Choe Yong Rim Visits South Hwanghae Province

Choe Yong Rim visits Samjigang Cooperative Farm on 24 May 2012 (Photo: KCNA)

DPRK state media reported that DPRK Premier Choe Yong Rim visited agricultural and food production facilities in South Hwanghae Province.  Choe’s public appearances occurred amid reports of a drought in the western part of the country and starvation deaths in South Hwanghae.  On 24 May (Thursday) Choe visited Samjigang Cooperative Farm in Chaeryo’ng County.  KCNA reports:

It is associated with the leadership provided by the President and leader Kim Jong Il. It has completed rice transplanting in the right time while giving priority to harrowing according to the features of soil and thoroughly ensuring the number of rice plants for phyong and the number for rice plants. The agricultural workers of the farm are turning out as one in weeding and preventing drought, not content with their proud achievements.

The premier stressed the need to set a model of the country in farming this year, too, true to the behests of Kim Jong Il and thus remain loyal to the Songun revolutionary leadership of Kim Jong Un with rice.

Choe Yong Rim visits Suwon Cooperative Farm in Paech’o'n County, South Hwanghae Province on 25 May 2012 (Photo: KCNA)

On 25 May (Friday) Choe visited cooperative farms and water infrastructure in Yo’nan and Paech’o'n counties:

All the agricultural workers of the counties are gaining achievements in the ongoing rice transplanting with ardent patriotism to bring about a decisive turn in settling the food issue as befitting the masters of the country’s granary true to the high intention of the dear respected Kim Jong Un.

The premier went round the Ohyon and Suwon cooperative farms and other places.

He underlined the need for the farms to carry through the behests of President Kim Il Sung and thereby continue glorifying the honor of the units of his on-the-spot guidance. He underscored the need to positively study and introduce high yields of seeds as intended by the WPK so as to set a model in grain production. He stressed the need to readjust tractors and rice transplanting machines well to keep them in full-capacity and for relevant units to provide substantial fertilizers according to periods.

Learning about water storage and provision of Lake Kuam and the Ryeui Reservoir, he underscored the need to provide substantial water to paddy and non-paddy fields as it does not rain at present and thus take concrete measures for preventing drought.

Choe Yong Rim visits Ohyon Cooperative Farm in Yo’nan County, South Hwanghae Province on 25 May 2012 (Photo: KCNA)

Choe visits Ryeui Reservoir (Photo: KCNA)

DPRK Premier Choe Yong Rim visits Lake Kuam on 25 May 2012 (Photo: KCNA)

Choe visits Oguk Cooperative Farm in Anhak County, South Hwanghae Province on 26 May 2012 (Photo: KCNA)

On 26 May (Saturday) Choe visited farms in Anhak and Sinch’o'n counties, as well as a salt production site:

The farms associated with the leadership exploits of the great persons of Mt. Paektu have made successes in their immediate farming by making full arrangements for finishing the on-going rice-transplantation and other farm work qualitatively in the right time with ardent desire to reap a rich harvest.

The farms have taken measures for speeding up the rice-transplantation and overcoming the drought despite unfavorable weather as required by the Juche-oriented farming methods.

The premier highlighted the importance of settling the food shortage in building a thriving nation and called on all officials and other agricultural workers to play their role as those responsible for the nation’s agricultural production.

He also stressed the need to meet technological requirements for harrowing and winding up the rice-transplanting in right season.

He underlined the need for all officials to take good care of the farmers’ living as their mothers would do by earnestly learning from the dear respected Kim Jong Un’s noble outlook on people.

He called on the relevant units to take steps for supplying farm materials needed for rice-transplantation in good time.

Then the premier visited the construction site of Hwangnam Youth Saltern in the province nearing its completion.

The construction of the saltern, covering hundreds of hectares, made it possible to produce a large quantity of salt for the economic development and improvement of people’s living standard in the province.

Looking round the saltern ensuring economic profitability, the premier called for upholding the party with increased output of salt by conducting an effective work for raising the workers’ technical skill.

DPRK Premier Choe Yong Rim visits Saenal County in Sinch’o'n County on 26 May 2012 (Photo: KCNA)

DPRK Premier Choe Yong Rim visits the construction of Hwangnam Youth Saltern on 26 May 2012 (Photo: KCNA)

Workers’ Orgs to Hold Conferences in May and June

National headquarters of the Kim Il Sung Youth League (L) and the Korea Democratic Women’s Union (R) in Pyongyang (Photo: Google image)

DPRK state media reported on 4 May (Friday) that the four major Workers’ Organizations will hold membership conferences “from late May to early June.”  KCNA reports:

Conferences of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League, the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea, the Union of Agricultural Workers of Korea and the Democratic Women’s Union of Korea are to be held here from late May to early June.

Discussed there will be the tasks of the working people’s organisations to hold in high esteem President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il as eternal leaders of the Party and revolution, carry through the decision of the Fourth Conference of the Workers’ Party of Korea and build a thriving socialist nation under the guidance of the dear respected Kim Jong Un.

It is not clear if the Workers’ Organizations’ conferences are linked to another large gathering in Pyongyang connected to boosting the country’s food supply.  Good Friends reported on its website on 2 May (Wednesday) that “the new leadership decided to hold a homeland meeting in Pyongyang early in May with the intent of preparing measures to resolve the problem of food shortages.  Three to four functionaries of related fields from each county, and even larger numbers from each city are continuing to gather in Pyongyang. . .the scale is second only to the party representatives’ conference held on 11 April.”  Good Friends also reported that Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n), “personally ordered the meeting to be held, saying that good methods of food production should be sought fundamentally.”

AFP reports:

North Korean officials from across the country will meet in Pyongyang this month to discuss ways to boost agriculture in the food-scarce nation, a Seoul aid group said on Thursday.

The ‘Homeland Conference’ will focus on ways to expand farmland in the mountainous nation by cultivating rugged areas and inactive land, Good Friends said on its website.

The meeting will draw hundreds of people including central and local government officials, ruling communist party officials and other state agencies, making it as large as a party meeting last month, the aid group said.

Seoul’s unification ministry could not immediately confirm the reported meeting, for which the aid group gave no date.

The North suffered a famine which killed hundreds of thousands in the 1990s and severe food shortages continue. UN agencies said last November that three million people would need food aid this year and child malnutrition was rising.

Good Friends said the Pyongyang meeting would also consider a chronic workforce shortage in agriculture.

Many collectivised farms suffer high rates of absenteeism as farmers roam in search of roots and wild greens to compensate for grain shortages, it said.

“The Rainy Season Has Come”

Photo: KBS World

Typhoon-5  Meari hit the Korean Peninsula on Sunday [26 June].  The storm was expected in Sinu’iju, North P’yo’ngan Province, on Monday [27 June] before hitting China’s east coast.  Xinhua reports:

Thousands of people have been evacuated amid storm-triggered floodings, authorities said Sunday.

The tropical storm is expected to make a landing near the city of Donggang, northeast Liaoning Province, or areas to the north of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at Monday dawn, the National Meteorological Center said in its latest bulletin.

The storm was projected at the Yellow Sea, about 35 kilometers southeast off the coast of eastern Shandong Province, at 5 p.m. Sunday, according to the bulletin. The storm is moving north at 20 to 25 kilometers per hour, packing sustained gusts of 23 meters per second near its center.

Strong winds and heavy rain are forecast near the coasts of Shandong, Liaoning and the province of Jilin. The strength of the storm will be reduced after landing, the meteorological authorities said.

Off the coast of Shandong, the stormy weather sank or stranded three vessels on Sunday. Twenty-six people on board of the mishapped vessels have all been rescued, according to a spokesman with the provincial maritime safety administration.

Gales whipped through the Bohai Strait and over the northern part of the Yellow Sea while torrential rains pounded most parts of Liaoning, eastern Shandong, and part of Jiangsu Province on Sunday, raising water level of the Taihu Lake in Jiangsu to critical level at one point.

According to KCNA, the storm affected areas of South Hwanghae Province early Sunday morning:

Typhoon-5 Meari is moving northward at speed of 60 km per hour in the DPRK.

Strong wind of 10-13 m per second hit Haeju and Kaesong cities, Ongjin and Sepho counties and other areas from 03:00 to 09:00 Sunday.

Rainfall of 105 mm was registered in Hoeyang County, 90 mm in Kosong and Pongchon counties, 79 mm in Thongchon and Chongdan counties, 76 mm in Yonan County, 73 mm in Kosan County and 70 mm in Changdo County from 12:00 Saturday to 12:00 Sunday.

Tidal waves are foreseen to hit coastal areas of South Hamgyong Province and Kangwon Province on Sunday afternoon.

Even as Meari weakens and makes its way to the PRC, heavy downpours are expected in the Peninsula (at least the southern part) on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to KBS World:

Typhoon Meari has passed over waters west of Baeknyeong Island and is soon expected to reach the North Korean border city of Sinuiju.

The Korea Meteorological Administration forecasts the typhoon to weaken into an extratropical cyclone once it reaches Sinuiju Monday afternoon.

Rainclouds left by the typhoon will hang over South Korea on Monday, bringing five to 20 millimeters of more precipitation in the central region.

Skies over the nation will gradually clear up in the afternoon, but the monsoon front will return on Tuesday with showers falling over Jeju Island in the morning and the southern coastal regions by night.

People are urged to take precautions as a heavy downpour is forecast nationwide Wednesday.

On Friday Rodong Sinmun published an editorial about various instructions and measures to mitigate flooding and rain damage.  KCNA reported about Kim Cho’ng-il’s instruction “to establish measures well to prevent rainy season damage”:

A nationwide campaign has been launched in the country to prevent damage from heavy rainfalls.

Collieries and mines throughout the country are working on setting pit drainages in good condition.

In the sector of land and environmental conservation, necessary measures have been taken to improve reservoirs and streams and dredge rivers and waterways.

In the railway transport sector, a deep attention has been paid to protecting iron bridges, railways and other structures and facilities from flood and landslide.

Meanwhile, cooperative farms have directed much effort to preventing damage from flood and strong wind possible in the rainy season.

During the summer of 2010, the DPRK saw several hundred deaths and widespread damage due to heavy rains.  Some of the problems resulting from the rain could not be contained, and crossed the DPRK-ROK border such as box mines washing up in ROK, as well as malaria-infected mosquitoes caused by stagnant water.

A flooded village in Sinhu'ng, South Hamgyo'ng Province in KCTV footage from July 2010. (Photo: KCNA-Yonhap)

DPRK Premier Goes to South Hwanghae Province

DPRK Premier Choe Yong-rim visits a farm in South Hwanghae Province, as part of a tour there which KCNA reported as taking place during 13 to 15 May (Photo: KCNA)

DPRK Choe Yong-rim visited cooperative farms and production sites in South Hwanghae Province between 13 and 15 May.  KCNA also reported that Choe visited Hamhu’ng, South Hamgyo’ng, where he toured and conducted meetings at the 8 February Vinalon Complex, the Hu’ngnam Fertilizer Complex and the Yongso’ng Machine Complex.   KCNA reports:

He went round farms in several counties including Jaeryong, Kangryong, Yonan and Paechon and held consultative meetings at relevant units.

The important of the province in attaining the goal of grain output for this year was stressed at meetings and measures were taken for the Cabinet and relevant units to aid the farming in the province.

Earlier, Choe got familiarized himself with production and technological updating in major enterprises in Hamhung City.

He went round the February 8 Vinalon Complex, Ryongsong Machine Complex and Hungnam Fertilizer Complex and made some economic organization to implement important tasks given by leader Kim Jong Il during his field guidance.

Choe also made sure the measures were taken concerning technical matters after learning about the production at the Sunchon Cement Complex and the reclamation of Ryongmaedo Tideland.

North Korean Premier Choe Yong-rim (C wearing cap) visits the February 8 Vinalon Complex in South Hwanghae Province. The (North) Korean Central News Agency released the photo but did not elaborate on when the visit was made. (Yonhap)