North Korea has issued instructions to tighten its personnel management regulations, ordering that officials who become ill, injured or disabled on the job be removed from their posts, Daily NK has learned.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Daily NK source in North Hamgyong Province said Thursday that the Central Committee’s Organization and Guidance Department and the Cadre Bureau (an agency focused on personnel management) issued an order in mid-May to cadre departments and divisions of party and government agencies nationwide titled “On Strengthening Cadre Department and Cadre Division Regulations for Personnel Management of Injured or Disabled Persons.”
The central point of the regulation was that government officials who fall ill, are injured by negligence or accidents, or become disabled in any part of their bodies while on duty could no longer work for their agency.
The document also explained the reason: “All officials in units, checkpoints and agencies must be fully prepared to serve the Supreme Leader at all times,” it said, linking the order to activities to serve and guide North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The order further said officials must be in peak condition to accompany Kim at all times. It called this an important issue that reflects the state’s will to maximize efficiency and minimize inconvenience for organizations and groups that must take the lead on the front line of implementing party policies.
The order also said that by strengthening their personnel management regulations regarding injured or disabled officials, the agencies would ensure smooth operations regardless of the situation, which would ultimately contribute to the stability and development of the nation.
“The order called for thorough personnel management so that government officials who become even slightly disabled in any part of their body due to illness or accidents at work can no longer work in their agencies,” the source said. “The cadre department of the North Hamgyong Province Party Committee has started implementing the order.”
The cadre department of the North Hamgyong Province Party Committee plans to take a list of officials at major government offices in the province and compare the age and physical abilities listed in their documents with their actual conditions over the course of a month. After that, officials with problems will be removed or transferred.
Meanwhile, the source added that the provincial party committee said the latest order “is a secret internal order from the Central Committee and called on officials to maintain strict secrecy.” In particular, the committee implored officials not to let disabled officials know what was about to happen. The authorities appear to be aware of the potential for protests against the career advancement of officials due to their disabilities.
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May 28, 2024 at 01:00PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)