Officials overseeing flood recovery efforts in North Korea’s North Pyongan province are embezzling aid supplies meant for reconstruction, a source in the province told Daily NK recently. The theft is occurring as authorities rush to rebuild homes in flood-damaged areas of Sinuiju and Uiju county.
Since August, North Korea has directed nationwide donations of food, construction materials, clothing and medicine to areas hit by July floods. With leader Kim Jong Un setting a December deadline for new home construction, supplies have been concentrated at North Pyongan province recovery sites.
Officials at multiple levels are profiting from the aid, the source said. Provincial party committee members and labor brigade managers are taking construction supplies and diverting food, clothing and medicine intended for workers.
“Work brigade members have recently confronted officials over embezzlement after complaining about poor conditions,” he said.
After workers reported the corruption to the Central Committee in Pyongyang, the North Pyongan branch of the Ministry of State Security was ordered to increase surveillance of official misconduct. However, with pressure to complete construction by next month, investigations have not yet begun.
The source said full investigations will likely wait until December, after construction finishes, to avoid disrupting the work. During his third visit to the flood zone, Kim ordered officials to “complete the rehabilitation campaign at the highest level before the December party plenary meeting.”
Kim toured the sites with party secretaries Jo Yong Won and Ri Il Hwan, meeting with North Pyongan province’s party chief secretary Ri Hi Yong and commanders of military units and youth brigades involved in reconstruction.
Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
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November 18, 2024 at 12:48PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)