One of the highest priorities under the “150-Day Battle” catch phrase is to build houses appropriate for beautiful cities by demolishing old, shabby houses scattered around downtown areas and rebuilding.
According to a source inside North Korea, the overriding goals of the “150-Day Battle,” which were handed down to the members of the Party via a secret letter from the Central Committee, are the construction of houses and the restoration of farming, local factories and mines.
The reason why the North Korean authorities have so much interest in houses is that their construction requires less investment than other activities, and the results can be among the most visible.
Even though housing complexes get redeveloped, the authorities do not need to offer compensation to residents because all real estate is government-owned. Furthermore, houses, which the authorities are supposed to build, are of a one-storied type, basically requiring only mud, wood and forcefully mobilized residents’ labor.
In Hyesan, Yangkang Province, the aim is to construct 15,000 houses. However, while the aim came from on high, by and large funding did not, and in practice the municipal authorities have forcefully allocated construction to factories, companies and People’s Units, and forced residents to provide 10,000 North Korean won per household to fund it.
The only materials the authorities have provided are 350 kilograms of cement for each new house.
Another key plank in the “150-Day Battle” is the restoration of local mines.
From the authorities’ point of view heating is an urgent issue, inevitable because mountain forests have been seriously degraded by the cultivation of private terraced fields even on the mid-slope of mountains, leading to a dearth of wood and the need for higher coal production.
The North Korean authorities reportedly stressed that those local mines which were previously cast aside due to low remaining reserves should be reactivated to solve the heating problems and fuel shortages of local manufacturing industries.
Their practical policies to restore the mines are to expand the production of wooden pillars to uphold mine shafts and to expedite the excavation of collapsed mines.
For farming, the intention is to concentrate on expanding alternative fertilizer production.
Long before the launch of the “150-Day Battle” the authorities handed down a decree to residents demanding one metric ton of humus or 300 kilograms of compost per household by early June. By way of encouragement, a case whereby old Korean War veterans offered several hundred tons of humus to the state has been widely publicized.
The source commented on the cynical feeling among campaign officials, saying that, “The General (Kim Jong Il), during his onsite inspections, presses cadres to achieve state aims swiftly, saying, ‘What will you present in 2012? The deadline is just around corner.’ Then cadres in turn ask sarcastically to workers instead, ‘What will happen in 2012?’ Officials are now suffering from an obsession with the strong and prosperous state.”
Three years in advance of completing the strong and prosperous state, the North Korean authorities are striving to expand production in numerous fields. However, there are no national funds, loans or investments included in the campaign, only the manpower of the masses and their private property.
According to the South Korean Ministry of Unification press briefing today, Chosun (North Korea) Central Broadcast (the state-controlled radio station) is releasing propaganda for the “150-Day Battle.” Additionally, the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League, Union of Democratic Women and General Federation of Korean Trade Unions are organizing oath meetings in support of it.
