North Korea is racing to boost its electricity supply by the end of 2015. Shock brigades—teams of super-productive workers—have been employed to finish two large hydropower projects by October 10. The date marks 70 years since the founding of the Worker’s Party of Korea. That’s an important date for the Kim family.
For three generations, the Kim family has ruled North Korea as a Communist dictatorship. During that time, living conditions have been dire. In much of the country, people lack adequate food, electricity, and running water. Only top officials own cars, cell phones, or the kind of appliances we use daily. There is no Internet access. Those fortunate enough to own TVs are allowed to watch only state-controlled programming.
Government expert Kim Kyong Il says North Korea is shifting its focus. Leader Kim Jong Un promised to increase electricity to improve the economy and the lives of North Korean people. North Korea is exploring both wind and tidal power. Solar power is already in use, especially in rural areas.
North Korea uses most of its electricity for the military. Much of what’s left goes to the capital city of Pyongyang, home to less than ten percent of the population. Even there, electricity is limited and sporadic.
At night, North Korea is nearly invisible from above. Next to well-lit neighbors South Korea and China, the black void of North Korea looks more like an ocean than a country.
What if North Korea meets its goal of increasing power by 20 to 50 percent? That would still provide only a fraction of the power necessary to meet basic needs for the country’s 24 million people. And without major improvements to its power grid, North Korea can’t get electricity to places where it is needed. Experts on North Korea are skeptical that this increase in power production and infrastructure will take place.
After its ally the Soviet Union fell in the 1990s, North Korea faced a food shortage. The international community stood ready to help. The only condition was that North Korea give up its nuclear weapons program, but the Kims refused. Instead, the Kim family allowed millions of North Koreans to starve. With his family’s track record, Kim Jong Un’s promise to devote the resources necessary to create reliable power production and a working power grid seems questionable.
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors Him. — Proverbs 14:31
