North Korean authorities are extracting cash and grain from wealthy private traders through a campaign of forced donations. Neighborhood watch units and law enforcement officials in Ryanggang and South Hamgyong provinces are pressuring the merchant class known as donju to contribute under the “patriotic rice” banner. Sources inside the country say the forced donations are not voluntary but strongly coercive, designed to channel private wealth into state coffers.
The campaign revives a practice dating back to 1946, when farmers who received free land donated part of their harvest. Pyongyang has long framed such contributions as a symbol of loyalty. Today, however, the state has turned the tradition into a tool for extracting resources from those who built fortunes through informal markets. A source in Hyesan said officials openly demand money and grain. They tell traders not to live only for personal gain but to do something good for the country. Those who refuse risk scrutiny and penalties, so most hand over the forced donations without resistance.
A dark saying circulates among wealthier North Koreans: “Live short and thick.” It reflects the belief that the state will eventually come for anyone with money. People with means feel watched constantly, as if suspicious eyes follow them like a shadow. Consequently, they treat these forced donations as a form of insurance — a way to ease surveillance and keep operating. One donju in Hyesan handed over the equivalent of 50,000 Chinese yuan in cash in early May. Others contributed rice and corn bought directly from markets, and some even made donations in their children’s names.
The same pattern is playing out in Hamhung, South Hamgyong province. Neighborhood-level offices receive frequent directives to collect contributions. Watch unit leaders and district officials visit known wealthy households directly, soliciting or pressuring donations. Targets include traders who operate vehicle fleets and those who profited from illegal activities. These individuals now make semi-coerced payments. For them, the forced donations serve as a cost of staying in business under state scrutiny. For officials, the collections provide something to report to superiors. Ultimately, people who accumulated wealth through trade are now subsidizing the state.
