North Korean authorities have recently conducted investigations into rampant corruption at various retreats and sanatoriums, Daily NK has learned.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in South Pyongyang Province told Daily NK on May 31 that retreats and sanatoriums in the city of Nampo, including a sanatorium on Wau Island, are in serious trouble after authorities learned that they have been charging visitors to stay there in violation of regulations.
On May 8, a team of inspectors from the Ministry of Public Health was dispatched to Nampo for a two-week investigation.
North Korea’s retreats and sanatoriums were established to help officials of government agencies and workers of large enterprises rest and recover their health. Because these facilities are officially established and operated by the state, they cannot be run for private profit.
However, retreats and sanatoriums in Nampo have been unfairly profiting by not only charging admission fees but also by charging visitors for access to their recreational facilities.
The central government began investigating Nampo’s retreats and sanatoriums after receiving complaints from people who had visited the facilities expecting them to be free.
“Our country’s retreats and sanatoriums should be open to everyone without cost or discrimination. The position of the Marshal [North Korean leader Kim Jong Un] is that these places of culture and relaxation are freely available to all North Koreans who are tired and exhausted from their work. But contrary to this position, some facilities have not only charged admission fees but have also degenerated into places of debauchery, which cannot be overlooked,” the central government inspectors said.
The inspectors took particular issue with the fact that the managers of the retreats and sanatoriums were accepting cash and in-kind payments from visitors, even though the state had already provided materials and expenses for running the facilities. “Such behavior will be dealt with severely,” the inspectors warned.
The inspectors examined all the books that recorded the operation of the facilities from January to the present.
Facility managers respond to government probe
Faced with this government scrutiny, the managers of the facilities claimed that although they had been able to run the facilities with the resources provided by the state, in recent years there had not been enough resources, forcing them to start charging fees.
The managers added that the materials provided by the government were only sufficient to serve certain people, such as important officials in the province, but not to provide free services to ordinary people (which is why the retreats and sanatoriums were established in the first place).
Another complaint of the managers was that both the buildings and the various exercise and recreational equipment were so worn out that there was no way to run the facilities effectively without bringing in more revenue.
“The managers had addressed these issues and brought in new and innovative recreational equipment to try to both make money and improve the operation of the facilities. So they’re frustrated that their activities have been misconstrued as a for-profit venture and have even triggered an investigation. They’re also concerned about who will be held accountable for the whole affair,” the source said.
It is not clear who has been punished as a result of the investigation or what punishment they have received.
In a related development, North Korean authorities reportedly believe that corrupt behavior is occurring not only at the Nampo retreats and sanatoriums but also at facilities in other regions. They intend to conduct a large-scale investigation of these facilities as well, the source said.
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June 05, 2024 at 08:15AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)