Hundreds of thousands of young North Koreans will be sent to live and rebuild in a major flood disaster zone on the Chinese border, according to state media, as part of leader Kim Jong Un’s recent campaign to instill obedience through hard labor.

Kim oversaw a ceremony in Pyongyang on Tuesday to encourage Paektusan Hero Youth Shock Brigade enlistees and send them off to rebuild after devastating floods in Sinuiju and Uiju of North Phyongan Province, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported the following day.