This was the title of an editorial that appeared on the front page of the Aug. 25 edition of the Rodong Sinmun. The editorial said, "Those who strive and strive again to accomplish the nation's hemp farming plans are patriots of the Songun ("military-first" politics) Era. We must cover the whole country with hemp fields by having each person plant 10 roots, 100 roots."

The "Songun Era" refers to the political ideology dominant in North Korea following late leader Kim Il-sung's death in 1994 that looks to strengthen the regime of Kim Jong-il and regards the military as the leading force of the revolution.

Ahead of this, the Rodong Sinmun ran five pieces on hemp cultivation on Aug. 24, describing the atmosphere by saying, "These days, the whole nation is talking about hemp." It also described hemp as "The General (Kim Jong-il)'s sky-like love and essence of his benevolent affection."

In this way, hemp is becoming a topic of conversation in North Korea.

Of course, this is in accordance with an order from North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

North Korea introduced in the June 25 edition of the Rodong Sinmun that the country was researching new breeds of hemp and cultivation technology and trying to acquire seeds in accordance with an order from Kim Jong-il, and called on the masses to plant hemp for the first time. Since then, North Korean media has been extolling the utility of hemp and encouraging its cultivation.

Considering how the Rodong editorial from Aug. 25 said the "hemp cultivation plan" had been placed alongside the "revolutionary potato cultivation plan" and "revolutionary two-crop farming plan," which are pillars of current agricultural policy, it would seem clear that this hemp-planting campaign is not simply a one-time affair.

It even called on the party organization to take direct responsibility for the hemp cultivation plan, along with the potato and two-crop farming plans, and drive it forward until the end.

Moreover, the editorial lauded hemp cultivation as "the plan that most accurately reflected the demands of our revolution" and stressed, "Carrying out the hemp cultivation plan with a do-or-die spirit is a holy undertaking."

About the reasons behind the encouragement, the paper explained that hemp could be used as raw material for a number of light industries like weaving, paper and foodstuffs, and hence could solve shortages of cloth and paper required by North Korean citizens.

The editorial called for ▲ securing seeds; ▲ developing superior North Korean-style breeds of hemp and researching cultivation techniques; and ▲ acquiring world-quality hemp processing techniques. It also set out the mechanization of hemp cultivation as a national project and called on people to plant hemp on idle land not only on collective farms, but also on factories and schools.

North Korea explained that hemp is a crop of which nothing is thrown away. Oil from the seeds could be used for cooking or to make soap, hemp dregs to feed livestock, fibers to weave cloth or awnings, or to manufacture mosquito nets, rope or sandbags. The stem is also used as an ingredient in paper.

Meanwhile, in South Korea, laws on hemp cultivation are strict as the plant could be used in the manufacture of marijuana.

(englishnews@chosun.com )