On holidays in North Korea, you may come across female teachers carrying two water buckets in and out of apartment buildings, making multiple trips back and forth. These actions may seem unusual, but there is a reason behind it.
According to a report from Radio Free Asia, teachers in North Korea hold a respected position in society, which is why local residents were surprised to see these women working, even on the Lunar New Year, carrying water buckets.
Since the collapse of the North Korean economy in the 1990s, salaries for public servants have been extremely low. The wages of these women are not sufficient to make ends meet, so they, like many others, take on additional jobs to earn extra income. One of these ways is by carrying water for wealthy households.
Despite most apartment buildings in North Korea having piped water, some buildings face issues like broken water pumps, damaged pipelines, or interruptions in water supply, leading to taps running dry.
As a result, some apartment residents install large 200-liter water tanks in their homes that need to be refilled every few days.
Filling these water tanks can take an entire day and require a lot of physical labor. Therefore, those who can afford to pay someone else to do this task would rather leave their homes during this time and attend to other matters.
When these residents hire someone to refill their water tanks, they may not be home. Hence, they need to find someone trustworthy to hand over their keys and complete the task, and teachers are seen as respected and trusted individuals in the community.
A resident from Hamgyongbuk-do province told the radio station, “People believe that teachers will not disturb their personal belongings in their homes.”
The income earned from refilling water tanks depends on the floor level of the apartment building. The higher the floor, the higher the cost.
A resident from Pyeonganam-do province mentioned, “They fetch water from pumps installed in the apartment basement, filling 10-liter buckets for 300 North Korean won each (1.5 cents). Beyond the 4th floor, the price doubles to 600 North Korean won (3 cents).”
This is one of the reasons why wealthier people tend to prefer living on lower floors. Higher floors are more desirable when electricity and water supply are reliable due to better views and fewer pests. However, elevators in North Korea are not always operational, requiring individuals to carry water up the stairs themselves, making living on lower floors more convenient.
The Pyeonganam-do resident added, “To refill water tanks in every apartment kitchen, you need to carry two buckets up and down the stairs ten times. Refilling tanks in two rooms on the third floor or lower can earn you around 12,000 North Korean won (60 cents).”
Given the current prices in North Korea, this amount of money is sufficient to purchase 1.5 kilograms of rice.
The Hamgyongbuk-do resident mentioned that this is a relatively stable job.
She stated, “In my apartment building, three female elementary and middle school teachers earn their meals by refilling water tanks. They fetch water for three households every two days.”
However, she acknowledged that local residents have not overlooked the fact that these women are teachers.
She expressed, “Pity the teachers in this country. They should be regarded as revolutionary professionals, but they have resigned themselves to fetching water to make a living.”