DISCUSS SOVIET CONTROL IN NORTH KOREA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600310171-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 15, 2011
• Sequence Number: 171
• Publication Date: May 11, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/17: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600310171-7
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL CONFID' NTIR
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY North Korea
SUBJECT Economic
HOW
PUBLISHED Daily newspaper
WHERE
PUBLISHED Seoul
DATE
15 Apr 1950
PUBLISHED
LANGUAGE Korean
op Tilt USITIO STAIRS WITHIN TN. Ma-w- ..? ---- -_. N. I. C.. 31 AND SS. AS A1SSOIS. ITS TSASSSOISIOII OS TSI SSTSLATIOS N IS
MISITIDC IT LAW. IN IMOYYCSTS1011 OT TIli FORM AVINO19 -SSOM IIlsoN. IS -SP
DATE OF
INFORMATION 1950
DATE DIST. \\ May 1950
NO. OF PAGES . 2
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
WORKERS' WELFARE SACRIFICED FOR HIGHER PRODUCTION -- Sopuk Sinmun, 15 Apr 50
Since production increase orders were issued by the puppet government in the
North Korean People's Republic, the welfare of the workers has been completely
sacrificed for higher production in all industries. The production policy at the
Sadong Coal Mine near Pyongyang, and the Pongsan Coal Mine in Hwanghae Do, for
example, is shockingly inhuman. The miners are forced to work 4 to 5 hours of
overtime daily in addition to the regular 12 hours, of work, for which they get
only 20 to 30 won per day. Such meager wages are barely enough to support a semi-
slave standard of living.
In addition, the working conditions in the mines are inhuman. Inadequate fa-
cilities frequently cause collapse of pits, among many other kinds of disasters.
On 23 February 1950, about 65 miners died at Pongsan mine when a pit collapsed and
entombed the workers.
Even without such disasters, the mortality rate is high among the miners,
since sick and injured workers are left untreated in many cases due to the acute
shortage of medical facilities and drugs. All efforts and available resources
are concentrated solely for the purpose of production increase at all times.
SOVIET-CONTROLLED COMPANY RULES NORTH KOREAN SEA -- Sopuk Sinmun, 15 Apr 50
The Choso (Korean-Soviet) Marine Transportation Company of North Korea, which
rules the entire North Korean waters, is a Soviet controlled company. Ostensibly
it is a joint operation by the USSR and the People's Republic. Although the head
of the company is a Korean, he has no contxjl of the company. The company actually
is run by Russians and second-generation Korean Communists born in the USSR.
The company handles shipments of goods taken from North Korea to the USSR,
which constitute 60 percent of its business; its trade with Hong Kong amounts to
about 20 percent; and shipping services for the Chinese Eighth Route Army consti-
tute the remaining 20 percent of its business.
STATE
ARMY
NAVY
AIR
NSRB
FBI
DISTRIBUTION
I I
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/17: CIA-RDP80 00809A000600310171-7I
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/17: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600310171-7
CONFIDENTIAL
The company controls about 70 percent of all the vessels in North Korea,
and through its branch offices in all the major ports, virtually commands all
of North Korea's sea transportation.
CONFIDENTIAL
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/17: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600310171-7