Farm managers at a collective farm in Taehongdan County, Ryanggang Province, are being investigated for their involvement in a corruption scandal, Daily NK has learned.
“When the government inquired about the state of preparations of spring agricultural supplies in Taehongdan County, they received a complaint alleging that some of the goods were secretly being siphoned off,” a Ryanggang Province-based source told Daily NK on Apr. 29.
According to the source, the problems first began at a collective farm in Taehongdan County’s Nongsa District.
The head of the farm’s work unit along with members of the farm’s managing committee reportedly hid three tons of starch produced at the farm from the authorities.
A warehouse manager discovered the ruse earlier this month as he was checking to make sure the farm had enough farming-related supplies, including farming tools, vinyl film, and potato seeds.
The warehouse manager was fired by the farm’s managers when he came to them with the complaint. He then sent a petition to provincial authorities and they began an investigation.
The source noted that punishments stemming from the investigation could be serious given that North Korea faces food shortages and because the North Korean government is focused on clamping down on corruption.
In fact, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has long expressed serious concerns about corruption in his government. He called on his officials to continue anti-corruption efforts at last year’s Central Committee plenary meeting and reiterated this goal at an extended meeting of the politburo in February.
The punishments handed down could be more serious than usual given that Taehongdan County has received “special attention” from North Korea’s leaders, the source added.
*Translated by Gabriela Bernal
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