Soldiers called to join "rice battle"
Soldiers across North Korea have been mobilized to join the 40-day rice planting “battle” declared by the state on the 20th of last month. The added manpower is a move to boost agricultural productivity and maximize output in advance of the 70th anniversary of the Korean Workers’ Party [KWP] in October.
“Under the slogan, ‘Let’s mobilize all our capabilities and fully focus on agriculture,’ the authorities have called on all military units and families for the project,” a source said. There are a few notable exceptions to the directive: air and naval forces, national border guards, and military police stationed around the DMZ.
This mandate is unusual, breaking away from typical rice-planting season practices in the past. “Soldiers were mobilized in the last ‘agricultural support warfront’ too, but not on such a large scale," the source said, explaining the massive mobilization's motive to be aimed at a drastic increase in grain production for fodder to tout around the Party anniversary events in the fall.
Higher ranking officers of these units have pointed out that in the case of an actual major emergency, no units would function properly as each and every solider is out working the land.
Many of the residents have made the same point, according to the source, noting that while state rhetoric incessantly underlines the threat of “endless military provocations from enemies,” when rice-planting seasons arrives, "the authorities drop that all that talk.” “So I guess enemies take a break from provocations during farming season?” is a running joke among those toiling in the fields during this full-scale mobilization.
