<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Less than a month after the conclusion of the \u201c70-Day
\nBattle\u201d in preparation for the 7th Party Congress, the North Korean authorities
\nhave issued orders for a \u201c200-Day Battle,\u201d stirring up palpable discontent
\namong the general public, Daily NK has learned. <\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough the
\n\u201870-Day Battle\u2019 only recently ended, fresh orders to begin a \u2018200-Day Battle\u2019
\nhave been issued,\u201d a source from South Pyongan Province reported in a telephone
\nconversation to Daily NK on May 30, adding, \u201cThe orders stipulate that a new
\n\u2018battle\u2019 will commence on June 1 and last until December 17 (the day of Kim
\nJong Il\u2019s death).\u201d<\/p>\n
Sources in North Pyongan Province and Ryanggang Province also reported similar developments in their respective regions.<\/p>\n
The announcement has triggered discontent among the public,
\nto the degree that some individuals are complaining [amongst themselves] about
\nthe state issuing constant mobilizations when \u201cnothing else is being addressed,\u201d
\nnoted the source. <\/p>\n
\u201cHow many more
\nbattles demanding every last ounce of our blood and sweat can we handle?\u201d some
\nhave asked, with others saying, \u201cEven some Party cadres have been critical,
\nasking why the state is going on about another battle when one just came to an
\nend,\u201d said the source.<\/p>\n
The new \u201c200-Day Battle\u201d appears to be part of the
\npreliminary work for the implementation of the five-year economic development
\nlaid out by Kim Jong Un during the 7th Party Congress. The directive reflects
\nthe lack of tools the leadership has at hand when it comes to implementing the
\nplans that were announced at the congress, which were aimed at building
\nsolidarity and increasing loyalty amongst the population.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring previous Party congresses (under Kim Il Sung), at
\nleast the plan put forth clearly outlined economic goals by sector. But this
\ntime, there was no clarity,\u201d the source said, adding, \u201cIt\u2019s likely the state
\nwill just push slogans for \u2018full-on mobilization\u2019 and \u2018absolute goal
\nattainment\u2019 with no clear aim on what should be done, how, and to what extent.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
This has led some North Koreans to perceive the \u201c200-Day
\nBattle\u201d as nothing more than a propaganda vehicle to imbue people with a sense
\nof obligation to participate in projects laid out during the Party Congress and
\nmemorializing Kim Jong Il\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe \u2018200-Day Battle\u2019 is being referred to as a \u2018rigorous
\nmarch,\u2019 mourning the loss of the General (Kim Jong Il), while attempting to
\nremedy the anti-climactic atmosphere following the Party Congress,\u201d the source
\nsaid. \u201cThe state is signaling it will hold a much larger event of mourning this
\nyear, as it\u2019s the fifth anniversary of the General\u2019s (Kim Jong Il\u2019s) death [as
\nis the case for anniversaries marking five and ten years].\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, officials at central agencies, workers at state
\nfactories, and even college students are being requested to memorize the speech
\nKim Jong Un delivered at the 7th Party Congress, adding further difficulties to
\ntheir study schedules and efforts to meet production quotas. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Less than a month after the conclusion of the \u201c70-Day Battle\u201d in preparation for the 7th Party Congress, the North Korean authorities have issued orders for a \u201c200-Day Battle,\u201d stirring up palpable discontent among the general public, Daily NK has learned. \u201cAlthough the \u201870-Day Battle\u2019 only recently ended, fresh orders to begin a \u2018200-Day Battle\u2019 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":32739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[645],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy"],"yoast_head":"\n