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Updated July 14th, 2021 at 19:05 IST

North Korea forces married women to make cement blocks to build border with China: Report

North Korea has turned to forcing married women to create cement blocks for construction after failing to meet a deadline for constructing a border, says report

Reported by: Bhumika Itkan
North Korea
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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North Korea has turned to forcing married women to create cement blocks for construction after failing to meet a deadline for constructing a wall along its border with China, reported Radio Free Asia. The dictatorship plans to build a two-meter high wall with power cables in the province of Ryanggang by October 10, the Party Founding Day.

Initially, North Korea planned to utilise military and young personnel as labourers, but officials in the province told Radio Free Asia that they realised they needed more men to finish the wall on time.

The hermit nation ordered married women in the area, as young as 20 years old and as old as 60 years old, to begin making 10 blocks of cement per day for the wall until Party Founding Day. Labour conscription is routine in North Korea, but this one has enraged locals. "People complain that the authorities are making frail old women in their 60s to do hard labor," a source told Radio Free Asia.

"The people are critical of the authorities, saying: 'Even in this severe coronavirus emergency, people still cross the river, risking their lives to smuggle. Even if they build the wall, could that possibly stop people from finding a way to cross the river?'" the source stated. Another source informed the news portal that some of the women who have been enlisted in the endeavour are unhappy about being forced to labour and that the wall will be "useless" since smugglers will always find a way to breach the border.

North Korea's strict border control

China shares an 880-mile border with North Korea. The Tumen and the Yalu rivers separate the two neighbours. The Yalu river crossing in Ryanggang province's major city of Hyesan, where the wall is being constructed, is the narrowest. According to the Seoul-based news site Daily NK, it's a common spot for smuggling everything from food to television sets to recording gear.

Since North Korea closed its borders in early 2020, when fears of a COVID-19 pandemic grew, smuggling activities has increased in the region. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un revealed this year that the dictatorship is suffering from a "severe" epidemic issue and a food scarcity, which has caused prices to rise. The wall in Ryanggang is only one of the country's many tough border-protection measures.

North Korea has beefed up security in the province since sealing its borders, according to Daily NK, bringing in special soldiers to help guard the border. Furthermore, the dictatorship has already given shoot-to-kill orders for anyone caught illegally crossing the border and has planned to instal land mines in the area by 2020.

According to Daily NK, North Korean leaders now want the Ryanggang wall finished by Party Founding Day so that they can reorganise their border patrols and recall their special forces for winter training.

Meanwhile, China has been beefing up its border with North Korea on the opposite side of the river in recent years, creating a military base southwest of Ryanggang, according to Forbes.

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Published July 14th, 2021 at 19:05 IST

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