Turning Adversity into Prosperity and Misfortune into Blessing

The areas along the Tuman River in North Hamgyong Province which had suffered an unprecedented catastrophe between late August and early September witnessed world-startling miracles created, turning misfortune into blessing. When the northern areas in North Hamgyong Province were severely hit, the Workers’ Party of Korea called on the whole country to turn out in the campaign of turning misfortune into blessing on the strength of great single-hearted unity. In hearty response to the Party’s call, the entire nation waged a vigorous campaign for two months, thus erecting new socialist streets and villages.

The typhoon and the heaviest downpour in meteorological observation since Korea’s liberation (August 15, 1945) hit the northern part of the country between late August and early September, collapsing dwelling houses and public buildings, breaking railways, roads and other trafficand power supply networks, destroying factories and enterprises, and washing away farmland.

The respected Marshal Kim Jong Un ensured that the main thrust of the 200-day campaign, which had been in full swing across the country after the Seventh Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, was directed to the campaign for rehabilitating the northern afflicted areas. He set it as the primary task to erect dwelling houses for the victims and took measures to mobilize and concentrate all human, material and technical potentialities to this end.

Construction forces across the country including the main units of the Korean People’s Army that had been deployed in major theatres of the 200-day campaign, especially the construction site of Ryomyong Street, were dispatched to the rehabilitation front with the mechanical means. In their strenuous efforts to provide the victims with the cradle of their happiness the service personnel and builders pushed ahead with the projects of laying foundations, erecting frameworks and constructing in a three-dimensional way, creating an unheard-of miracle in building history. As a result, in a matter of two months since groundbreaking, they carried out nearly 970 000 cubic metres of foundation excavation, over 170 000 cubic metres of concrete tamping for foundation, more than 290 000 cubic metres of walling, over 100 000 cubic metres of floor concrete placing, some six million square metres of interior and exterior plastering, over 200 000 square metres of tiling and more than 600 000 square metres of painting.

In Kyonghung County.

The service personnel and shock brigade members who took charge of the rehabilitation of Kyonghung County were the first to complete the construction of dwelling houses by late October on the strength of army-people unity. The housing construction for over 11 900 families was successfully rounded off until November 11 in Hoeryong City, Kyongwon County and other northern afflicted areas.

The people in the afflicted areas are now enjoying comfortable life at the new dwelling houses that would withstand northern blizzards and heavy rains, whatever severe they might be, and students and other children are studying to their heart’s content and playing merrily at the new schools, kindergartens and crèches.