North Korean authorities have executed and imprisoned several key researchers involved in nuclear power plant construction, Daily NK has learned.
According to a Pyongyang source speaking to Daily NK on Tuesday, two senior researchers were executed and four junior researchers were punished for “failing to successfully complete their project and close the gap with international technological standards.”
The executions took place at 4 p.m. on Jan. 10 in an empty lot along Nampo road in Pyongyang’s Mangyongdae District. All staff connected to the nuclear power plant construction project were required to witness the event. While the two senior researchers were executed on site, the four junior researchers were transported to an undisclosed location, believed to be a political prison camp.
The executed senior researchers were officials from the Ministry of Atomic Energy Industry’s technology division, responsible for developing reactor design and operation technology. They were reportedly held accountable for failing to meet technical targets set by the Central Committee.
The issue came to a head during December’s 11th Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, where officials condemned the researchers for “willful neglect” and “defeatism.” They were particularly criticized for claiming certain tasks were “too hard to achieve given our capabilities” – a stance deemed unacceptable given that nuclear power plant construction is central to addressing North Korea’s chronic electricity shortage.
The Cabinet, Central Public Prosecutor’s Office, and Ministry of Social Security branded them “anti-party figures” who had “contradicted the party’s guidelines for socialist construction.”
However, other researchers in the field suggest the punishments were excessive, noting that the failures stemmed from resource shortages and technical limitations rather than lack of commitment. The source indicated that the executed researchers had been dedicated to their work and had openly communicated challenges to the Workers’ Party. Their fate has dampened morale among remaining staff.
In the aftermath, the Ministry of Atomic Energy Industry has appointed a new research team to lead the project, with the Central Committee mandating increased party oversight of technological research and development.
January 23, 2025 at 07:04AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)