Mick Hartley

Floods have hit North Korea, and it's all hands to the pumps. From the Daily NK:

On Aug. 6, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a ceremony for the Mount Paektu Heroic Youth Shock Troops, who were assigned to clean up flooded areas, in the square in front of the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang.

“Less than a week after the decision to send the Mount Paektu Heroic Youth Shock Troops to build houses in the flood-stricken areas of Sinuiju and Uiju county, nearly 300,000 young people have decided to take part in the reconstruction work. I want to show the world what noble young people we have in our country,” Kim said at the ceremony.

The reality is less inspiring.

While North Korea claims that 300,000 young people have volunteered for flood recovery work to promote national unity, most were forcibly recruited and the actual number of volunteers is less than 10,000.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in Pyongyang told The Daily NK on Tuesday that the figure of 300,000 is not the number of young people permanently assigned to reconstruction work in the flood-hit areas of North Pyongan and Ryanggang provinces, but includes adults temporarily mobilized for the project….

The living conditions of the Mount Paektu Heroic Youth Shock Troops, a group currently engaged in flood recovery efforts, are so harsh that a number of the shock troops have abandoned the site…

“The working conditions for flood recovery are so bad that there have been a few deserters from each work group. The government is publicizing youth volunteerism as a way to promote young people’s loyalty to the party, but the fact is that young people and their parents are doing everything in their power to avoid being assigned to flood reconstruction work,” the source said.

“No one wants to join the shock troops when they’re working themselves to death, and when even hard workers aren’t guaranteed party membership. Still, some young people endure the harsh conditions in the shock troops in the hope of being admitted to the party.”

Fortunately, as the official Rodong Sinmun tells us, there was an inspirational motivation campaign for these lucky shock troop workers:

Students of Mangyongdae Revolutionary School and Kang Pan Sok Revolutionary School in the DPRK launched a motivation campaign in areas of Jagang Province under recovery from flood damage.

Students of Mangyongdae Revolutionary School gave fresh strength and courage to the builders through their dynamic artistic performances.

The performance began with chorus "Dear Father". Through such numbers as serial songs "Cheers of the People" and poem and song "His Humanity", it impressively represented the great efforts and warm love of the respected fatherly Marshal Kim Jong Un who left immortal traces for the people in the dangerous flood-hit areas.

Students of Kang Pan Sok Revolutionary School, too, gave performances in different places.

The performers called on the builders, officials and people to bring about world-startling miracles without fail in the recovery campaign by invariably carrying forward the integrity of the Jagang provincial people put forward by Chairman Kim Jong Il.

The cheerful and dynamic songs sung by the fine reserves who inherited the lifeblood of the Juche revolution, the reliable pillars guaranteeing the eternal youth of the cause, made the areas advancing towards a fresh victory with the enthusiasm for loyalty, repayment, feats and miracles.