The North Korean authorities have put forward Yangang Province’s “Hyesan Youth Mine” as a model of success in the “150-Day Battle.”

Inside sources relayed news that in propaganda education materials related to the “150-Day Battle” entitled, “Let us regard as an example the heroic battle of the Hyesan Youth Mine workers,” it is emphasized that the mine has not only been recovered, but that it has also achieved 140 percent of its original production plan.

The Hyesan Youth Mine and the Hwapyeong Mine in Jagang Province are North Korea’s key copper mining infrastructure, with estimated reserves of 400,000 tons at Hyesan alone. However, after a dam was built at the adjacent Samsoo Power plant in 2005, the Hyesan Mine flooded and production ceased.

Last year, during Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping’s visit to the North, the joint development and recovery of the Hyesan Mine was agreed upon, but in the aftermath of the nuclear tests at the beginning of the year China ceased to provide assistance.

But the North Korean authorities nevertheless maintain that the mine has achieved 150 percent of its production goal, although there is still penetrated water left in blind ends of mine galleries.

According to sources, the North Korean authorities exaggerated the results of the “150-Day battle” at some factories and enterprise offices in an attempt to boost morale during the ongoing “100-Day Battle.”

One source told the Daily NK, “At a lecture called ‘The Miracle of the 150-Day Battle which Stunned the World,’ which took place on the 17th, the speaker boisterously claimed, ‘In spite of extreme challenges, something out of nothing was created, and with collective strength and wisdom a heroic achievement was made.”

The source also said, “In recent lecture materials for People’s Units, the Hyesan Youth Mine was introduced with great fanfare.”

If it were fully restored, the Hyesan Youth Mine could have a significant impact on the North Korean economy and society. In the mid-1970s, the annual production of copper ore there reached 10,000 tons. But since the mid-1990s, the worsening electricity situation had caused production to remain static at 4,000 tons, until the flooding and complete abandonment in 2005.

If the production from the Hyesan Youth Mine were normalized, the annual revenue would be tens of millions of dollars.

A defector whose background includes researching North Korea’s mineral resources told the Daily NK, “The current production in North Korea’s mines is around 10 percent of the level in the 1980s. If the Hyesan Mine were completely recovered and produced 10,000 tons of high quality copper ore, then its revenue could exceed 30 million dollars.”

But according to another source from Yangang Province, a vast gap exists between the reality of the Hyesan Mine and the propaganda of the North Korean authorities.

He said, “The Hyesan Mine is still in the recovery stage, so a national production plan is not in effect. As a result, the mine itself created a production plan and, in sections in which renovations have been completed, an extremely small amount of copper has been produced. Despite this, the North Korean authorities are promoting the mines as an example of ‘heroic struggle’ and a ‘model.’”

The source commented that the Hyesan Mine has been excavating mud from the mine by mobilizing the citizens from the surrounding Masan 1- and 2-dongs and in Chun-dong. Although normal production has occurred in some restored sections of the mine, the average monthly production remains at ten tons.

Moreover, currently the mine workers have to ferry the excavated copper ore on their backs from 500 meters below ground up to 180 meters where vehicles can be accessed.

The source expressed, “In May at the Nakwon Machine Complex, stainless steel pipes were brought in for exhaust pipes was put in 700 meters underground. However, in order to officially start production, conveyers and cable cars will have to operate 500 meters underground."

He said, “Even now, the electricity used for drainage is purchased from China. In order to seriously charge into production, the electricity issue should be resolved, but there are still several obstacles to get through."

According to the claims of the North Korean authorities, the Hyesan Mine produced 140 percent of its goal even without a national production plan. Due to the fact that all production volumes are considered national secrets in the North, the mining figures are not publicized as an exact number, but only as a percentage.

The source said, “The authorities at the top have been exaggerating the results of the 150-Day Battle in this way in an attempt to cover up the growing sense that the campaign was a complete failure. But the reality is that even if the ‘150-Battle’ were repeated, the outcome would not be too different.”