Shinuiju from China

Grieving voices resonate high in Shinuiju area of North Pyongan province in North Korea about Kang Young Se (age47), the president of Kangsung Trade Company.

Kangsung Trade Company is known as a branch under the 131 Management Agency of the Central Party of the Worker’s Party, and makes $600,000 annual profit. Kang gives $200,000 to the party and takes the rest for himself. He is heavily criticized for inhumane treatment of the workers who he pays very little wage and for having several wives. However, because his deep friendship with the Central Party, it is no good even if people file complaints about Kang’s inappropriate acts.

Sentenced to 13 Years of Imprisonment for Breaking Glass

One of the biggest recent incident Kang has caused is imprisonment of Mr.P, a resident of Gwaksan-gun.

As the company expanded in its size, Kang built a new storage in Gwaksan, a port city located in North Pyongan province, and Mr. P worked as construction manager. In the construction several tens of people were involved, but even after the construction was completed, Kang did not pay the workers. For this reason, Mr. P sold his house and all his belongings to pay the workers and requested a bill to Kang.

However, Kang gave Mr. P only $1,000 and told him, “I will make you supervisor of the storage.” Mr. P ran off angry and broke a window with an ax, but Kang reported him for having “dared to destroy state owned building.” In the trial, Mr. P was sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment and he is presently under confinement.

Due to this incident, criticizing voices of the residents of Gwaksan-gun are increasing high, and everyone pities Mr. P who is innocent. Mr. Kim who resides in Shinuiju reported the incident to The DailyNK on August 26.

Liang Yinhua(pseudonym, age 51), a Chinese whom we met in Namsuhdong, Shinuiju where Chinese People’s School is located, said, “Kang Young Se has four wives officially known, and has one child for each wife. Even the Chinese people wonder about his behavior and whether it is really a Korean culture.” Kang has a house for each wife.

Inhumane Treatment of the President of the Company

Cho Chul Yong, a resident of Shinuiju, said, “There are many unmarried women from Security Department as guards of the Kangsung Trade Company, and there is no woman Kang Young Se did not touch. Once a year he gives a color TV to the staff, but he gives two TVs to the women who he played with.”
“Such a behavior is not even considered as a crime in North Korea, that even if I filed a complaint, it will only kill me,” added Cho.

He also said, “Kang is only in his late 40s but curses even to old people over 60s like “son of x” and beating is also natural. His mother lives alone, and when he goes to visit his mother, there is a rumor that every time he visit her he gives $10,000 to $15,000 US dollars as her allowance. He must be better off than most of many rich people in South Korea.”

Even the young people criticize Kang. One student who attends Keunha Middle School, a renowned school in Shinuiu, said, “Kang Young Se’s son goes to my school and he smokes Cabin (a cigarette brand). Teachers do not say anything to him.” Cabin is one of the most expensive cigarette brands in North Korea, which costs about 1,500Won($0.75) in the farmer’s market. That is over a monthly wage of an average North Korean worker, and enough money to buy 2kg of rice. Some people testify that Kang’s son buys those cigarettes in boxes and sometimes shares them with teaches and students.

Nobody Dares to Report in Fear of Revenge

Kim Eun Chul, the president of Backju-Halla Association, a North Korean defector from Shinuiju says, “In Shinuiju, presidents of the trade companies have so much power that even the party cadres cannot control them, and thus their noses touches the sky. It is nothing new that they beat up the workers and practice polygamy.”

The reason why the Central Party does control them when they are aware of such situations is “because they pay the government a lot of money and have wide connections and also because they have hired gangs that if you report, you can disappear without a sound.”

Kim, who reported the news said, “I even throughout about filing a complaint in Korean embassy in China. These days, people of Shinuiju say Kang Young Se is worse than an American.”
“Who would have thought that those (like) cruel Japanese owners who enslaved us would come alive in front of us?” sighed Kim.

Kangsung Trade Company is officially known as “Geumunsan Trade Company,” and it is direct branch under the Central Party 131 Management Agency with its official name known as “Nuclear Power Management Agency.” It is known that profit made by Kangsung company is known to be used for nuclear development thus Kang Young Se has much more power than others.