North Korea has launched ideological lectures for youth workers mobilized to construct large-scale greenhouse farms near Sinuiju and Uiju in North Pyongan province. The measure appears aimed at preventing young people working near the Chinese border from developing admiration for capitalism or attempting defection.
A source in the province told Daily NK recently that “lectures were held in late April based on material sent by the Central Committee’s Propaganda and Agitation Department to the political units of shock brigades participating in the large-scale greenhouse farm construction.” The lecture was titled “Let’s Preserve Our Pride as the Strong and Open the Path to National Revival with Our Own Strength.”
The lecture materials included messages such as “Youth must never trust in others’ power” and “Don’t be deceived by the bright lights of China across the Yalu River or capitalist scenery.” The source said these instructions were “intended to raise ideological awareness among youth brigade members working at greenhouse construction sites on the border facing China.”
The construction site directly faces China across the Yalu River, suggesting North Korean authorities are highly concerned about ideological laxity among mobilized youth.
The lectures also emphasized that “the path of self-reliance and prosperity through one’s own technology is the true path to revival” and “rather than envying others, we must create our own things with our own strength.”
“The purpose of these lectures, as Kim Jong Un himself emphasized, is to provide an opportunity for youth who will shoulder the future of our revolution to arm themselves with the party’s revolutionary ideology,” the source said. “The lectures consistently emphasized that youth should not be deceived by capitalist illusions, but believe in their own strength 24 hours a day, create something from nothing, love themselves and their collective, love the state, and consider national revival honorable.”
Political officers leading the lectures stressed that “this greenhouse farm construction project is not simply for North Pyongan province’s economic development, but an important national project to cultivate mobilized youth brigade members as future cadre reserves and main forces.” They emphasized that “ideological fortification of brigade members is more important than construction results.”
The lectures harshly condemned youth brigade members for expressing fascination with China. Political officers disciplined several young workers for commenting admiringly about China’s nighttime illumination, noting that some had remarked on the impressive Chinese skyline, mentioned how observing China’s lights during night shifts lifted their spirits and reduced fatigue, or expressed envy about China’s apparent abundance of electricity that keeps the neighboring country brilliantly lit after dark.
The officers emphasized the phrase “pride of the strong” and strongly condemned such comments as “completely incompatible with the pride of the strong.”
The lectures lasted about 45 minutes, followed by discussion sessions where groups of 10 confessed their mistakes and renewed their commitment.
“The government is concerned that brigade members mobilized from across the country might develop illusions about China’s bright lights or become ideologically corrupted and attempt to defect,” the source said. “These lectures were organized as a shield to prevent such problems in advance.”
