Farm workers in North Korea are voicing complaints after getting caught between two contradictory directives amid record heat. One directive calls for preventing crop damage. The other calls for preventing heatstroke cases.
A Daily NK source in South Hwanghae province said Wednesday that authorities issued a high-temperature advisory on July 29. The advisory covered most areas south of the central region, and directives soon followed for the agriculture sector. Farm workers have been pouring out complaints about instructions that contradict each other, the source said.
The heat-related directives for agriculture focus on minimizing damage to farmland and paddy-fish farms, key bases for food production, according to the source. The heat wave threatens national food production, which has made crop protection an especially urgent goal at farms in major grain-producing regions like South Hwanghae province.
Authorities have given farms in Pyongsan and Bongchon counties strict orders. Farms must report daily, without exception, on water management at farmland and paddy-fish farms. Midday temperatures in the area have soared close to 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
Farms are mobilizing farm workers and their children alike. Together they water scorching crops and drying paddy-fish farms, the source said.
“Grueling labor continues from dawn, with people carrying water buckets back and forth across the fields,” the source said. “People are dropping like flies.”
Contradictory orders on health reporting
At the same time, authorities have ordered farms to set up a strong emergency monitoring system for outdoor laborers. The goal: prevent heatstroke cases. If a heatstroke case does occur, farms must report it immediately to higher authorities. They cannot conceal or downplay it, according to the directive.
Authorities have pushed workers to focus all their energy on crop management, which makes it difficult to protect people’s health and right to rest. At the same time, the directive demands that no heatstroke cases occur at all. Farm workers are said to be anxiously weighing whether to report conditions as they truly stand.
“Farm workers are voicing exhaustion,” the source said. “They say, ‘The weather is bad enough, but the harsh directives and reporting system are what’s really killing people.’”
North Korean state media has reported heat and high-temperature advisories across the country, including in Pyongyang, as the heat wave continues. Authorities issue a heat advisory when daytime highs reach 33 to 35 degrees Celsius, or 91 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit, with daily average humidity of 70% or higher. They issue a high-temperature advisory when daytime highs reach 35 to 40 degrees Celsius, or 95 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, regardless of humidity.
Reporting from inside North Korea
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August 6, 2026 at 10:36PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)