North Korea requiring diplomats to raise millions in U.S. currency

SEOUL, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- North Korea requested millions of dollars from its diplomatic corps ahead of a major anniversary, a few days after reportedly distributing special bonuses to all service personnel in the country.

Japan's Sankei Shimbun reported Tuesday that North Korea directed the transfer of large sums of foreign currency from diplomats at overseas missions. Each embassy staff member is to contribute a minimum of $1 million in U.S. currency to the regime, according to the report.

All North Korean agents affiliated with Pyongyang's Reconnaissance General Bureau also are to deliver $200,000 in kickback money to the regime, and those who cannot provide the required funds would have to face penalties. The Sankei reported these are signs that pressure is building for Pyongyang's spies to turn away from their main duty – intelligence gathering – and to find ways to earn the regime much-needed foreign currency.

Some North Korean diplomats have asked to return to Pyongyang because they are unable to fulfill the regime's quota. Yonhap reported the popularity of a diplomatic career has waned with the increased demands that are part of the job.

A source with frequent contact with Workers' Party cadres told Yonhap that ordinary North Koreans also have been asked to contribute, about $6 per household, to the celebrations on Oct. 10, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party. Yonhap reported the amount is twice the average monthly salary of a North Korean worker. During a recent flood relief project, each North Korean citizen was asked to contribute money or recovery tools to efforts, and local residents were asked to volunteer in Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il statue projects, according to the Sankei.

North Korea's leadership, however, has preferred to publicize acts of giving back. Last Friday, North Korea state media reported Kim Jong Un distributed special bonuses equivalent to 100 percent of monthly salaries for all service personnel and workers with pensions to commemorate the upcoming anniversary.