Heating in North Korea: keeping warm by burning “man-made coal”

What do people do for heating in North Korea? In the countryside and suburbs alike, North Koreans are keeping warm by burning so-called “man-made coal”. Made from materials such as sawdust and dried corn stalks, these makeshift coals are being used in place of traditional fuels; and this trend is an increasing one, according to sources from inside North Korea.

These fuels are said to be most popular in regions surrounding the Kaema Plateau, such as Yangang province, Jagang province and South Hangyong province. Several sources stressed that the man-made coals were spreading quickly throughout North Korea due to its efficacy.

The coals can be made from materials relatively easy to obtain: soybean shells, dry corn stalks and roots, sawdust, leaves and other dried vegetation can all be finely chopped and mixed with earth to produce the man-made coals. In addition, they are also being used as substitute fertilizer on acid soil and are perceived as an extremely useful product, according to sources.

Although they are not as good as real coals, the man-made coals are proving to be crucial fuels in the North Korean winters for both cooking and heating. This is especially the case because of the lack of access to wood by many North Koreans, as well as the high prices of coal.

A source in Yangyang province added that the man-made coals are an exemplar of a ‘self-reliant revival’; and that although the Party does not practice what they teach, the North Korean people are drawing on their wisdom to live in a self-reliant way.