N. Korea forces people to donate money to build prosperous country

SEOUL (Yonhap) - North Korea has pressed its people to donate money to build a powerful and prosperous nation by next year, a move that has triggered public discontent amid chronic food shortages, a source familiar with the issue said Thursday.
Propaganda officials recently held public meetings in cities and provinces to try to collect money by stoking competition among people to donate, the source said.
North Korea tried to encourage voluntary donations, saying some people donated money due to the North's shelling of a South Korean border island in November, the source said on condition of anonymity, citing office policy.
The attack further aggravated inter-Korean ties that were already badly strained over the sinking early last year of a South Korean warship blamed on the North. Forty-six South Korean sailors were killed.
The donation campaign has caused the public to complain at a time when people are suffering from food shortages, according to the source.
North Korea suffered devastating floods in recent months that washed away tens of thousands of hectares of farmland, damage that is feared to threaten the already fragile food situation.
The North has vowed to achieve its stated goal of building a prosperous nation next year, the centennial of the birth of the country's late founder and president, Kim Il-sung, the father of current leader Kim Jong-il.
Still, there is doubt about whether the North can make any economic breakthrough by next year.