Changchun, China — The end of the “150-Day Battle” is a mere month away, but problems continue and results are unimpressive.
A source from North Hamkyung Province reported on the 8th, “As time has gone by, productivity has fallen, so even cadres have grown discouraged. Even factories which the General (Kim Jong Il) has visited are not operating well these days.”
The source continued, “The Hoiryeing Shoe Factory, which was fitted with imported Chinese production facilities in 2007, has operated for just two full days so far; when the ceremony for the completion of the building was held, and when the General visited. It still shuts down regularly. The authorities expanded the factory for the purpose of taking commissions from China, but since electricity is not reliable in the factory, there have been no orders.”
He added, “The only factories operating now are the Hoiryeong Goksan Factory, which produces cigarettes to distribute to soldiers, and the Essential Food Factory, which produces soy sauce and soybean paste for the army and the Shock Brigade for the Propagation of Party Ideology. Other factories cannot work due to a lack of raw materials and resources, let alone electricity.”
These two factories and the Hoiryeong Chemical Factory were the targets of Kim Jong Il’s onsite inspection on February 24th this year.
Due to blockages in the supply chain, the authorities have mostly concentrated on citizen mobilization for construction projects instead of practical measures to improve factory production, so production of the necessities of life and consumer products have not notably improved. Even the results of construction work, the other main task of the 150-Day Battle, are uncertain.
According to the Daily NK source, the construction of “Hoiryeong Food Street,” which was planned by the Hoiryeong Municipal Committee of the Party, had to be suspended shortly after the ground-breaking ceremony due to a lack of iron rods to reinforce concrete structures.
It was supposed to sell Chinese food in order to attract Chinese tourists. This project got the go-ahead when Kim Jong Il visited Hoiryeong this year, after which the Party allegedly conveyed $800,000 to the Hoiryeong Municipal Committee of the Party in April.
“Right now, a way to import iron reinforcing rods from China has been found. However, the Hoiryeong Committee of the Party cannot move ahead with it because the budget allocation is short,” the source explained.
Since factories are not operating much of the time, the authorities have handed down a decree to workers, demanding that they endeavor to earn foreign currency any way they can. The few ways an average citizen can earn foreign currency is by collecting wild herbs and offering them to the state. However, now is not the season for such activities, making it impossible.
Meanwhile, the situation as described by a source in Yangkang Province is no different. Apparently, while Hyesan Shoe Factory, Essential Food Factory, Hyesan Textile Factory and Hyesan Chemical Factory are partially operating, all others have ground to a halt.
Hyesan Shoe Factory produces military boots, but due to a lack of raw materials cannot produce any shoes for citizens. Hyesan Chemical Factory is responsible for paint for the outer walls of apartments, but its output has reached only 30% of the target.
The source concluded, “This is nominally a 150-Day Battle. But we cannot work without anything to do. What we have been doing is taking a lunch box and doing farm support activities.”
