A hard-work campaign is North Korea’s attempt to maximize production in a set period of time by pressing its people to put in more hours on their jobs. (image: Flickr/ Roman Harak)
SEOUL, July 5 (Korea Bizwire) – North Korea claimed Tuesday that the country’s industrial production exceeded its target last month as it started the 200-day campaign to push its people into working harder.
North Korea’s industrial production, including coal and electric power, increased 1.2 times in the first month that it launched its hard-work drive, according to the North’s main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun.
After the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) congress concluded in May, the North kicked off the so-called 200-day campaign of loyalty the following month in a bid to implement the five-year economic development strategy unveiled by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
A hard-work campaign is North Korea’s attempt to maximize production in a set period of time by pressing its people to put in more hours on their jobs.
The 200-day drive marked the second campaign that the communist country has waged so far this year. In February, the North launched the 70-day drive to prepare for the WPK congress.
At the party congress, the North’s leader laid out the five-year strategy for economic growth, stressing the need to improve the people’s livelihood and ease the country’s electric power shortage.
The newspaper claimed that the production of electric power and coal grew 120 percent and 140 percent, respectively.
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, said that North Korea seems intent on trumpeting the accomplishments of the 200-day campaign to the outside world.
“Internally, the North uses the report to give the message to its people to work harder,” he added.
South Korea’s unification ministry said last week that Pyongyang’s economic vision lacks a specific action plan, including production targets.
“The North is expected to face difficulty in accomplishing economic goals under the international sanctions regime,” a ministry official said. “Without foreign investment, North Korea will face limitation in meeting economic goals by relying solely on self-reliance principles.”
(Yonhap)
