After North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made critical remarks during an inspection of a development project in Samjiyon on July 11 and 12, the Yanggang Province People’s Committee has been placed under investigation by the Central Prosecutors’ Office.
“The Central Prosecutors’ Office launched a large-scale investigation into the provincial people’s committee on July 15. As all departments of the committee are under investigation, a gloomy mood has descended on not only the committee but also the whole province,” a source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Since the Samjiyon development project is the responsibility not only of the city but of the entire province, the Yanggang Province People’s Committee could not avoid the investigation, the source said.
“Yanggang Province has managed to deal with the intractable problems that have arisen during the state-mandated construction of a tourist zone in Samjiyon, but now it’s being investigated because of the marshal’s [Kim Jong Un’s] remarks. Officials are dismayed that they are being investigated for something that is not really the province’s fault because work is proceeding according to state-approved plans,” the source said.
“Provincial officials have gone to great lengths to satisfy the marshal regarding the construction of the Samjiyon tourist zone, and they modestly expected to be congratulated during the marshal’s recent visit. So it is all the more puzzling that the visit instead resulted in a serious investigation,” the source added.
Anxiety ripples through officials
Prior to the investigation, the Central Prosecutor’s Office identified the work ethic of officials as the direct cause of the development delay and promised to fully investigate the issue, which has led provincial officials to fear that this will be “the worst investigation ever.”
Officials are said to be particularly nervous because the investigation will apparently be accompanied by a review of their political and ideological fitness.
“The investigation by the Central Prosecutor’s Office will last a month. The prosecutors will interrogate people during this period and then report their findings to the central committee when their work is done,” the source said.
“The central committee currently views this investigation as an important step in resolving the delay in the construction of the Samjiyon tourism zone and increasing the work efficiency and responsibility of officials, and also as a chance to adopt a new and more advanced approach to management and supervision.”
Rodong Sinmun reported on Kim’s on-the-spot guidance at Samjiyon on July 14. “Comrade Kim Jong Un sharply criticized the top officials for the irresponsibility manifested in the construction process and the series of serious prejudices resulting from it and ordered them to take the necessary measures,” the newspaper said in its report.
According to the report, Kim castigated the laziness prevalent in the bodies in charge of overseeing construction and ordered the minister and vice minister of the Ministry of State Construction Control to be suspended from their posts and handed over to law enforcement agencies for questioning.
Kim also ordered the suspension of the entire construction inspection committee at the Samjiyon Construction Supervision Department, the demotion of the deputy director of the Central Committee’s Organization and Guidance Department (who is in charge of the political task force on construction), and a review of the abilities of the country’s vice premiers and senior officials in the state planning apparatus.
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons.
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July 29, 2024 at 12:30PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)