North Korea on Monday glorified the death of six workers from a mine collapse in January as heroic sacrifices in a speedy work campaign ordered by leader Kim Jong-un in his New Year's message.

In a rare revelation of a deadly accident, North Korea's Rodong Sinmun, the country's main newspaper, carried a report expressing condolences for the people who died in a mine in the southwestern province.

Seven miners were trapped on Jan. 9 as a roof in the mine collapsed with only one being rescued, it added.

"They had an avid aspiration to invite the supreme leader to their mine someday. They are powerfully marching on the path toward an eternal life in the era of 'Mallima'," the newspaper said.

Mallima refers to an imaginary horse that can run extreme distances at a very high speed and the term is used in North Korea to highlight the country's push to get people to accomplish tasks in a speedy manner.

The North's report is seen as using their deaths as an exemplary case for the mobilization of laborers.

Seoul's unification ministry said in January that North Korea may launch another work-hard drive this year to carry out orders from its leader.

Last year, North Korea staged so-called 70-day and 200-day campaigns of loyalty in an apparent bid to give the impression that it had not been affected by tough international sanctions.

A campaign of loyalty is North Korea's tactic to mobilize its people to maximize production in a set period of time. (Yonhap)