North Korea mobilizes students to collect stones daily for flood prevention walls
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
North Korea is mobilizing students in the northern border province of Ryanggang to gather rocks daily to help build flood walls as the region braces for seasonal monsoon rains, following devastating floods last year, sources told Radio Free Asia.
Last July, large areas along the Amnok, or Yalu, River near North Korea's border with China suffered extensive damage, prompting authorities to accelerate flood prevention measures this year ahead of monsoons that typically start in June and last until September.
Last year, South Korean media outlets reported that over 1,000 people were killed or missing due to the floods, and that North Korea may have executed a number of officials who were held responsible.
North Korea's state-run Korea Central News Agency said over 5,000 people who had been stranded were saved by on-site instructions relayed by leader Kim Jong Un, who was depicted leading flood relief efforts.
Multiple sources in Ryanggang province, also known as Yanggang, told RFA that the construction of embankments were ongoing, and that young students – in elementary, middle and high school levels – have been mobilized to collect rocks daily for the past two weeks without any breaks, including Sundays.
Mobilization orders by North Korean authorities are a common practice by local governments to make citizens donate labor to public projects.
'Each student must contribute five stones the size of a soccer ball to the construction site every day,' a source who works in the education sector of Ryanggang province said.
He, like other sources RFA interviewed for this story, requested anonymity for safety reasons.
Students from Yeondu-dong, Yeonpung-dong, and Songbong-dong areas in Wiyeon District of Hyesan City gather every day, from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m., after they finish their morning classes to 'collect rocks the size of soccer balls,' a second source in the province told RFA.
The students are required to bring the rocks they collect to the construction site of an embankment in the upper reaches of the Geumsan River, which flows into the Amnok, the source said. Last year, the Geumsan River was also flooded and caused much damage, he said.
The construction period for the Geumsan River embankment runs until the end of June, but delays are expected due to shortages of stones needed for the walls, sources said.
To meet the shortfall, students from many neighborhoods including Seonghu-dong, Hyesan-dong, Hyemyong-dong, and Yeonbong-dong work afternoons collecting stones at the old quarry in Yeonbong-dong, while those from the outskirts of Hyesan city like Masan-dong, Chun-dong, and Hyetan-dong search through quarries at Hyesan Youth Mine.
The rock gathering exercise has caused accidents and health problems for students, prompting protests by parents at schools, sources said.
'There are many accidents where people hurt their hands and feet while mining rocks, and there are also students who get nosebleeds while sleeping at night due to exhaustion,' said the first source who works in the education sector.
Growing parental dissatisfaction has led to protests at school offices, with some families keeping their children home from school rather than allowing them to participate in the stone collection work, he added.
On Saturday, North Korean state media reported heavy rainfall in the capital Pyongyang and several northern and central provinces, prompting weather authorities to issue alerts across multiple regions.
Pyongyang recorded 140 millimetres of rain between 5 p.m. on Thursday and 8 p.m. local time on Friday, according to KCNA, Reuters reported.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
9 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
6 Americans detained in South Korea for trying to send rice and Bibles to North Korea by sea
SEOUL, South Korea — Six Americans were detained Friday in South Korea for trying to send 1,600 plastic bottles filled with rice, miniature Bibles, $1 bills and USB sticks toward North Korea by sea, police said. The Americans were apprehended on front-line Gwanghwa Island before throwing the bottles into the sea so they could float toward North Korean shores on the tides, two Gwanghwa police officers said. They said the Americans are being investigated on allegations they violated the law on the management of safety and disasters. The officers, who requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to media on the issue, refused to provide personal details of the Americans in line with privacy rules. Gwanghwa police said they haven't found what is on the USB sticks. The U.S. Embassy in South Korea had no immediate public comment. For years, activists have sought to float plastic bottles or fly balloons across the border carrying anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets and USB thumb drives carrying South Korean dramas and K-pop songs, a practice that was banned from 2021-2023 over concerns it could inflame tensions with the North. North Korea has responded to previous balloon campaigns with fiery rhetoric and other shows of anger, and last year the country launched its own balloons across the border, dumping rubbish on various South Korean sites including the presidential compound. In 2023, South Korea's Constitutional Court struck down a controversial law that criminalized the sending of leaflets and other items to North Korea, calling it an excessive restriction on free speech. But since taking office in early June, the new liberal government of President Lee Jae Myung is pushing to crack down on such civilian campaigns with other safety-related laws to avoid a flare-up tensions with North Korea and promote the safety of frontline South Korean residents. On June 14, police detained an activist for allegedly flying balloons toward North Korea from Gwanghwa Island. Lee took office with a promise to restart long-dormant talks with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. Lee's government halted frontline anti-Pyongyang propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts to try to ease military tensions. North Korean broadcasts have not been heard in South Korean front-line towns since then. But it's unclear if North Korea will respond to Lee's conciliatory gesture after vowing last year to sever relations with South Korea and abandon the goal of peaceful Korean reunification. Official talks between the Koreas have been stalled since 2019, when U.S.-led diplomacy on North Korean denuclearization derailed. Kim writes for the Associated Press.
Miami Herald
10 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Wife of North Korea's Kim Jong Un Reemerges With Luxury Handbag
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's wife, Ri Sol Ju, reemerged in public Tuesday after a year and a half out of the spotlight, joining him and their daughter, Ju Ae, at a lavish completion ceremony for a beach resort on the poverty-stricken nation's east coast. Ri, who was last seen in state media photos on January 1, 2024, was pictured carrying what appears to be a handbag made by Italian luxury brand Gucci. Luxury good exports to North Korea are banned under United Nations sanctions targeting Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Nonetheless, such items reportedly make their way into the country via diplomatic pouches, which are exempt from customs inspection under international law. Kim Jong Un's taste for luxury is well documented, from expensive watches and cars to private jets. His close ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin, even gifted him a Russian-made limousine after Kim took a liking to the vehicle during his 2023 visit to the country. Newsweek reached out to the North Korean embassy in China via emailed request for comment. Ri's handbag appeared to be a Gucci GG Marmont shoulder bag, which retails for over $2,000. After the regime's move in late 2023 to raise official wages tenfold, the average worker now earns about 30,000 North Korean won-less than $4-per month, analysts say. Retail prices in North Korea are low but analysts say most citizens cannot survive on state salaries alone and must rely on informal or black market work to make ends meet. While Ju Ae-widely believed to be Kim's chosen successor-now frequently appears alongside her father, Ri's reemergence may be part of efforts to showcase the new Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area on the Kalma Peninsula. Kim declared that Wonsan Kalma would "shine as a world-level tourist resort," the first of several "paradises" planned around the country, according to the Korean Central News Agency. State media called the ceremony a "great auspicious event" in a press release. The tourist zone's hotels can accommodate nearly 20,000 guests and it boasts a range of facilities, restaurants and sea bathing. These features, KCNA said, "offer all year round the real taste of the east coast, presenting a wonderful picture of a 4 kilometer (2.5-mile)-long stretch of beach to be crowded with people every year." Moscow's ambassador and other officials from the Russian mission in the country attended the ceremony as special guests, per the outlet. Rachel Minyoung Lee, a non-resident fellow with the 38 North program at the Stimson Center, told CNN: "Wonsan-Kalma is open to just North Koreans for now, but we should not be surprised to see Russians at the resort in the not-too-distant future. "More broadly, the opening of a major beach resort like Wonsan-Kalma helps to reinforce the state media narrative of Kim's people-first policy and helps to balance out his greater focus on building up national defense," The resort will open to domestic tourists on July 1, according to KCNA. However, tour operators cited by the BBC believe Wonsan Kalma is primarily geared toward visitors from Russia. Russians are currently the only foreign nationals permitted in certain areas of North Korea, as the two countries continue to deepen their ties. Related Articles Iran Will Now Copy North Korea's Nuke Strategy-Top Intel Democrat FearsAs Trump Defends Iran Nuclear Site Destruction, Kim Jong Un Takes NotesUS Allies Ramp Up Sea Power as North Korea Threat RisesIran Lawmakers Eye Page From North Korea Nuclear Playbook After US Strikes 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
American Military News
11 hours ago
- American Military News
North Korea mobilizes students to collect stones daily for flood prevention walls
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. North Korea is mobilizing students in the northern border province of Ryanggang to gather rocks daily to help build flood walls as the region braces for seasonal monsoon rains, following devastating floods last year, sources told Radio Free Asia. Last July, large areas along the Amnok, or Yalu, River near North Korea's border with China suffered extensive damage, prompting authorities to accelerate flood prevention measures this year ahead of monsoons that typically start in June and last until September. Last year, South Korean media outlets reported that over 1,000 people were killed or missing due to the floods, and that North Korea may have executed a number of officials who were held responsible. North Korea's state-run Korea Central News Agency said over 5,000 people who had been stranded were saved by on-site instructions relayed by leader Kim Jong Un, who was depicted leading flood relief efforts. Multiple sources in Ryanggang province, also known as Yanggang, told RFA that the construction of embankments were ongoing, and that young students – in elementary, middle and high school levels – have been mobilized to collect rocks daily for the past two weeks without any breaks, including Sundays. Mobilization orders by North Korean authorities are a common practice by local governments to make citizens donate labor to public projects. 'Each student must contribute five stones the size of a soccer ball to the construction site every day,' a source who works in the education sector of Ryanggang province said. He, like other sources RFA interviewed for this story, requested anonymity for safety reasons. Students from Yeondu-dong, Yeonpung-dong, and Songbong-dong areas in Wiyeon District of Hyesan City gather every day, from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m., after they finish their morning classes to 'collect rocks the size of soccer balls,' a second source in the province told RFA. The students are required to bring the rocks they collect to the construction site of an embankment in the upper reaches of the Geumsan River, which flows into the Amnok, the source said. Last year, the Geumsan River was also flooded and caused much damage, he said. The construction period for the Geumsan River embankment runs until the end of June, but delays are expected due to shortages of stones needed for the walls, sources said. To meet the shortfall, students from many neighborhoods including Seonghu-dong, Hyesan-dong, Hyemyong-dong, and Yeonbong-dong work afternoons collecting stones at the old quarry in Yeonbong-dong, while those from the outskirts of Hyesan city like Masan-dong, Chun-dong, and Hyetan-dong search through quarries at Hyesan Youth Mine. The rock gathering exercise has caused accidents and health problems for students, prompting protests by parents at schools, sources said. 'There are many accidents where people hurt their hands and feet while mining rocks, and there are also students who get nosebleeds while sleeping at night due to exhaustion,' said the first source who works in the education sector. Growing parental dissatisfaction has led to protests at school offices, with some families keeping their children home from school rather than allowing them to participate in the stone collection work, he added. On Saturday, North Korean state media reported heavy rainfall in the capital Pyongyang and several northern and central provinces, prompting weather authorities to issue alerts across multiple regions. Pyongyang recorded 140 millimetres of rain between 5 p.m. on Thursday and 8 p.m. local time on Friday, according to KCNA, Reuters reported.
