The investigation into who will bear responsibility for the collapse of a high-rise apartment building in Pyongyang that took place almost two weeks ago has not yet been concluded, Daily NK has learned.

A source from the North Korean capital told Daily NK on the 27^th, “Families of senior cadres and military officers died, so they have been conducting an extremely intense investigation of related personnel from the 7th Bureau [of the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces] and elsewhere to find the cause.” However, “As it stands, there has not been any news of people getting executed or sent to prison camps.”

The inside source testimony contradicts a report carried by a Japanese newspaper on Sunday and re-reported elsewhere. It asserted that four design and construction engineers had been executed by firing squad while a military official in charge of the project had been sent to a prison camp.

“The previous head of the 7^th Bureau was one of Jang Song Taek’s men, but he got executed when that incident [Jang’s execution in December 2013] exploded,” the source explained. “The present head was chosen by the Marshal [Kim Jong Eun], so obviously they can’t deal with this officially. It looks like they are dealing with it quietly, as an internal matter.”  

The source added, however, that the accident has already done considerable harm irrespective of the investigation. In particular, the reputation of the North Korean military has descended to a new low in the capital. Corruption is endemic throughout the North Korean economy, and corrupt military officials failing to prioritize safety is seen as one key element in the catastrophic failure of the Pyongyang apartment block.

“People are saying that responsibility for the sudden collapse lies entirely with the 7^th Bureau,” the source said. “That kind of criticism won’t readily subside, either, especially because the military has long been involved in both corruption and other things like thievery of food from private homes.”

Nevertheless, the authorities are working on multiple fronts to guide public commentary relating to the apartment collapse. According to the source, this is because of concerns that it might lead to widespread antipathy toward Kim Jong Eun.

In particular, “There is one rumor that started spreading really fast; it says that Kim Jong Eun emphasized safety in construction but that the cadres under him paid no attention to the order,” the source said. This implies that the Central Party Propaganda and Agitation Department might have put the rumor out deliberately to forestall other, potentially more damaging stories from circulating.

“They could enforce really harsh penalties like public execution or prison camp in order to set an example and stop people pointing the finger of blame for the collapse at the Marshal,” the source mused. At the same time, he said they could emphasize collective responsibility for the disaster and use it as a lesson about the need for loyalty to the word and deed of the Supreme Leader.