<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Hot on the heels of the \u201c70-Day Battle\u201d leading up to the
\n7th Party Congress, the North Korean regime has launched a more ambitious
\n\u201c200-Day Battle,\u201d described by the state-run publication Rodong Sinmun as \u201ca
\nsafeguard of party policy that will lead to a breakthrough in carrying out the
\nfive-year strategy for economic growth [announced at the 7th Party Congress].\u201d<\/p>\n
Based on experience, however, this author knows that rather
\nthan perceiving these \u201cbattles\u201d as opportunities to express loyalty, the weary
\npopulation views them with anguish and despair.<\/p>\n
In 1989, this author was drafted as a road infrastructure
\nplatoon leader at the Ryanggang Province branch of the Ministry of People\u2019s
\nSecurity [MPS] and participated in an earlier iteration of the \u201c200-Day
\nBattle.\u201d At the time, the MPS was tasked with the construction of a three-way
\nintersection connecting Kimchon County, South Hwanghae Province with Kaesong;
\nto that end, brigades and battalions in the region were mobilized for road
\npavement and tunnel construction.<\/p>\n
Leaders overseeing the construction teams during this
\nparticular \u201c200-Day Battle,\u201d which began in February 1989, were obliged to
\ndemonstrate their allegiance to the regime by taking an oath of loyalty. This
\nauthor clearly recalls reading the oath aloud, repeating the deadlines to be
\nmet at the 1-day, 10-day, and 100-day marks to demonstrate an understanding of
\nthe gravity of the situation and, more importantly, culpability for failure if
\nthe deadlines were not met.<\/p>\n
All individuals mobilized for the \u201c200-Day Battle\u201d had their
\ndaily production goals set at 1\/200th of the total production goal. For
\nany hope of achieving this target, typically two or even three times more work
\nthan what would be reasonably expected in a normal day was required. Workers
\nwere also invariably obliged to record each day\u2019s progress in their \u201c200-Day
\nBattle Loyalty Journal,\u201d which was subject to inspection by the overseers in
\ncharge. Anyone failing to meet the quota each day was forced to work through
\nthe night to complete it.<\/p>\n
Predictably, the harrowing work and oppressive labor
\nconditions resulted in appalling and largely preventable injuries, both
\nphysically and mentally. Nevertheless, few reasons could exempt one from the
\ndaily quotas. Those who were injured were branded as \u201claggers\u201d and docked
\npoints on their political evaluation. <\/p>\n
The situation was barbaric, inflicting suffering on everyone
\ninvolved, with the exception of the leadership. Tragically, thousands of
\nhapless soldiers lost their lives in \u201cbattle\u201d when the Kumchon Bridge
\ncollapsed. Survivors were forced to carry on with the work, despite the severe
\nlapses in safety exposed by the accident. There was no mention of safeguards,
\nlet alone a meaningful plan to prevent further tragedy down the line. <\/p>\n
Recent news emanating from North Korea suggests that the
\nsituation remains unchanged. Speed of construction is emphasized over basic
\nsafety standards, increasing the likelihood that another Kumchon Bridge
\nincident, or worse, may occur during the current \u201c200-Day Battle.\u201d The regime
\ndoes not regard workers as people but rather as expendable tools of labor.<\/p>\n
This author joins a growing chorus of voices, including
\nNorth Korean defectors and those still inside North Korea, demanding an end to
\nforced mass labor.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hot on the heels of the \u201c70-Day Battle\u201d leading up to the 7th Party Congress, the North Korean regime has launched a more ambitious \u201c200-Day Battle,\u201d described by the state-run publication Rodong Sinmun as \u201ca safeguard of party policy that will lead to a breakthrough in carrying out the five-year strategy for economic growth [announced […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":145,"featured_media":32778,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[644],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-analysis-and-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\n