[“Good Friends” aims to help the North Korean people from a humanistic point of view and publishes “North Korea Today” describing the way the North Korean people live as accurately as possible. We at Good Friends also hope to be a bridge between the North Korean people and the world.]
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[Hot Topics]
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] Construction Moves Forward, with Limitations
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] Soldiers in Construction, on a Forced March without Breaks
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] Additional Police Units Dispatched to Protect Civilians from Soldiers
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] Directive Officers Dispatched by Central Party Lead Mobilized Soldiers
[Food]
Shin Kye-koon Military Training Center Continues to Operate despite Lack of Resources
Ship Building Dock Workers in Hamgyeongbuk-do Kim Chaek, Seek Day Jobs to Make Ends Meet
[Economy]
Soldiers close to the end of their term of service forced to extend it to build up new power plant
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] No progress in work, meeting is called
In July Confiscated Counterfeit Chinese Currency Reached Several Thousands Yuan in North Hamgyong Province
Heightened Inspection for Chinese Recording Machine Smugglers in Sinuiju
[Hoechun Power Plant in Jagang Province] Volunteers Supplement Labor Shortage
[Politics]
Drug Trafficking Still Rampant Despite Strong Sanctions by the Government
Interrogation and Inspection Reinforced in Various Border Areas
[Society]
“They told us to catch the thief only to let him go because he is dying?”
A man who lost job due to false accusation wanders around his coworker’s house
Starved to death after leaving his home to find food
[Women/Children/Education]
Female College Students in Chungjin Prostitute themselves for Tuition
Excessive Non-tax Burden Forces Students Drop Out
Pregnant Woman Repatriated from China, Abort during Deportation
[Accidents]
Infectious Disease Killed Horses in the Military Horse Training Center
[Investigative Report]
[Complete Statement for the Public Lecture]
Let’s Expedite the Completion of Heechun Power Plant by Mobilizing the Whole Party, Military, and People
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[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] Construction Moves Forward, with Limitations
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] Soldiers in Construction, on a Forced March without Breaks
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] Additional Police Units Dispatched to Protect Civilians from Soldiers
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] Directive Officers Dispatched by Central Party Lead Mobilized Soldiers
[Food]
Shin Kye-koon Military Training Center Continues to Operate despite Lack of Resources
Ship Building Dock Workers in Hamgyeongbuk-do Kim Chaek, Seek Day Jobs to Make Ends Meet
[Economy]
Soldiers close to the end of their term of service forced to extend it to build up new power plant
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] No progress in work, meeting is called
In July Confiscated Counterfeit Chinese Currency Reached Several Thousands Yuan in North Hamgyong Province
Heightened Inspection for Chinese Recording Machine Smugglers in Sinuiju
[Hoechun Power Plant in Jagang Province] Volunteers Supplement Labor Shortage
[Politics]
Drug Trafficking Still Rampant Despite Strong Sanctions by the Government
Interrogation and Inspection Reinforced in Various Border Areas
[Society]
“They told us to catch the thief only to let him go because he is dying?”
A man who lost job due to false accusation wanders around his coworker’s house
Starved to death after leaving his home to find food
[Women/Children/Education]
Female College Students in Chungjin Prostitute themselves for Tuition
Excessive Non-tax Burden Forces Students Drop Out
Pregnant Woman Repatriated from China, Abort during Deportation
[Accidents]
Infectious Disease Killed Horses in the Military Horse Training Center
[Investigative Report]
[Complete Statement for the Public Lecture]
Let’s Expedite the Completion of Heechun Power Plant by Mobilizing the Whole Party, Military, and People
________________________________________________________
[Hot Topics]
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] Construction Moves Forward, with Limitations
Two regular army divisions and two regiments of the Corps of Engineers have been mobilized to help in the construction of a power plant in Jagang Province. The Corps of Engineers carries out the technical activities related to the design and construction of the power plant. In addition, there are shock troop brigades made up of civilians from various regions, the number of these brigades is expected to increase. Active duty soldiers are assigned to sections requiring tougher activities, civilians labor in sections where working conditions are less strenuous. Soldiers work in two shifts throughout the day and night and they are replaced every ten days. The civilian shock troops work only during the day. Everyone works without breaks following the guide: “We should all dash forward in full force with a hundred-fold spirit, following the will of our Dear Leader without any reservation. At all costs we should complete the construction of the power plant in three years by 2012, even though it was originally designed to take ten years.” However, according to party leaders who observed the construction site, insufficient supply of diesel oil restricts the use of heavy equipment to only the spots where it is impossible to carry on with human labor. The mobilized heavy equipment consists of eighteen military bulldozers, forty 30-ton cargo trucks belonging to the transport regiment of the Corps of Engineers and nine excavators supported by fundraising efforts in China.
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] Soldiers in Construction, on a Forced March without Breaks
The supply of food at the Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant construction site has been sufficient so far, although the risk of a shortage still remains. August heat leads to workers sweating out a great deal of water while they labor. Accordingly, each worker at the site was provided with a vinyl container filled with porridge weighing 700 grams. The porridge is intended to replenish water in the workers’ dehydrated bodies and also kill their sense of hunger. Each soldier at the construction site carries a vinyl bottle filled with their own porridge of rice and pork fat, which they can drink from every so often. Commanders push the soldiers without breaks, saying “Time is as precious as a thousand pieces of gold.” Each meal should not last more than twenty minutes and there are not enough breaks in the day. Performers of a provincial entertainment group in Jagang Province and the People’s Army Band provide entertaining programs under the direction of the Central Party’s Department of Propaganda. Performers were instructed to not have their presentation exceed forty-five minutes. These performances occur every two to three days. These performances are the only respite for workers at the construction site.
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] Additional Police Units Dispatched to Protect Civilians from Soldiers
Frequent thefts committed by soldiers against the civilian residents near the Jagang Province Power Plant have become a serious problem in the relationship between the military and the civilian population. The General Political Bureau of the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces received reports from the People’s Assembly and the police of Heechun City. The reports instructed the Garrison Headquarters of the City of Pyongyang to send a police company to Heechun City on June 2. However, this police force was too small for all the disturbances throughout the area. Consequently, the Police Departments of East Pyongyang and West Pyongyang assembled additional companies consisting of strong martial arts experts and sent the company to the area on July 9. These police units patrol the area near the construction site and keep soldiers from stealing or taking things of value by force, the police also arrest any soldiers causing damage to military honor. These police units only serve in a police function and do not contribute to the construction work. Any soldier arrested is reported to the command post, this kind of report affects the overall assessment of the military unit to which the soldier belongs. The overall assessment of the military unit will be lowered even though the unit’s capabilities in battle might be outstanding. In the meantime, the Party Committee of the Korean People’s Armed Forces issued a Statement of Determination that was delivered to all the units mobilized in the construction of the power plant. The statements instructs: “All soldiers should work toward the construction of a ‘strong and prosperous country’ at all costs. Soldiers are in contact with residents and should not cause any damage to their property. It is especially important not to damage the autumn crops. All soldiers, including officers, should not drink alcoholic beverages.”
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] Directive Officers Dispatched by Central Party Lead Mobilized Soldiers
Construction of Units No. 1 and No. 2 of the Heechun Power Plant is scheduled to be completed in the year 2012. The distance between Unit No. 1 and Unit No.2 is around 100 Li (40 Km) on a mountainous path. Upon completion of Units No. 1 and No. 2, Units No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 are scheduled to be constructed between the two initial units, with an estimated completion date of 2015.
Twenty brigades have been mobilized in the construction of the Heechun Power Plant and each brigade is assigned a low level directive officer from the Central Party. It is not an exaggeration to say that these directive officers are the only ones responsible for progress on the construction site. According to the party leaders at Heechun, commanders or the political directors of brigades try to ‘take it easy’. On the other hand, the directive officers from the Central Party have been taking the initiative, even under adverse working conditions, rain or shine, in moving rocks or carrying heavy loads on their backs. The soldiers obey their directive officers.
* Story related to [Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] will continue at The News on the Economy
[Food]
Shin Kye-koon Military Training Center Continues to Operate despite Lack of Resources
From June 10th to July 21th, a soldier from the specialized unit carrying a 105mm self-propelled artillery at the North Hwanghae Province, Shin Kye Gun. 4.25 military training center was given only 150g of corn rice and 10 potatoes for lunch and dinner. Performance is being affected by these small and low quality rations that are being distributed to the soldiers. However, the circumstances this year are still better than the previous year. The second artillery battalion trains for three hours a day for “3 Revolutionary Red Flag Company Rating.” The exhausted, malnourished and overworked soldiers are only waiting for the “Day of Judgment” to pass. However, despite the already difficult conditions, the Political Directive Officer commands its officers to continue repetitive training past the 11 p.m. curfew so that the soldiers can fully acquire what they have learned that day. As a result the relationship between the Political Directive Officers and the battalion command and squadron leaders are worsening. One battalion leader asserts, “Soldiers should not be trained harder when we cannot even feed them properly. We should at least let them sleep on time.”
Ship Building Dock Workers in North Hamgyong Province, Kim Chaek, Seek Day Jobs to Make Ends Meet
Setting the goal for making about 11,000 tons of cargo boats, managers and workers at North Hamgyong Province Kim Chaek Ship-building Dock have worked for 150-day battle without sleeping. Throughout the 150-day battle, the lack of technology and materials were impediments to carrying out this goal. Moreover, the factory does not provide sufficient provisions for their workers; only corn noodles are served for lunch. Also, there are no bonuses and other incentives to keep the workers’ spirits high. Consequently, of the 120 workers who are enrolled at the factory, so far in August, only 30 people are coming to work. The others go to Kim Chaek Harbor seeking day jobs to make ends meet and are regularly absent from the factory either due to illness or with no apparent excuse provided.
[Economy]
Soldiers Close to the End of their Term of Service Forced to Extend it to Build up New Power Plant
Soldiers mobilized to construct a Heechun power plant in Jagang Province are forced to extend their terms of service though some of them are close to the end of their term of service. Leaders of the mobilized soldiers asked the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces to extend the term of service of the soldiers under them until completion of the construction of the power plant, against the will and without the consent of the soldiers, particularly those who are nearing the end of their service. In fear of being viewed as disloyal to the national party and country, the discontented soldiers dare not voice their opposition to the extension.
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] No progress in work, meeting is called
At Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant, however much they run the machines and work the workers day and night constantly, there is not much progress. On August 1st, a mobilized infantry called a meeting with people including the commanding general, division commander, an engineer corps brigade commander, the chief of the staff, the commanding officer, and the executive members all gathered for a meeting. Even though there were many people mobilized for the construction project, the duties that have to be done every month are not being completed. They concluded that the reasons why the duties are not being done are because they did not follow an organized step-by-step plan. The commanding officers and the workers said, “The workers must take the lead!” and also emphasized, “Even when the construction materials are gathered the progress is not going well, this is because the machines did not get distributed according to what the power plant planned. Researchers and technicians united and researched a way to push the construction into a fast and productive way, and get the duties completed.”
In July Confiscated Counterfeit Chinese Currency Reached Several Thousands Yuan in North Hamgyong Province
Lately an increasing amount of counterfeit Chinese currency has been circulating in North Korea. The counterfeit Chinese currency is mixed with North Korean won (NK won) and circulated in the market places and residential areas. Even when merchants who regularly deal with Chinese currency are paying closer attention, they still end up with some counterfeit money at the end of day. Since transaction of foreign currency exchange is illegal, the merchants cannot report it. During the month of July, the counterfeit Chinese currency reached several thousand yuan in North Hamgyong province.
Heightened Inspection for Chinese Recording Machine Smugglers in Sinuiju
A recording machine made by “Hanna Electronic” is the only brand allowed in North Korea, however, lately Chinese DVD recorders smuggled from China through Sinuiju, North Pyongyang province, and Hyesan, Ryanggang province, are widely distributed. After receiving a report about the increased number of Chinese recording machines being circulated, the police station identified a couple of major electronic merchants in Sinuiju and Hyesan and began a full investigation. Once the reported information was confirmed, the police went into disguise as buyers and followed the merchants to their homes and arrested them all. Three houses were searched in Sinuiju, and 30 recorders were confiscated. About 20 merchants were arrested for trading the smuggled recorders and sent to the Labor Training Center for more a six- month sentence. At the same time, seven smugglers were arrested in Hyesan city, and 400 recorders were confiscated. The seven smugglers were investigated and police learned that since early February this year to July 10 3,500 recorders were smuggled from China. These confiscated recorders are then resold and transferred over to the National procurement shops at a cost of 2,650 NK won per recorder. Some of the money would be allocated for expenses at the police station, purchasing household items for police, or paid to the Central party.
According to sales managers and sales people who work in the National procurement shops in Hwanghae province and North Pyongan province, there are not enough ”Hanna Electronic” recorders and DVD players in the store and because of difficulties with the products, even with the new ones, people are not buying the brand. Many of the purchased electronics are returned because of malfunction. According to the residents, “The Hanna electronic recorder costs 12,500 NK won per one; it is pricy with a poor efficiency and quality.” On the other hand, the Chinese recorder costs about 11,000 NK won which costs less and is more efficient so the Chinese electronics are preferred by the people. The residents have suggested that if the government prohibits individual smugger from selling these electronics then “The government procurement shops should import Chinese recorders and sell them.”
[Hoechun Power Plant in Jagang Province] Volunteers Supplement Labor Shortage
As the labor mobilization efforts of the army for construction of the Hoechun Power Plant in Jagang Province was insufficient, the North Hamgyong Province organized a social volunteer group. The city and the provincial social volunteers, which were mobilized by the provincial munitions mobilization department, amount to 2,200 men and 320 women. The training period of new recruits lasts for 40 days. The provincial Democratic Women’s Union (DWU) in Jagang Province organized a shock troop brigade by selecting DWU members from the city and county DWU within the province. However, since women had not been mobilized enough, the provincial DWU required the DWU members to take a turn so everyone should go out and work in the shock troop brigade at least once. As the DWU did so, it emphasized that “the fact that the women giving up their family life for a certain period of time, leaving one’s home and working in the shock troop brigade is the manifestation of loyalty to support the realization of General Kim Jong-Il’s idea to open the gate of the strong and prosperous nation.”
[Politics]
Drug Trafficking Still Rampant Despite Strong Sanctions by the Government
For the past few years, drug addicts have been gradually increasing in large cities such as Chungjin, Pyongsung, or Pyongyang. ‘Ice’ (classified in the category of amphetamines in North Korea) is given even as a birthday present in Chungjin. The majority of the drugs are distributed from Hamhung to Chungjin, and most are smuggled into China, where one gram of ‘ice’ is traded for 50-60 Yuan. Although substantial amounts of drugs are consumed in Chungjin, the amount that goes to China is unaffected. Drug violations are judged with severity like treason, which is a felony according to the Security Laws, but drug dealers cannot easily wash their hands clean of the drug trade because “rather than living a life of suffering, success [in the drug trade] is a way to get rich quickly”. Residents expressed distrust towards the government and said, “If one abides by the rules of the government, there are no gains or rewards for the individual, and more importantly, it is difficult to sustain one’s life. Instead of living like that, it seems better to either succeed in one fell swoop or to die. Nowadays, a person will easily starve to death if he lives according to what the government dictates so he should do prohibited things such as dealing drugs in order to survive.”
Interrogation and Inspection Reinforced in Various Border Areas
An order from the Border Patrol Brigade No. 27 of the National Security Agency in North Hamgyong Province was communicated to the battalions, companies and platoons of all Border Patrols. Each passerby is to be stopped and searched after 9 o’clock in the evening, even on roads with heavy traffic like those near the National Border Area and railroads. Men are required to strip all items of clothing including underwear. Soldiers of the border battalion have taken advantage of the opportunity to collect cigarettes and lighters from men’s pockets, also purposely fabricating reasons to confiscate money if any is found. In addition to soldiers who guard the border, disciplinary teams and security officers, which are organized by selected people in good standing with society, patrol the rural villages near the National Border Area. This is the secondary checkpoint. There is a checkpoint in the main road into each village for identification of incoming people, where they are asked questions such as “why they are entering the village” or “whose house they will be staying at.”
Kim Sang-Hyuk (alias), who lives in Musan, North Hamgyong Province, went to a nearby rural village where his uncle lives, in search of a job. The farm he was working at was busy so he went without taking any breaks in the morning and after lunch, he was trying to take a nap when someone suddenly approached him, asking him “where he came from” and “which route he had taken.” Mr. Kim told him the truth and showed his resident card. After examining the resident card and making sure that nothing was suspicious, the interrogator left. Mr. Kim’s aunt informed him that “a stranger to the town is always scrutinized nowadays.”
[Society]
“They told us to catch the thief only to let him go because he is dying?”
On the night of July 24, 2009, in Heoryong City in the North Hamgyong Province, Song, Ryu and Chung caught a thief who was trying to steal goats from their farm. Once they caught him, they realized that he was a laborer in the neighborhood who came from Kangsan County in the Ryangkang Province. Song Baek Kil, one of the men who caught the thief, said, “We were acquaintances. The neighbor sent him to the countryside with some food because he thought he behaved inappropriately. He must have come back when he ran out of food. He was caught before stealing a chicken and served 20 days at the training center. When we caught him, he was so weak he could barely run. The police took him, but he almost died because they did not feed him for three days. The police then let him go so that they will not be responsible for him. He does not have any relatives or guardian so the police dropped him back at the farm where he was caught. Farm associates are complaining because even though they catch the thieves at the request of the police, the police just let the thieves go so that they will not be responsible for their deaths. If the police arrest them, should not they take full responsibility? Instead of releasing the thieves back to us, the police should at least try to find their relatives. What are we to do with the returned thieves?”
A man who lost job due to false accusation wanders around his coworker’s house Bang Sang-Chul lost his job at the bicycle repair shop after being falsely accused. He was receiving social security due to his chronic illness. Nevertheless, he wanted to support his family, and after much difficulty, he was able to find employment at the bicycle repair shop. A job at the bicycle repair shop is popular in Hamheung City because the salary is good and there are not many job openings. After paying 4,000 NK won to the government, each employee can keep the rest of the money.
About a month after starting his job, Bang did not make it to work for several days due to his illness. Unfortunately, during his absence, 40,000 NK won worth of bicycle parts were stolen. After he returned to work, Bang discovered that he was accused of stealing these items because his co-worker Lee Sung-Man accused him. Bang denied his involvement, but there was no way to prove it. He was arrested and released after a few days. He was proven innocent, but he lost his job at the bicycle repair shop. Bang later discovered that Lee set him up in order to get his nephew a job at the bicycle shop. Bang said, “There’s nothing I can do to change what happened.” Vowing to get his revenge Bang began to circle Lee’s house. Lee reported Bang to the police, and the police warned Bang, but Bang replied, “Is it wrong for me to walk around on my own two feet?” He continues to circle Lee’s house, and the neighbors are keeping their eyes on them to see what will happen next.
Starved to death after leaving his home to find food
Cho Chul-nam (Alias) from Chungjin in the North Hamgyong Province told a tragic story about his distant cousin in Pyunggang in the Kangwon Province. This is his story: “My cousin, who I assumed was doing well because I didn’t hear from him for a long time, called after several years. He said, ‘Help me brother. I have a daughter now but it is extremely hard to make a living these days. I will somehow work my way to Chungjin, so please help me out this one time. My wife even went to work at a farm in exchange for half year’s worth of food but even that is gone, and we have nothing to eat. Please help us brother or we will all die. I do not have any money to start a business, and even if I did, it would not be enough to feed my family. If you do not help us, we are all dead. I am asking for help after much consideration. If you can’t help us, could you at least find a way for us to get to China?’ I could not just ignore him when he sounded so desperate, so I told him to come to Chungjin in July. My wife said we are in no position to help anyone else, but I convinced her to at least hear him out when he came. However, June and July passed, yet I heard nothing more from my cousin, so I again assumed he was doing fine. Then someone told me that my cousin came to Kowon in the South Hamgyong Province, but he was too sick from starvation that he could not even call and died after a few days. His body was not returned to his hometown but cremated. I was devastated thinking that had I sent him some money, this would not have happened.”
[Women/Children/Education]
Female College Students in Chungjin Prostitute themselves for Tuition
Female college students in Chungjin, North Hamgyong Province, are increasingly observed selling sex to earn living expenses. In Chungjin train station, some women solicit customers, calling out “Cigarettes! Overnight lodgings!” When men approach them and ask for more information, they answer that there are girls for sex in addition to lodging. The price, which is negotiable, depends on the girl’s age, body shape, and appearance. Usually the price starts from 50,000 NK won, but after negotiation it is settled around 30,000 to 40,000 NK won. Arriving at the lodgings, there are female college students waiting for customers. The girls pay 5,000 NK won to the owner of the lodging as a commission and quickly disappear with the rest of the money. There are many cases that female students make money in this way to earn the tuition because their family cannot afford it.
Excessive Non-tax Burden Forces Students Drop Out
Song Jung-eun, in Hamheung City in South Hamgyong Province, is 10 years old, but does not go to school. Because of the excessive financial burden imposed on students by the school, her family decided not to send her to school. Instead they sent her to a mountain to help her grandfather farming. Her mother says, “I feel so sorry for her: she is in her schooling age and yet she is alone without any friends in a remote mountainous area, helping her grandfather’s work. But the non-tax burden imposed by the Neighborhood Unit is too much. The other day, they collected women’s sanitary pads from each household to send to a construction site somewhere. This is outrageous: they ask us to submit so many things and now they even require such items.” On top of the Neighborhood Unit’s requirements, there are non-tax burdens imposed by her children’s school, which she cannot afford anymore.
On the other hand, a household with three children or more is exempted from any non-tax burden imposed by the Neighborhood Unit. Those mothers are respected as a heroin of motherhood. There are TV campaigns promoting those women and encouraging others to follow their examples. Jung-eun’s mother criticizes the policy promoting fecundity as out of touch with the reality: in her opinion, it is impossible to have more children in the situation when people barely manage to live.
Pregnant Woman Repatriated from China, Abort Forcibly during Deportation
More than thirty people who went to China by crossing the river border between February and July this year got arrested in the Laborer’s District in Obong Mine, Eunduck County, North Hamgyong Province. They were deported to Chungheri Re-education Center in Heoryung on August 6. Twelve of them were women, and two of them were two to three months pregnant. Both of them were forced to have abortion. Even though they were unable to walk in an extremely weak health condition, they did not receive any proper medical care. When they got seriously ill, the convoy brought them to a hospital to give a basic care and took them back to the re-education center. A woman who witnessed this expressed her concern: “It is so hard to survive in the re-education center even with a simple illness. Their physical condition is extremely bad and I wonder how they can survive.”
[Accidents]
Infectious Disease Killed Horses in the Military Horse Training Center
An infectious disease broke out at the Military Horse Training Center associated with the Border Patrol Headquarter in Upa Laborer’s District in Pyongwon County, South Pyongan Province killing 12 horses from July 20th to 27th. Veterinarians tried to cure them, but they could not treat them because once the horses were infected, it was not easy to cure. The 7 dead horses were sent to the center for military dogs as dog food. They did not feed dogs with the horses’ meat, but students who trained the dogs ate the meat. Because food supply was in shortage they stole the dogs’ food. These trainees want to graduate from the institute as soon as possible and are expected to join a company of Border Command that could provide a better living condition.
Unidentified Parachute Caused Intensified Security in the Borderline Area
Around July 13th this year, an unidentified parachute fell on Jongsung-gu (around Poongye and Poongcheon), Onsung County in North Hamgyong Province. On the first day of this incident, children who played around the area ran away because they did not know what the dropping white objects were and were very scared about them. When they went back their homes and told their parents what they saw, their parents did not report it to the authorities because they doubted what their children described. The next day, soldiers passing around Poongcheon noticed the fallen parachutes. Police authorities went to the location, but found only one of two parachutes. This news caused a big commotion in the county. Investigation on the road became intensified. Over 600 soldiers were mobilized and people could only pass by confirming their identification. If they did not have a traveler’s permit or a resident ID they were not allowed to pass. The National Security Agency and police station assured people that the South Korean National Intelligence Service flew these parachutes so they decided to increase the level of security on the border area. Factories and enterprises also intensified night security. The authorities asked residents to report if unidentified or unfamiliar people appear in the residential area and they also mobilized residents for the night time shift.
[Investigative Report]
[Complete Statement for the Public Lecture]
Let’s Expedite the Completion of Heechun Power Plant by Mobilizing the Whole Party, Military, and People
Our Dear Leader is leading the way to build a strong economy with energetic leadership by designating this year as the turning point for opening the door to a strong and prosperous nation. In response to the Party’s calling, people’s enthusiasm for a new revolutionary movement in production and construction has never been higher. Now, what is the most desperately needed, across all industry and in all units, is the electric power.
Our Dear Leader Kim Jong-il had pointed out as follows:
We must first resolve the power problem in order to build up the metalworking industry, coal industry, railroad transportation, which are the prerequisite for building a sound economy for the people, and to proceed forcefully to revitalize the economy as a whole. We need a lot of power to produce enough fertilizers for good farming in order to resolve the food problem for the people as the Party has committed itself to carry out. Thus, the power problem has emerged as the most important issue that has to be resolved with the highest priority in order to build a strong and prosperous nation.
As an on-the-job instruction in the area of people’s economy, our Dear Leader visited Chungnyun power plant in Wonsan, then continued his site visit to the Reysung River Chungnyun number one power plant and Dae-ahn Heavy Machinery Enterprise, which plays a major role in manufacturing power generation equipment. Our Dear Leader emphasized the need to resolve the problem of power generation. Recently, our Dear Leader stated that we can resolve a great deal of nation’s power problem if we finish the construction of Heechun power plant, Uhrangchun power plant, and Keumyagang power plant and build many small-to-medium size power plants. Especially, our Dear Leader showed a special interest in Heechun power plant and encouraged several times to expedite the completion of the construction.
Last March, during his field visit to Heechun power plant our Dear Leader said that the completion of Heechun power plant in a short period of time is especially important in resolving the nation’s power problem because of its high production capacity, and requested that despite the difficulties and massiveness of the project the construction should under any circumstances be completed by year 2012, the centennial year of the birth of Kim Il-sung. Our Dear Leader stated passionately that completing the construction of the massive power plant in three and a half years instead of more than 10 years under normal conditions is an enormous order; nevertheless, he is optimistic about it because our military forces and people have unlimited mental capability as well as the strong backing from the juche principle. Expediting the construction of Heechun power plant to resolve the capital city’s power problem and decisively relieve our nation’s power deficiency is the lofty idea of our Dear Leader.
Our Dear Leader issued the National Defense Committee executive order of mobilizing the whole party, military, and people to complete the construction of Heechun power plant, and took all the necessary measures including, concentrating all the labor and equipment on the construction of power plant, establishing national level support for construction of power plant, developing a strong leadership plan and reinforcing the management control for the construction of power plant, and encouraging the Party organizations and labor organizations to promote constructive socialistic competition among party members and laborers in the spirit of collective innovation for the construction of the power plant. All the leaders and labors in every department and every unit must support our beloved leader’s plan and intention and thoroughly carry out the assigned tasks issued by the National Defense Committee and take the responsibilities for the given tasks so that we can resolve the power problem within a few years.
The significance of Constructing the Heechun Power plant and Its Production Capacity
The issue of increasing electric power production through the construction of Heechun power plant is a sincere instruction of our great leader, Kim Il-sung, on his death bed. The great leader already had a plan for the construction of Heechun power plant long time ago and provided specific instructions for designing, construction, and all related tasks. Our Dear Leader instructed numerous times this year including last January 8th and 18th that we should honor the great leader’s last instruction and increase the nation’s power production by completing the construction of Heechun power plant regardless of the circumstances.
The Heechun power plant is a hydroelectric power plant which produces a lot of power by diverting the flow of river to create a big difference between the upper and lower water levels. The Heechun power plant consists of Heechun Number 1 and Number 2 and it is a large hydroelectric power plant capable of generating hundreds of thousands kilowatts. With the completion of Heechun power plant, several floodgate style power plants can be constructed down the Chungchun River from which a lot of power can be produced. Besides, this will allow protection of rice fields and villages around Chungchun River from flooding and provide industrial water to major chemical plants in Namheung areas such as Namheung Chungnyun Chemical United Enterprise.
The Heechun power plant is a massive construction project in terms of size and scope. The construction of power plant requires a long stretch of water canal construction, managing more than ten millions cubic meters of water, a large amount of cement, several tons of steel and lumber, thousands of tons of gunpowder, thousands of kilometers of blasting fuse, and millions of detonation caps. Likewise, the construction of Heechun power plant has a great economic significance and it is one of the largest construction projects among the recently constructed power plants in terms of size and scope.
Regarding the problems related to Expediting the completion of Heechun power plant construction
- First of all, everyone must complete the assigned task on time with a strong ideological determination to carry out the order our Dear Leader had given us.
The completion of Heechun power plant by year 2012 under any circumstances is the order that is given by our Dear Leader. The construction period we have is only three and a half years now. Normally, even the preparation work for the construction of a large power plant takes at least a year as it requires construction of railroad, paving of roads, and temporary buildings. We can not finish the construction within a given time this way. As our Dear Leader has instructed we must adopt our own construction methods of speedy and multidimensional operation which involves pushing through all the construction phases simultaneously including both the preparatory and basic constructions. In order to achieve this, the whole Party and the whole population must engage in the operation with the strongest determination for the completion of the work. Now, as the construction of Heechun power plant begins, numerous leaders and laborers throughout the country are taking up the responsibilities assigned to each department and each unit according to the instructions given by the National Defense Committee and organizing themselves to deliver the labor, equipment, and materials on time.
· The soldiers mobilized to Heechun power plant, after pushing themselves through the heavy snow that came up to the waist at Sulhan ridge, has arrived on time and are working on the power plant construction by deploying themselves at the construction site on time As soon as the order from the National Defense Committee was issued, the leaders and workers at the Ministry of Building Material Industry joined the construction work by meticulously organizing the operation and deploying labor, equipment and building materials to the construction site.
· Several provinces, cities, and counties such as Jagang province, North and South Pyongan provinces are actively providing support for the construction of the power plant by mobilizing and securing the equipments and materials necessary for the construction.
*Compile Positive information from the Assigned Unit
On the other hand, some of the leaders and workers are whining about their own production schedule and the current situation and fail to secure the assigned labor, equipment, and materials on time. As a result, they are delaying the progress of the construction in a significant way.
*Compile Special Plan Material from Assigned Units
We cannot meet the construction deadline this way. No department or units can be an exception in the battle for the construction of Heechun power plant. All the department and all units must make firm plans to carry out the tasks assigned to them within the given time period unconditionally. The number 18 Command unit and the leaders at Heechun power plant construction site command unit must seize the control and execute the plans with confident and bold manners. All the units with assigned tasks for Heechun power plant construction must finish the deployment within the given time period and initiate the construction work.
Especially, every ministry, central agencies, and related units should take up the responsibilities of organizing and securing the assigned construction materials, machinery, and equipments within the given period of time. The cabinet, National Planning Committee, Ministry of Power Industry, Ministry of Building Material Industry, Ministry of Metal Industry, Ministry of Chemical Industry, and all the ministries, central agencies, and related units must establish the emergency plans for securing various equipments and materials such as oil, electricity, cement, steel, and chemical products with the highest priorities.
*Compile Assigned Tasks
The provinces, cities, and counties must actively engage in political business and encourage all the leaders and workers to support the power plant construction. With the spirit of self-reliance and revolutionary battle we should mobilize our internal resources and each local unit must secure the labor, equipment, and materials required for the power plant construction.
* Compile Assigned Tasks
- Next, we should pay attention to the workers who are mobilized for the construction and help them with their working and living conditions. The Heechun power plant construction is an important project which provides a breakthrough for building a strong and prosperous nation by increasing the nation’s power production. It is a worthwhile project that will increase our country’s wealth and will create another great monument in the “Age of Military First,” that we can pass on to our children. As such, everyone without exception should support the construction of Heechun power plant with strong sense of patriotism and with both material and mental support. Now, numerous leaders and workers around the country are providing both material and mental support for the construction of Heechun power plant so that we can keep the great leader’s last instruction as well as to honor and accomplish our Dear Leader’s lofty ideas.
*Compile Positive information from the Assigned Unit
In fact, the military construction workers and shock troop brigade members are following the order of our Dear Leader and engaging in the battle of power plant construction by putting off the construction of lodging units so that they can finish the construction by the deadline. We must consider those construction workers who are mobilized to Heechun power plant as if they are our own family or children and provide good care and attention for them. A few grams of food, salt, and other food supplies are very precious for those workers. Because they engage in the construction battle day and night, work clothes, shoes, and gloves are very much in need. The leaders and workers should boost the morale of the workers mobilized in the Heechun power plant construction by providing good support functions.
Our Dear Leader emphasized the importance of providing good care to the construction workers in order to expedite the process as well as the quality of construction, and asked that we should provide extra care for them so that they would not feel any inconveniences with food and shelter conditions. We must follow our Dear Leader’s instructions and actively provide support for the construction workers so that they can achieve this historical monument.
The responsible units such as the Ministry of Grain Procurement, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Commerce, People Service Bureau, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Electronic Industry must secure the food, basic necessities, medicine, and electricity with higher priorities. The leaders and workers should provide help with the construction workers’ lives and boost their morale so that they can follow our Dear Leader’s order till the end and complete the mission. Especially, the residents of the capital city must remember our Dear Leader’s concern for the electricity problems in the city and his love and care for the residents and take the initiative in providing support for Heechun power plant with labor and materials.
Complete Assigned Task on TimeAll the leaders and workers must honor our Dear Leader’s great vision and mobilize all the spirit and all the potentials to complete the construction of Heechun power plant regardless of the circumstances, and contribute to the advancing of the victory of building a strong and prosperous nation. (The end).
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] Construction Moves Forward, with Limitations
Two regular army divisions and two regiments of the Corps of Engineers have been mobilized to help in the construction of a power plant in Jagang Province. The Corps of Engineers carries out the technical activities related to the design and construction of the power plant. In addition, there are shock troop brigades made up of civilians from various regions, the number of these brigades is expected to increase. Active duty soldiers are assigned to sections requiring tougher activities, civilians labor in sections where working conditions are less strenuous. Soldiers work in two shifts throughout the day and night and they are replaced every ten days. The civilian shock troops work only during the day. Everyone works without breaks following the guide: “We should all dash forward in full force with a hundred-fold spirit, following the will of our Dear Leader without any reservation. At all costs we should complete the construction of the power plant in three years by 2012, even though it was originally designed to take ten years.” However, according to party leaders who observed the construction site, insufficient supply of diesel oil restricts the use of heavy equipment to only the spots where it is impossible to carry on with human labor. The mobilized heavy equipment consists of eighteen military bulldozers, forty 30-ton cargo trucks belonging to the transport regiment of the Corps of Engineers and nine excavators supported by fundraising efforts in China.
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] Soldiers in Construction, on a Forced March without Breaks
The supply of food at the Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant construction site has been sufficient so far, although the risk of a shortage still remains. August heat leads to workers sweating out a great deal of water while they labor. Accordingly, each worker at the site was provided with a vinyl container filled with porridge weighing 700 grams. The porridge is intended to replenish water in the workers’ dehydrated bodies and also kill their sense of hunger. Each soldier at the construction site carries a vinyl bottle filled with their own porridge of rice and pork fat, which they can drink from every so often. Commanders push the soldiers without breaks, saying “Time is as precious as a thousand pieces of gold.” Each meal should not last more than twenty minutes and there are not enough breaks in the day. Performers of a provincial entertainment group in Jagang Province and the People’s Army Band provide entertaining programs under the direction of the Central Party’s Department of Propaganda. Performers were instructed to not have their presentation exceed forty-five minutes. These performances occur every two to three days. These performances are the only respite for workers at the construction site.
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] Additional Police Units Dispatched to Protect Civilians from Soldiers
Frequent thefts committed by soldiers against the civilian residents near the Jagang Province Power Plant have become a serious problem in the relationship between the military and the civilian population. The General Political Bureau of the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces received reports from the People’s Assembly and the police of Heechun City. The reports instructed the Garrison Headquarters of the City of Pyongyang to send a police company to Heechun City on June 2. However, this police force was too small for all the disturbances throughout the area. Consequently, the Police Departments of East Pyongyang and West Pyongyang assembled additional companies consisting of strong martial arts experts and sent the company to the area on July 9. These police units patrol the area near the construction site and keep soldiers from stealing or taking things of value by force, the police also arrest any soldiers causing damage to military honor. These police units only serve in a police function and do not contribute to the construction work. Any soldier arrested is reported to the command post, this kind of report affects the overall assessment of the military unit to which the soldier belongs. The overall assessment of the military unit will be lowered even though the unit’s capabilities in battle might be outstanding. In the meantime, the Party Committee of the Korean People’s Armed Forces issued a Statement of Determination that was delivered to all the units mobilized in the construction of the power plant. The statements instructs: “All soldiers should work toward the construction of a ‘strong and prosperous country’ at all costs. Soldiers are in contact with residents and should not cause any damage to their property. It is especially important not to damage the autumn crops. All soldiers, including officers, should not drink alcoholic beverages.”
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] Directive Officers Dispatched by Central Party Lead Mobilized Soldiers
Construction of Units No. 1 and No. 2 of the Heechun Power Plant is scheduled to be completed in the year 2012. The distance between Unit No. 1 and Unit No.2 is around 100 Li (40 Km) on a mountainous path. Upon completion of Units No. 1 and No. 2, Units No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 are scheduled to be constructed between the two initial units, with an estimated completion date of 2015.
Twenty brigades have been mobilized in the construction of the Heechun Power Plant and each brigade is assigned a low level directive officer from the Central Party. It is not an exaggeration to say that these directive officers are the only ones responsible for progress on the construction site. According to the party leaders at Heechun, commanders or the political directors of brigades try to ‘take it easy’. On the other hand, the directive officers from the Central Party have been taking the initiative, even under adverse working conditions, rain or shine, in moving rocks or carrying heavy loads on their backs. The soldiers obey their directive officers.
* Story related to [Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] will continue at The News on the Economy
[Food]
Shin Kye-koon Military Training Center Continues to Operate despite Lack of Resources
From June 10th to July 21th, a soldier from the specialized unit carrying a 105mm self-propelled artillery at the North Hwanghae Province, Shin Kye Gun. 4.25 military training center was given only 150g of corn rice and 10 potatoes for lunch and dinner. Performance is being affected by these small and low quality rations that are being distributed to the soldiers. However, the circumstances this year are still better than the previous year. The second artillery battalion trains for three hours a day for “3 Revolutionary Red Flag Company Rating.” The exhausted, malnourished and overworked soldiers are only waiting for the “Day of Judgment” to pass. However, despite the already difficult conditions, the Political Directive Officer commands its officers to continue repetitive training past the 11 p.m. curfew so that the soldiers can fully acquire what they have learned that day. As a result the relationship between the Political Directive Officers and the battalion command and squadron leaders are worsening. One battalion leader asserts, “Soldiers should not be trained harder when we cannot even feed them properly. We should at least let them sleep on time.”
Ship Building Dock Workers in North Hamgyong Province, Kim Chaek, Seek Day Jobs to Make Ends Meet
Setting the goal for making about 11,000 tons of cargo boats, managers and workers at North Hamgyong Province Kim Chaek Ship-building Dock have worked for 150-day battle without sleeping. Throughout the 150-day battle, the lack of technology and materials were impediments to carrying out this goal. Moreover, the factory does not provide sufficient provisions for their workers; only corn noodles are served for lunch. Also, there are no bonuses and other incentives to keep the workers’ spirits high. Consequently, of the 120 workers who are enrolled at the factory, so far in August, only 30 people are coming to work. The others go to Kim Chaek Harbor seeking day jobs to make ends meet and are regularly absent from the factory either due to illness or with no apparent excuse provided.
[Economy]
Soldiers Close to the End of their Term of Service Forced to Extend it to Build up New Power Plant
Soldiers mobilized to construct a Heechun power plant in Jagang Province are forced to extend their terms of service though some of them are close to the end of their term of service. Leaders of the mobilized soldiers asked the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces to extend the term of service of the soldiers under them until completion of the construction of the power plant, against the will and without the consent of the soldiers, particularly those who are nearing the end of their service. In fear of being viewed as disloyal to the national party and country, the discontented soldiers dare not voice their opposition to the extension.
[Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant] No progress in work, meeting is called
At Jagang Province Heechun Power Plant, however much they run the machines and work the workers day and night constantly, there is not much progress. On August 1st, a mobilized infantry called a meeting with people including the commanding general, division commander, an engineer corps brigade commander, the chief of the staff, the commanding officer, and the executive members all gathered for a meeting. Even though there were many people mobilized for the construction project, the duties that have to be done every month are not being completed. They concluded that the reasons why the duties are not being done are because they did not follow an organized step-by-step plan. The commanding officers and the workers said, “The workers must take the lead!” and also emphasized, “Even when the construction materials are gathered the progress is not going well, this is because the machines did not get distributed according to what the power plant planned. Researchers and technicians united and researched a way to push the construction into a fast and productive way, and get the duties completed.”
In July Confiscated Counterfeit Chinese Currency Reached Several Thousands Yuan in North Hamgyong Province
Lately an increasing amount of counterfeit Chinese currency has been circulating in North Korea. The counterfeit Chinese currency is mixed with North Korean won (NK won) and circulated in the market places and residential areas. Even when merchants who regularly deal with Chinese currency are paying closer attention, they still end up with some counterfeit money at the end of day. Since transaction of foreign currency exchange is illegal, the merchants cannot report it. During the month of July, the counterfeit Chinese currency reached several thousand yuan in North Hamgyong province.
Heightened Inspection for Chinese Recording Machine Smugglers in Sinuiju
A recording machine made by “Hanna Electronic” is the only brand allowed in North Korea, however, lately Chinese DVD recorders smuggled from China through Sinuiju, North Pyongyang province, and Hyesan, Ryanggang province, are widely distributed. After receiving a report about the increased number of Chinese recording machines being circulated, the police station identified a couple of major electronic merchants in Sinuiju and Hyesan and began a full investigation. Once the reported information was confirmed, the police went into disguise as buyers and followed the merchants to their homes and arrested them all. Three houses were searched in Sinuiju, and 30 recorders were confiscated. About 20 merchants were arrested for trading the smuggled recorders and sent to the Labor Training Center for more a six- month sentence. At the same time, seven smugglers were arrested in Hyesan city, and 400 recorders were confiscated. The seven smugglers were investigated and police learned that since early February this year to July 10 3,500 recorders were smuggled from China. These confiscated recorders are then resold and transferred over to the National procurement shops at a cost of 2,650 NK won per recorder. Some of the money would be allocated for expenses at the police station, purchasing household items for police, or paid to the Central party.
According to sales managers and sales people who work in the National procurement shops in Hwanghae province and North Pyongan province, there are not enough ”Hanna Electronic” recorders and DVD players in the store and because of difficulties with the products, even with the new ones, people are not buying the brand. Many of the purchased electronics are returned because of malfunction. According to the residents, “The Hanna electronic recorder costs 12,500 NK won per one; it is pricy with a poor efficiency and quality.” On the other hand, the Chinese recorder costs about 11,000 NK won which costs less and is more efficient so the Chinese electronics are preferred by the people. The residents have suggested that if the government prohibits individual smugger from selling these electronics then “The government procurement shops should import Chinese recorders and sell them.”
[Hoechun Power Plant in Jagang Province] Volunteers Supplement Labor Shortage
As the labor mobilization efforts of the army for construction of the Hoechun Power Plant in Jagang Province was insufficient, the North Hamgyong Province organized a social volunteer group. The city and the provincial social volunteers, which were mobilized by the provincial munitions mobilization department, amount to 2,200 men and 320 women. The training period of new recruits lasts for 40 days. The provincial Democratic Women’s Union (DWU) in Jagang Province organized a shock troop brigade by selecting DWU members from the city and county DWU within the province. However, since women had not been mobilized enough, the provincial DWU required the DWU members to take a turn so everyone should go out and work in the shock troop brigade at least once. As the DWU did so, it emphasized that “the fact that the women giving up their family life for a certain period of time, leaving one’s home and working in the shock troop brigade is the manifestation of loyalty to support the realization of General Kim Jong-Il’s idea to open the gate of the strong and prosperous nation.”
[Politics]
Drug Trafficking Still Rampant Despite Strong Sanctions by the Government
For the past few years, drug addicts have been gradually increasing in large cities such as Chungjin, Pyongsung, or Pyongyang. ‘Ice’ (classified in the category of amphetamines in North Korea) is given even as a birthday present in Chungjin. The majority of the drugs are distributed from Hamhung to Chungjin, and most are smuggled into China, where one gram of ‘ice’ is traded for 50-60 Yuan. Although substantial amounts of drugs are consumed in Chungjin, the amount that goes to China is unaffected. Drug violations are judged with severity like treason, which is a felony according to the Security Laws, but drug dealers cannot easily wash their hands clean of the drug trade because “rather than living a life of suffering, success [in the drug trade] is a way to get rich quickly”. Residents expressed distrust towards the government and said, “If one abides by the rules of the government, there are no gains or rewards for the individual, and more importantly, it is difficult to sustain one’s life. Instead of living like that, it seems better to either succeed in one fell swoop or to die. Nowadays, a person will easily starve to death if he lives according to what the government dictates so he should do prohibited things such as dealing drugs in order to survive.”
Interrogation and Inspection Reinforced in Various Border Areas
An order from the Border Patrol Brigade No. 27 of the National Security Agency in North Hamgyong Province was communicated to the battalions, companies and platoons of all Border Patrols. Each passerby is to be stopped and searched after 9 o’clock in the evening, even on roads with heavy traffic like those near the National Border Area and railroads. Men are required to strip all items of clothing including underwear. Soldiers of the border battalion have taken advantage of the opportunity to collect cigarettes and lighters from men’s pockets, also purposely fabricating reasons to confiscate money if any is found. In addition to soldiers who guard the border, disciplinary teams and security officers, which are organized by selected people in good standing with society, patrol the rural villages near the National Border Area. This is the secondary checkpoint. There is a checkpoint in the main road into each village for identification of incoming people, where they are asked questions such as “why they are entering the village” or “whose house they will be staying at.”
Kim Sang-Hyuk (alias), who lives in Musan, North Hamgyong Province, went to a nearby rural village where his uncle lives, in search of a job. The farm he was working at was busy so he went without taking any breaks in the morning and after lunch, he was trying to take a nap when someone suddenly approached him, asking him “where he came from” and “which route he had taken.” Mr. Kim told him the truth and showed his resident card. After examining the resident card and making sure that nothing was suspicious, the interrogator left. Mr. Kim’s aunt informed him that “a stranger to the town is always scrutinized nowadays.”
[Society]
“They told us to catch the thief only to let him go because he is dying?”
On the night of July 24, 2009, in Heoryong City in the North Hamgyong Province, Song, Ryu and Chung caught a thief who was trying to steal goats from their farm. Once they caught him, they realized that he was a laborer in the neighborhood who came from Kangsan County in the Ryangkang Province. Song Baek Kil, one of the men who caught the thief, said, “We were acquaintances. The neighbor sent him to the countryside with some food because he thought he behaved inappropriately. He must have come back when he ran out of food. He was caught before stealing a chicken and served 20 days at the training center. When we caught him, he was so weak he could barely run. The police took him, but he almost died because they did not feed him for three days. The police then let him go so that they will not be responsible for him. He does not have any relatives or guardian so the police dropped him back at the farm where he was caught. Farm associates are complaining because even though they catch the thieves at the request of the police, the police just let the thieves go so that they will not be responsible for their deaths. If the police arrest them, should not they take full responsibility? Instead of releasing the thieves back to us, the police should at least try to find their relatives. What are we to do with the returned thieves?”
A man who lost job due to false accusation wanders around his coworker’s house Bang Sang-Chul lost his job at the bicycle repair shop after being falsely accused. He was receiving social security due to his chronic illness. Nevertheless, he wanted to support his family, and after much difficulty, he was able to find employment at the bicycle repair shop. A job at the bicycle repair shop is popular in Hamheung City because the salary is good and there are not many job openings. After paying 4,000 NK won to the government, each employee can keep the rest of the money.
About a month after starting his job, Bang did not make it to work for several days due to his illness. Unfortunately, during his absence, 40,000 NK won worth of bicycle parts were stolen. After he returned to work, Bang discovered that he was accused of stealing these items because his co-worker Lee Sung-Man accused him. Bang denied his involvement, but there was no way to prove it. He was arrested and released after a few days. He was proven innocent, but he lost his job at the bicycle repair shop. Bang later discovered that Lee set him up in order to get his nephew a job at the bicycle shop. Bang said, “There’s nothing I can do to change what happened.” Vowing to get his revenge Bang began to circle Lee’s house. Lee reported Bang to the police, and the police warned Bang, but Bang replied, “Is it wrong for me to walk around on my own two feet?” He continues to circle Lee’s house, and the neighbors are keeping their eyes on them to see what will happen next.
Starved to death after leaving his home to find food
Cho Chul-nam (Alias) from Chungjin in the North Hamgyong Province told a tragic story about his distant cousin in Pyunggang in the Kangwon Province. This is his story: “My cousin, who I assumed was doing well because I didn’t hear from him for a long time, called after several years. He said, ‘Help me brother. I have a daughter now but it is extremely hard to make a living these days. I will somehow work my way to Chungjin, so please help me out this one time. My wife even went to work at a farm in exchange for half year’s worth of food but even that is gone, and we have nothing to eat. Please help us brother or we will all die. I do not have any money to start a business, and even if I did, it would not be enough to feed my family. If you do not help us, we are all dead. I am asking for help after much consideration. If you can’t help us, could you at least find a way for us to get to China?’ I could not just ignore him when he sounded so desperate, so I told him to come to Chungjin in July. My wife said we are in no position to help anyone else, but I convinced her to at least hear him out when he came. However, June and July passed, yet I heard nothing more from my cousin, so I again assumed he was doing fine. Then someone told me that my cousin came to Kowon in the South Hamgyong Province, but he was too sick from starvation that he could not even call and died after a few days. His body was not returned to his hometown but cremated. I was devastated thinking that had I sent him some money, this would not have happened.”
[Women/Children/Education]
Female College Students in Chungjin Prostitute themselves for Tuition
Female college students in Chungjin, North Hamgyong Province, are increasingly observed selling sex to earn living expenses. In Chungjin train station, some women solicit customers, calling out “Cigarettes! Overnight lodgings!” When men approach them and ask for more information, they answer that there are girls for sex in addition to lodging. The price, which is negotiable, depends on the girl’s age, body shape, and appearance. Usually the price starts from 50,000 NK won, but after negotiation it is settled around 30,000 to 40,000 NK won. Arriving at the lodgings, there are female college students waiting for customers. The girls pay 5,000 NK won to the owner of the lodging as a commission and quickly disappear with the rest of the money. There are many cases that female students make money in this way to earn the tuition because their family cannot afford it.
Excessive Non-tax Burden Forces Students Drop Out
Song Jung-eun, in Hamheung City in South Hamgyong Province, is 10 years old, but does not go to school. Because of the excessive financial burden imposed on students by the school, her family decided not to send her to school. Instead they sent her to a mountain to help her grandfather farming. Her mother says, “I feel so sorry for her: she is in her schooling age and yet she is alone without any friends in a remote mountainous area, helping her grandfather’s work. But the non-tax burden imposed by the Neighborhood Unit is too much. The other day, they collected women’s sanitary pads from each household to send to a construction site somewhere. This is outrageous: they ask us to submit so many things and now they even require such items.” On top of the Neighborhood Unit’s requirements, there are non-tax burdens imposed by her children’s school, which she cannot afford anymore.
On the other hand, a household with three children or more is exempted from any non-tax burden imposed by the Neighborhood Unit. Those mothers are respected as a heroin of motherhood. There are TV campaigns promoting those women and encouraging others to follow their examples. Jung-eun’s mother criticizes the policy promoting fecundity as out of touch with the reality: in her opinion, it is impossible to have more children in the situation when people barely manage to live.
Pregnant Woman Repatriated from China, Abort Forcibly during Deportation
More than thirty people who went to China by crossing the river border between February and July this year got arrested in the Laborer’s District in Obong Mine, Eunduck County, North Hamgyong Province. They were deported to Chungheri Re-education Center in Heoryung on August 6. Twelve of them were women, and two of them were two to three months pregnant. Both of them were forced to have abortion. Even though they were unable to walk in an extremely weak health condition, they did not receive any proper medical care. When they got seriously ill, the convoy brought them to a hospital to give a basic care and took them back to the re-education center. A woman who witnessed this expressed her concern: “It is so hard to survive in the re-education center even with a simple illness. Their physical condition is extremely bad and I wonder how they can survive.”
[Accidents]
Infectious Disease Killed Horses in the Military Horse Training Center
An infectious disease broke out at the Military Horse Training Center associated with the Border Patrol Headquarter in Upa Laborer’s District in Pyongwon County, South Pyongan Province killing 12 horses from July 20th to 27th. Veterinarians tried to cure them, but they could not treat them because once the horses were infected, it was not easy to cure. The 7 dead horses were sent to the center for military dogs as dog food. They did not feed dogs with the horses’ meat, but students who trained the dogs ate the meat. Because food supply was in shortage they stole the dogs’ food. These trainees want to graduate from the institute as soon as possible and are expected to join a company of Border Command that could provide a better living condition.
Unidentified Parachute Caused Intensified Security in the Borderline Area
Around July 13th this year, an unidentified parachute fell on Jongsung-gu (around Poongye and Poongcheon), Onsung County in North Hamgyong Province. On the first day of this incident, children who played around the area ran away because they did not know what the dropping white objects were and were very scared about them. When they went back their homes and told their parents what they saw, their parents did not report it to the authorities because they doubted what their children described. The next day, soldiers passing around Poongcheon noticed the fallen parachutes. Police authorities went to the location, but found only one of two parachutes. This news caused a big commotion in the county. Investigation on the road became intensified. Over 600 soldiers were mobilized and people could only pass by confirming their identification. If they did not have a traveler’s permit or a resident ID they were not allowed to pass. The National Security Agency and police station assured people that the South Korean National Intelligence Service flew these parachutes so they decided to increase the level of security on the border area. Factories and enterprises also intensified night security. The authorities asked residents to report if unidentified or unfamiliar people appear in the residential area and they also mobilized residents for the night time shift.
[Investigative Report]
[Complete Statement for the Public Lecture]
Let’s Expedite the Completion of Heechun Power Plant by Mobilizing the Whole Party, Military, and People
Our Dear Leader is leading the way to build a strong economy with energetic leadership by designating this year as the turning point for opening the door to a strong and prosperous nation. In response to the Party’s calling, people’s enthusiasm for a new revolutionary movement in production and construction has never been higher. Now, what is the most desperately needed, across all industry and in all units, is the electric power.
Our Dear Leader Kim Jong-il had pointed out as follows:
As an on-the-job instruction in the area of people’s economy, our Dear Leader visited Chungnyun power plant in Wonsan, then continued his site visit to the Reysung River Chungnyun number one power plant and Dae-ahn Heavy Machinery Enterprise, which plays a major role in manufacturing power generation equipment. Our Dear Leader emphasized the need to resolve the problem of power generation. Recently, our Dear Leader stated that we can resolve a great deal of nation’s power problem if we finish the construction of Heechun power plant, Uhrangchun power plant, and Keumyagang power plant and build many small-to-medium size power plants. Especially, our Dear Leader showed a special interest in Heechun power plant and encouraged several times to expedite the completion of the construction.
Last March, during his field visit to Heechun power plant our Dear Leader said that the completion of Heechun power plant in a short period of time is especially important in resolving the nation’s power problem because of its high production capacity, and requested that despite the difficulties and massiveness of the project the construction should under any circumstances be completed by year 2012, the centennial year of the birth of Kim Il-sung. Our Dear Leader stated passionately that completing the construction of the massive power plant in three and a half years instead of more than 10 years under normal conditions is an enormous order; nevertheless, he is optimistic about it because our military forces and people have unlimited mental capability as well as the strong backing from the juche principle. Expediting the construction of Heechun power plant to resolve the capital city’s power problem and decisively relieve our nation’s power deficiency is the lofty idea of our Dear Leader.
Our Dear Leader issued the National Defense Committee executive order of mobilizing the whole party, military, and people to complete the construction of Heechun power plant, and took all the necessary measures including, concentrating all the labor and equipment on the construction of power plant, establishing national level support for construction of power plant, developing a strong leadership plan and reinforcing the management control for the construction of power plant, and encouraging the Party organizations and labor organizations to promote constructive socialistic competition among party members and laborers in the spirit of collective innovation for the construction of the power plant. All the leaders and labors in every department and every unit must support our beloved leader’s plan and intention and thoroughly carry out the assigned tasks issued by the National Defense Committee and take the responsibilities for the given tasks so that we can resolve the power problem within a few years.
The significance of Constructing the Heechun Power plant and Its Production Capacity
The issue of increasing electric power production through the construction of Heechun power plant is a sincere instruction of our great leader, Kim Il-sung, on his death bed. The great leader already had a plan for the construction of Heechun power plant long time ago and provided specific instructions for designing, construction, and all related tasks. Our Dear Leader instructed numerous times this year including last January 8th and 18th that we should honor the great leader’s last instruction and increase the nation’s power production by completing the construction of Heechun power plant regardless of the circumstances.
The Heechun power plant is a hydroelectric power plant which produces a lot of power by diverting the flow of river to create a big difference between the upper and lower water levels. The Heechun power plant consists of Heechun Number 1 and Number 2 and it is a large hydroelectric power plant capable of generating hundreds of thousands kilowatts. With the completion of Heechun power plant, several floodgate style power plants can be constructed down the Chungchun River from which a lot of power can be produced. Besides, this will allow protection of rice fields and villages around Chungchun River from flooding and provide industrial water to major chemical plants in Namheung areas such as Namheung Chungnyun Chemical United Enterprise.
The Heechun power plant is a massive construction project in terms of size and scope. The construction of power plant requires a long stretch of water canal construction, managing more than ten millions cubic meters of water, a large amount of cement, several tons of steel and lumber, thousands of tons of gunpowder, thousands of kilometers of blasting fuse, and millions of detonation caps. Likewise, the construction of Heechun power plant has a great economic significance and it is one of the largest construction projects among the recently constructed power plants in terms of size and scope.
Regarding the problems related to Expediting the completion of Heechun power plant construction
- First of all, everyone must complete the assigned task on time with a strong ideological determination to carry out the order our Dear Leader had given us.
The completion of Heechun power plant by year 2012 under any circumstances is the order that is given by our Dear Leader. The construction period we have is only three and a half years now. Normally, even the preparation work for the construction of a large power plant takes at least a year as it requires construction of railroad, paving of roads, and temporary buildings. We can not finish the construction within a given time this way. As our Dear Leader has instructed we must adopt our own construction methods of speedy and multidimensional operation which involves pushing through all the construction phases simultaneously including both the preparatory and basic constructions. In order to achieve this, the whole Party and the whole population must engage in the operation with the strongest determination for the completion of the work. Now, as the construction of Heechun power plant begins, numerous leaders and laborers throughout the country are taking up the responsibilities assigned to each department and each unit according to the instructions given by the National Defense Committee and organizing themselves to deliver the labor, equipment, and materials on time.
· The soldiers mobilized to Heechun power plant, after pushing themselves through the heavy snow that came up to the waist at Sulhan ridge, has arrived on time and are working on the power plant construction by deploying themselves at the construction site on time As soon as the order from the National Defense Committee was issued, the leaders and workers at the Ministry of Building Material Industry joined the construction work by meticulously organizing the operation and deploying labor, equipment and building materials to the construction site.
· Several provinces, cities, and counties such as Jagang province, North and South Pyongan provinces are actively providing support for the construction of the power plant by mobilizing and securing the equipments and materials necessary for the construction.
*Compile Positive information from the Assigned Unit
On the other hand, some of the leaders and workers are whining about their own production schedule and the current situation and fail to secure the assigned labor, equipment, and materials on time. As a result, they are delaying the progress of the construction in a significant way.
*Compile Special Plan Material from Assigned Units
We cannot meet the construction deadline this way. No department or units can be an exception in the battle for the construction of Heechun power plant. All the department and all units must make firm plans to carry out the tasks assigned to them within the given time period unconditionally. The number 18 Command unit and the leaders at Heechun power plant construction site command unit must seize the control and execute the plans with confident and bold manners. All the units with assigned tasks for Heechun power plant construction must finish the deployment within the given time period and initiate the construction work.
Especially, every ministry, central agencies, and related units should take up the responsibilities of organizing and securing the assigned construction materials, machinery, and equipments within the given period of time. The cabinet, National Planning Committee, Ministry of Power Industry, Ministry of Building Material Industry, Ministry of Metal Industry, Ministry of Chemical Industry, and all the ministries, central agencies, and related units must establish the emergency plans for securing various equipments and materials such as oil, electricity, cement, steel, and chemical products with the highest priorities.
*Compile Assigned Tasks
The provinces, cities, and counties must actively engage in political business and encourage all the leaders and workers to support the power plant construction. With the spirit of self-reliance and revolutionary battle we should mobilize our internal resources and each local unit must secure the labor, equipment, and materials required for the power plant construction.
* Compile Assigned Tasks
- Next, we should pay attention to the workers who are mobilized for the construction and help them with their working and living conditions. The Heechun power plant construction is an important project which provides a breakthrough for building a strong and prosperous nation by increasing the nation’s power production. It is a worthwhile project that will increase our country’s wealth and will create another great monument in the “Age of Military First,” that we can pass on to our children. As such, everyone without exception should support the construction of Heechun power plant with strong sense of patriotism and with both material and mental support. Now, numerous leaders and workers around the country are providing both material and mental support for the construction of Heechun power plant so that we can keep the great leader’s last instruction as well as to honor and accomplish our Dear Leader’s lofty ideas.
*Compile Positive information from the Assigned Unit
In fact, the military construction workers and shock troop brigade members are following the order of our Dear Leader and engaging in the battle of power plant construction by putting off the construction of lodging units so that they can finish the construction by the deadline. We must consider those construction workers who are mobilized to Heechun power plant as if they are our own family or children and provide good care and attention for them. A few grams of food, salt, and other food supplies are very precious for those workers. Because they engage in the construction battle day and night, work clothes, shoes, and gloves are very much in need. The leaders and workers should boost the morale of the workers mobilized in the Heechun power plant construction by providing good support functions.
Our Dear Leader emphasized the importance of providing good care to the construction workers in order to expedite the process as well as the quality of construction, and asked that we should provide extra care for them so that they would not feel any inconveniences with food and shelter conditions. We must follow our Dear Leader’s instructions and actively provide support for the construction workers so that they can achieve this historical monument.
The responsible units such as the Ministry of Grain Procurement, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Commerce, People Service Bureau, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Electronic Industry must secure the food, basic necessities, medicine, and electricity with higher priorities. The leaders and workers should provide help with the construction workers’ lives and boost their morale so that they can follow our Dear Leader’s order till the end and complete the mission. Especially, the residents of the capital city must remember our Dear Leader’s concern for the electricity problems in the city and his love and care for the residents and take the initiative in providing support for Heechun power plant with labor and materials.
Complete Assigned Task on TimeAll the leaders and workers must honor our Dear Leader’s great vision and mobilize all the spirit and all the potentials to complete the construction of Heechun power plant regardless of the circumstances, and contribute to the advancing of the victory of building a strong and prosperous nation. (The end).
