In addition to the burden of the “70-day
battle” involving preparation for the 7th Party Congress in May, North Korea
has also started mobilizing its citizens since the beginning of April for city
clean-ups and event preparations for Kim Il Sung’s birthday occurring on April
15.
“We’re right in the middle of the “70-day
battle,” so people are struggling with the dual burden of ‘effort mobilization’
as they get summoned by officials from their provinces, cities, and counties,”
a source from South Pyongan Province told Daily NK on Tuesday. “The inminban
(people’s unit, a type of neighborhood watch) leaders go around to each home
from the crack of dawn, forcing them to take part in projects such as fixing
roads, cleaning up river banks, and making flower beds.”
It was only last month that people were
being pushed to take part in tree-planting operations for Arbor Day (March 2),
but now the focus has shifted to April 15 preparations and making flower beds. These
efforts to tidy up the surroundings involve adults and children alike and begin
from the very early morning.
In order to blackmail residents into taking
part in the mobilization, Party cadres are stating that they will carry out
self-criticism sessions following the “70-day battle,” a thinly-veiled threat
that punishments may follow if people perform unsatisfactorily during their
mobilization. Officials are able to turn up the steam by suggesting
noncompliance can lead to “political problems” as the extra mobilization is
taking place within the context of the “70-day battle,” for which the aim is to
ensure the success of the Party Congress.
On top of the extra work demands, people
are also being forced to pay more fees to the state. Each household has paid in excess of
50,000 KPW [6.13 USD] just for the costs involved in plastering walls, painting, fixing
fences, and decorating flower beds, according to the source.
Indicative of just how much work is being
put into the clean-up, she explained that while food prices remain
stable, the cost of paint and limestone [needed for plastering] has nearly
doubled. Local city management offices and the factories under them have also
been visiting residents living in apartment blocks, collecting 10,000 KPW [1.23 USD] from
each household to cover the costs of painting each building’s facade.
However, this has come with signs of
discontent, as it comes after a string of mobilization campaigns for compost
collection, nuclear and missile test rallies, and other legacy construction
projects continuously demanding labor and financial support from a beleaguered
citizenry.
“It may just be some individuals, but there
are residents who have been vocal about how mobilization is driving them
crazy,” a source in South Hamgyong Province said. “Some even get into
altercations with their inminban leaders, angry at the fact that people are
constantly being mobilized and asked for money.”
