Earlier this year, North Korea announced a rare productivity “battle” that mobilized citizens from around the country and made them work long hours to finish state projects ahead of a politically-important deadline.

That work marathon, called the “80-day battle,” is expected to meet its end on Wednesday after months of laboring at construction sites, COVID-19 stations and more. The battle — North Korea’s first since 2016 — was slated to wrap up tasks ahead of the country’s politically-important Eighth Party Congress in Jan. 2021.

The 80-day battle was announcedat a North Korean Politburo meeting on Oct. 5. More than two months