{"id":4005,"date":"2018-12-20T15:35:24","date_gmt":"2018-12-20T06:35:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4005"},"modified":"2018-12-27T10:47:54","modified_gmt":"2018-12-27T01:47:54","slug":"financial-difficulties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2018\/12\/recommendations\/financial-difficulties\/","title":{"rendered":"Financial difficulties and frigid conditions bring construction in Samjiyeon to a halt"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kim Jong-un frequently visited Samjiyeon during construction. However, it seems the project did not go to plan. This photo shows Kim Jong-un visiting the area during a snowstorm. Published by the Rodong Sinmun on October 30, 2018.<\/p><\/div>\n

Kim Jong-un\u2019s top national project, the construction of a special tourist zone in Samjiyeon, Yanggang Province, has reportedly been halted. (Kang Ji-won)<\/p>\n

Our local reporting partner in North Korea reported the following on December 5th<\/sup>: \"All mobilized workers of the \u2018storm troops\u2019 in Samjiyeon were ordered to return home for \u2018vacation\u2019. However, as they were not given money for transportation, the markets and train station in nearby city of Hyesan are awash with demobilized workers. There are great concerns because the construction has come to a halt due to the frigid winter conditions, and meals and accommodation for the workers are no longer provided. Right now, only the armed forces remain at the construction site. Consequently, the Samjiyeon construction project has not even made it past the first phase in the face of financial difficulties.\"<\/p>\n

On December 7, ASIAPRESS received a separate report from another reporting partner in Yanggang Province. This report confirmed the demobilization, adding that the authorities in Hyesan City eventually sent workers on freight trains to a key railway hub in Kilju, North Hamkyung Province.<\/p>\n

'Storm troops\u2019 refer to special construction units that are mobilized for national construction projects. There are permanent units, mostly composed of workers from youth organizations, who serve for 3 years, and temporary units composed of workers and party members, who are called upon as necessary. For the construction of the special tourist zone in Samjiyeon, however, the regime established the \u20182.16 Storm Troops Division\u2019, named in honor of Kim Jong-il\u2019s birthday, and recruited workers from workplaces and party organizations across the country, including Pyongyang.
\nNext page: a total of 80,000 people were mobilized for the Samjiyeon project\u2026 <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A map of the Samjiyeon area (ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

According to what our reporting partner heard from local officials, a total of 80,000 people were mobilized for the Samjiyeon project over the course of 2018. However, as members of the 2.16 Storm Troops Division are replaced after six months, up to 40,000 workers were estimated to be at the site at any one time this year. These workers were forced to live in simple barracks near the construction site, grouped together according to region.<\/p>\n

Our reporting partner further explained, \u201cNext year, the state plans to mobilize a total of 160,000 workers. In order to transform Samjiyeon into a world-class tourist destination, the state will focus on renovating old houses in Pochon County and Potae Workers\u2019 District, which line the road to the tourist zone, and double the number of mobilized workers.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, the reporting partner described the frustrations of the local people: \u201cThe mobilized workers are unpaid and local residents are forced to offer materials or donations to the project. It's becoming a huge burden.\"<\/p>\n

\u203b Construction of the Samjiyeon Special Tourist Zone<\/strong><\/p>\n

The North Korean government announced plans to transform the Mubong District into a \"special international tourist zone\" on April 22, 2015. The Rodong Sinmun reported on November 28, 2016 that Kim Jong Un, after touring Samjiyeon, ordered the construction to \u201ccommemorate Samjiyeon as a sacred ground of the revolution and as the hometown of Kim Jong-il.\u201d On February 22, 2017, the Rodong Sinmun published an editorial calling for \u201cthe entire party, all troops, and all North Korean people to be mobilized for the Samjiyeon construction\". Thereafter, the construction of the international tourist zone in Samjiyeon became the Kim Jong-un regime's top priority.<\/p>\n

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