The North Hamgyong Province branch of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League gave a negative review to a recent support-the-troops program conducted in Chongjin, Daily NK has learned.
“During a monthly review at the end of April, the North Hamgyong Province branch of the youth league said that the unethical behavior of certain students defeated the purpose of a support-the-troops program held on Military Foundation Day [on Apr. 25],” a source in the province told Daily NK on Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
In April, the Chongjin branch of the youth league had asked the schools to support a special celebration of Military Foundation Day by a unit of the IX Corps stationed in North Hamgyong Province.
Since the celebration was a big event that would be attended by all the soldiers and their families, each class in the local schools was asked to submit ten dishes of chicken and ten dishes of rabbit.
After receiving these instructions, the youth league branches at various schools had coordinators raise the money needed for the support-the-troops program from individual students. During this process, however, it was discovered that some students from financially challenged families had stolen chickens, rabbits, and even money from other schools or families.
Complaints about the thefts were brought to the attention of the provincial branch of the youth league, which took a serious look at the unethical behavior of students in the support-the-troops program during its review at the end of April.
“There have been various problems with support programs before, but this year there were more complaints than ever. In the monthly review, the Chongjin branch of the youth league was criticized for placing an unnecessary financial burden on the students, and there was also talk of serious ethical and moral shortcomings on the part of the students,” the source said.
After the review, the provincial branch of the youth league began to inquire whether the military unit had made a request for supplies such as double-boiled chicken and rabbit, or whether the Chongjin branch of the youth league had organized the support-the-troops program on its own.
The provincial branch of the youth league also used the review to call for finding new ways to ease the financial burden on students.
“The provincial branch of the youth league noted that the issues of student ethics and morals are of immense importance. In the future, the youth league branch intends to develop specific guidelines so that when military units request assistance, schools and the unit’s political department can work out the details of the assistance together to ensure that the support-the-troops program is conducted at a level that doesn’t force students to become thieves,” the source said.
Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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May 13, 2024 at 07:00AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)