A source inside North Korea has sent a photo of local residents mobilized to work on a road and rail construction project in Hyesan, Ryanggang Province, in early January. The mobilization appears to be part of a wider New Year’s effort by authorities to increase the number of transport construction projects.
The photograph above shows a white van and approximately 50 residents working on the railroad tracks.
Another source in China who spoke to Daily NK on January 11 said, “It was so cold outside, and it’s such a shame that dozens of people were forced to work in those conditions for the entire day.”
Daily NK has received reports that complaints are on the rise among residents due to the latest forced mobilization.
“It’s ridiculous that even with last year’s poor harvest and significant worries over food supplies among residents, they (the authorities) continue to mobilize us for work projects. They don’t pay us, and working conditions are hardly any better – if not far worse – than they were under Kim Jong Il,” the North Korea-based source lamented.
