Despite long droughts that have crippled the country��s power supply, North Korea has been intermittently supplying energy to households in time for people to watch mass rallies protesting the recent UN committee passing of a draft resolution on Pyongyang��s human rights violations. 

��Most factories don��t even receive power, but they [the state] are supplying electricity for one or two hours when the news is on,�� a source based in Yangkang Province told the Daily NK on Monday. 

��Up until the middle of last month, there was no power supply because of rice threshing operations, so it was rare to see any lights on, but just recently we��ve been seeing lights running in the evening again,�� she elaborated. ��During inminban [people��s unit] meetings, we��ve been told it��s so that people can watch the news.�� 

Power is being supplied at around 8 p.m., just in time for Korean Central Television��s [KCTV] evening news broadcast, rife with stories geared towards creating a commemorative atmosphere ahead of former leader Kim Jong Il��s 3rd year death anniversary as of late. ��Most of the stories focus on how various countries are holding gatherings to remember the General [Kim Jong Il],�� she said, noting, ��It��s not really much different from last year.�� 

However, securing equal-- if not additional-- screen time in North Korean state media have been been rallies held in different regions of the country, condemning the UN committee��s passing of a draft resolution on North Korea��s human rights conditions. The rallies first began in Pyongyang on the 25th. 

Reactions are the ground are mixed, according to the source. Many residents have said, ��If they organized a state-level event for the mourning [of Kim Jong Il] or protest against the draft resolution, I would attend because there��s no choice, but it��s hard enough to get through winter and the power isn��t running properly, so who would really care.�� 

Others are more positive about the boost, regardless of its origins, stating, ��It��s still better than not being able to use electricity at all,�� adding, ��The mourning period is coming up soon, and there��s so much surveillance on using phones and crossing the border, so it��s not like we can watch TV dramas from the South. But it��s good that we can at least watch other movies.��

North Korea was hit by a dry spell this year, with water shortages drastically impeding the power output at hydroelectric power plants. Because of this, some state factories have screeched to a halt and even the country��s largest iron ore mine has been shuttered. Trains have been unable to run on regular schedules. 

In the face of such of harsh conditions, the state��s intermittent power flow to households is seen as a method of rallying up loyalty among residents in time for the mourning period of Kim Jong Il��s death. Also, by showing coverage of rallies against the UN��s recent move, Pyongyang is likely trying to instill its people with feelings of animosity and hostility toward the U.S. and South Korea.