North Korea has ordered state agencies, factories and schools to start at 5am as the country heads into the hottest days of the summer, sources say.

Sambok, the name given to the peak of the Korean summer, began on 20 July, and with it came a new announcement. “All central agencies in Pyongyang and other offices and schools nationwide have been ordered to follow the sambok schedule,” a source in North Korea said. “Because of this, all operations now start at 5am instead of the usual 8, and end at 1pm.”

Sambok is the month-long period at the height of the summer, with three days (the first, middle and final days of the period) marked as special occasions with special foods. The sam part of the name means three, while bok comes from the Korean for “to lie face down because the summer days are so hot that even a frog cannot endure it, lying flat with its stomach stuck to the humid earth”, according to state news channel KCNA.

The average summer temperature in Pyongyang is 29C (84F), but the hottest day recorded on the peninsula was nearly 40C. According to World Weather and Climate, humidity rates of 80% are normal through July and August, adding to the punishing heat.

The stifling temperatures are particularly insufferable in Pyongyang, and inland areas in the north and west of the country. “It’s a struggle to work both indoors and outdoors,” the source said, explaining that everyone is required to come to work before sunrise and finish up their tasks by noon to clock out before the peak hours of sun.

The early working hours in the summer were first implemented after the turn of the century under the orders of former leader Kim Jong-il. Although central agencies, party offices, and the elites working at state-owned companies are equipped with air conditioners, this summer’s drought has limited energy production at hydroelectric power plants, making it impossible to run a fan, much less an air conditioner.

‘Everyone is exhausted’

The source said the sambok schedule caused significant problems.

“Even young children need to start getting ready for school at around 4am. Many are unable to get up so they end up skipping one or two hours of class, pulling down the attendance rate,” she said.

“State-owned restaurants only stay open until lunchtime, and [are] closed in the afternoon and dinner time. State officials who are on business trips to different areas complain since they don’t have anywhere to dine in the evening.”

Moreover, despite the state’s determination to tout the sambok schedule as a direct manifestation of Kim Jong-un’s love for the people, the source said residents have continued to dismiss it.

“People say there’s no real point in going to work early since there’s not only no electricity but also not enough work to go around. All this [directive] does is make everyone more exhausted,” she concluded.

A version of this article originally appeared on Daily NK