In North Korea, "organizational life"—compulsory membership in a social organization or group that controls one's activities—is mandatory, beginning with the Korean Children's Union, which children join in the second grade of elementary school. Its purpose is to place every resident under the management of the Workers' Party and the government, and to thoroughly enforce discipline that demands loyalty and obedience to the party and the leader. Among these organizations, the one with the strongest organization and strictest discipline is the Women's Union (the Socialist Women's Union of Korea). ASIAPRESS investigated the Women's Union's recent activities in depth. In this two-part series, we report on the harsh mobilization described by several female reporting partners living in Ryanggang Province and North Hamgyong Province. (HONG Mari / KANG Ji-won)
◆ Stronger Organization Than Any Other Group: "Like a State Enterprise"
In North Korea, certain social organizations are mandatory depending on a person's age, occupation, sex and so on. These include the Socialist Patriotic Youth League, generally joined by workers and students aged 30 and under; the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea, made up of all workplace employees over 30; and the Union of Agricultural Workers of Korea, for farm workers. The Women's Union (commonly known as "Yomaeng") is made up mainly of housewives who, after marrying, became their husbands' dependents and do not hold jobs.
Reporting Partner A, a member of the Women's Union in North Hamgyong Province, says, "The Women's Union is more tightly organized than any enterprise or organization."
"You can think of the Women's Union as functioning like a state enterprise. We get mobilized for social mobilization, for farm-support mobilization in the countryside, and to construction sites. Right now each region has its autumn mobilization, so we (go into the mountains to) dig up medicinal herbs, or form cooperatives within the Women's Union to produce grass and straw handicrafts."
※ Grass and straw handicrafts: items such as wall hangings and decorations made by processing grass, wood and similar materials. They are mainly exported to China.
◆ Farms, Construction Sites, Road Repair, Cleaning... A Daily Life of Nothing but Mobilization
So what does the Women's Union—which A described as being "like a state enterprise"—actually do? Reporting Partner B in Ryanggang Province explained in detail.
"In Hyesan, there are mobilizations called 'social tasks,' such as farm mobilization; gathering medicinal herbs, berries and seeds; road repair; cleaning; and urban beautification projects. During the busy farming season, we're sent to farms three or four times a week or more to do farm-support work like weeding, watering, preparing fields and harvesting. Some people also do propaganda work or artistic performances."
The medicinal herbs and berries appear to be gathered and sold to fund the Women's Union's activities. Seed collection is part of urban beautification work, which involves planting flowers along roadsides. But what are the propaganda work and artistic performances? According to B, "At construction and farm-support sites, Women's Union members perform songs and dances or march while waving flags. Members with outstanding artistic talent are selected to serve on propaganda and agitation teams." In other words, these activities are meant to boost the morale of those mobilized for labor.
And the Women's Union's activities don't end there. B continued:
"We also raise livestock and run sideline farm plots. And once a year, in the name of 'doing good deeds,' we're collectively required to donate flowers like wild chrysanthemums and cosmos (for urban beautification). This year, because of the construction boom, we're often mobilized to construction sites as well."
※ Sideline farm plots: farmland operated by institutions such as military units, or by enterprises, to produce food supplied to their members.
The reporting partner's rough list alone describes so many duties that it is exhausting just to read.
