear that this hemp-planting campaign is not simply a one-time affair.
Can’t go wrong with potatoes, dual crop farming and hemp. A truly revolutionary development scheme if there ever was one.
It even called on the party organization to take direct responsibility for the hemp cultivation plan, along with the potato and two-crop farming plans, and drive it forward until the end.
Right on, comrades!
Moreover, the editorial lauded hemp cultivation as “the plan that most accurately reflected the demands of our revolution” and stressed, “Carrying out the hemp cultivation plan with a do-or-die spirit is a holy undertaking.”
Holy undertaking indeed! “Yo, comrade, don’t bogart that joint.” And there’s no doubt in my mind that hemp cultivation most accurately reflects the demands of the revolution — you’d have to be smoking pot to believe any of the shit that regularly comes out of North Korea. Of course, north of the DMZ, the post-pot munchies might be something of a bitch unless grass and tree bark is your sort of thing, but still, one has to find this news rather encouraging — there used to be a time when the unification of the Korean Peninsula through communization of the South was considered the most accurate reflection of the revolution.
About the reasons behind the encouragement, the paper explained that hemp could be used as raw material for a number of light industries like weaving, paper and foodstuffs, and hence could solve shortages of cloth and paper required by North Korean citizens.
That’s not all it could be used for.
The editorial called for ???? securing seeds; ???? developing superior North Korean-style breeds of hemp and researching cultivation techniques; and ???? acquiring world-quality hemp processing techniques. It also set out the mechanization of hemp cultivation as a national project and called on people to plant hemp on idle land not only on collective farms, but also on factories and schools.
You know, I wish my teachers had let me plant hemp when I was in school. As for North Korea’s drive to acquire world-class hemp technology, I see business opportunities for ambitious British Columbians willing to spend some time in the DPRK. And what better way to open up North Korea to the outside world than through pot? Heck, at least North Korea is developing an export-quality product. Pot beats ballistic missiles and nuclear technology, no?
North Korea explained that hemp is a crop of which nothing is thrown away. Oil from the seeds could be used for cooking or to make soap, hemp dregs to feed livestock, fibers to weave cloth or awnings, or to manufacture mosquito nets, rope or sandbags. The stem is also used as an ingredient in paper.
Who could hate such a wonderfully useful plant?
Meanwhile, in South Korea, laws on hemp cultivation are strict as the plant could be used in the manufacture of marijuana.
If North Korea is truly intent on turning itself into a big pot farm, I say let the march to re-unification begin!
Korean version of Chosun piece here.
16 Comments
1. Note: On rereading your post, and after reflection, I can see you’re just enjoying yourself. Who am I to be a tendentious “drag” on this, by telling you things you probably already know.
I’ll post my serious answer (directly below) anyway, as there may actually be readers who think that the NorK printed justifications about the industrial uses of hemp that you cite are a complete “fabrication” and “smokescreen”. But the industrial uses newly beloved of the Dear Leader are historically accurate, skeptics. He probably came across something about these as a revelation in his sporadic efforts to “broaden” himself, and decided to make hemp a national priority. Not a good idea to object; “the wrath of the prince means death”.
2. Haven’t you ever heard of hemp rope? In the days of sailing vessels, there must have been intense cultivation of the stuff to produce the raw material for the numerous ropeyards all over the world. Considering how behind North Korea is industrially, and the Kim Il Sung philosophy of “juche”, it’s not surprising to me that they would make a virtue of an older technology. Presumably they lack the raw materials & energy to produce nylon or wire rope (petrochemicals for the raw material, energy to run the factory machines; I would suppose they are making hemp rope the old-fashioned way, by hand in ropeyards).
In the old days of sailing vessels, I would guess few people ever thought of smoking the stuff, and it wasn’t as potent as the varieties that have been bred in our modern era of drug abuse.
Why do you presume that large quantities of hemp are being produced for a domestic NorK drug habit? Do you have any actual evidence that free, or extremely cheap pot cigarettes are being handed out by the state as “opium for the NorK masses” to keep them quiet and submissive? Seems to me a problem with this approach is that the already low productivity of starving rural masses would be even further reduced if they were also stoned all the time. I admit I’ve never smoked the shit and never will, but from my observation of intense potheads (limited admittedly), I don’t gather that they are energetic and productive members of society (all of their energy and productivity is exhausted by their efforts to grow more). But maybe that’s just the stereotype and I’m not being “broad-minded” enough.
If the NorK state doesn’t condone smoking pot (I genuinely don’t know, and would welcome actual evidence, as stated above), I would imagine that their penalties for domestic drug abuse are draconian, to include drumhead trials and summary execution for the distributors.
From what I’ve read elsewhere, I think the contraband drugs that NorK smuggling networks have been implicated in abroad involve more high-value and easier-to-move “stuff” (ie cocaine & heroin). These stories involve NorK shipments intercepted at sea, and with their probably limited shipping, bulky pot bales wouldn’t be as cost-effective.
I don’t discount the possibility of NorK moving large quantities of pot into adjacent China and Asiatic Russia for the profit of the state and with the connivance of the local authorities in those countries. But I would think “entrepreneurs” in those countries could easily meet the demand by growing their own. Martin Cruz Smith’s novel “Polar Star” (one of my all-time favorites, about a Russian-American drug smuggling operation at sea), mentions that large quantities of potent hemp (”anasha” I think was the Russian word) have traditionally grown naturally in Siberia.
I think we need more evidence that this stuff is being grown for smoking than just your automatic presumption of it. I agree that suspicion is certainly warranted in this day and age.
3. Further note! Back to lightheartedness! Hmmm, it just occurred to me: maybe DL’s got a deal worked out to move large quantities into South Korea? Further blogging on this subject is definitely called for, Marmot! Should be good stuff, as all crops grown in NorK must of necessity be “organic” due to the country’s total lack of any pesticides/herbicides (?)
Completely OT, but wow, man, somebody’s suffering from, random punctuated disequilibrium … Where did you come up with the unique date template: September, 1 2004?
Yours, fitfully
Freaked, out-Proofreader
Maybe de Marmot was smoking de ganja, Joel-mon
Dear Leader knows tree bark tastes really f’ing good when you’re high. People won’t be sacking Chinese border towns for rice anymore.
International date line accounts for the 1 day difference (?)
jtb, the mystic currents of time and space have worked their magic ways once again. I’m posting from Eureka, CA, “rat cher” in Humboldt County, where the Redwoods provide cover for the quaint forest plots of hemp. And my normal residence is Texas as well.
I think I’m in violation of county ordinances as I speak, in that I don’t have a burning joint beside me.
lmao!!
too funny. ?€œrevolutionary potato cultivation plan?€? you know what.. I think I met some of these guys doing their research!! I was in the Calgary International Airport awhile back and seen a half dozen 70’s brown suit guys. I’ve seen N Koreans before so I tried talking with them (last time I didn’t). Anyways, they would have no part of me 9in Korean or otherwise) but I did get out of their interpreter that they were brining back samples from Alberta potato farms.
hehe
maybe they stopped off in BC for the hemp?
Asia by Blog
I’m going to make an offer. If you send a trackback ping to this Asia by Blog series, I will look to include a relevant post of yours in the following edition. I’m also going to cut back on the number of links in each edition to prevent this from get…
Asia by Blog
I’m going to make an offer. If you send a trackback ping to this Asia by Blog series, I will look to include a relevant post of yours in the following edition. I’m also going to cut back on the number of links in each edition to prevent this from get…
I looked through my bookcases but couldn’t find it…but nonetheless, I have a Korean war history by Max Hastings (”The Korean War”)and I know it this passage is there somewhere.
It says that a group of Latino-American POW’s spotted cannabis growing around and outside the camp, recognized it, spread the word around the camp, and for a year the whole camp was chilled and content…
Given this, you know that Korean peasants puff up …they drink, eat or smoke everything else on the peninsula
[...] ation, and view this as a positive development. Besides, with the North Koreans trying to boost th [...]
diet pills sold on tv
You are invited to check out some information in the field of diet pills
play free roulette
Please visit the sites dedicated to best online roulette
nln gmblng gmblng st
You may find it interesting to check some helpful info on gmblng nln vrtl
next day flower delivery
You are invited to take a look at the pages about lily
ruleta europea portales
Take your time to check some relevant information about apuesta dinero portales
dollar exchange rates
You are invited to visit the sites dedicated to us exchange rate