Daily NK Snapshots are synopses of select articles from our Korean website. Snapshots provide a window into Daily NK’s reporting and into everyday life and society within North Korea.
Sixth Bureau Recruit Beaten in Brawl, Authorities Issue Warnings to Local Officials
A North Hamgyong Province high school student who had been recruited by the Sixth Bureau* of the Workers’ Party of Korea’s Organization and Guidance Department was severely beaten in a brawl that broke out at a high school soccer match on Feb. 15. The match took place between schools from a city and a rural farming village in Onsong County. Students from the city insulted their opponents during the match, leading students from the rural school to attack them brutally after it was over. One of the students who was beaten had been recruited to serve as a guard by the Sixth Bureau. Provincial party authorities watch over these carefully selected recruits especially closely. After the incident, North Hamgyong Province’s party committee made students, parents, and officials at the rural school submit self-criticisms; instructed other cities and counties to look after Sixth Bureau recruits properly; and issued a stern warning that local school officials will have to take responsibility for any similar incidents in the future.
*The Sixth Bureau selects personnel to serve in close proximity to members of the Kim family and other North Korean elites.
Full article in Korean by Jong So Yong here.
Cadres Participate in Study Sessions after Birthday Celebrations for Kim Jong Il
Study sessions, debates, and lectures were held in honor of Kim Jong Il after the two-day holiday to mark his birthday on Feb. 16. According to orders from Central Committee authorities, North Hamgyong Province’s party committee dispatched officials to hold study sessions for city and county-level party committees on Feb. 18. In the morning, the officials participated in criticism sessions and observed the conditions of local everyday life, and in the afternoon they held intensive study sessions based on excerpts from the writings of Kim Jong Il. The curriculum included works that emphasize the need for government officials to do away with bureaucratic hierarchy and do their utmost to serve the people and the importance of prioritizing ideological education for the public during times of economic distress.
Full article in Korean by Jong So Yong here.
Curfews Reduce Gang Violence, Increase Consumption of South Korean Media Among Youth in Chongjin
Since curfews were implemented in North Korea to prevent the spread of COVID, gang fights among high schoolers in Chongjin, North Hamgyong Province, decreased considerably. Before COVID, students at local high schools would gather after school, sometimes armed with knives, and engage in gang-style fights with other classes or students from other schools. Forced indoors by curfews, students began meeting to watch and discuss South Korean media. In fact, South Korean movies and dramas have become a prevalent feature of youth culture in Chongjin. Students discuss plots and even reenact action scenes they have seen in South Korean movies and TV, and they often do not seem to fear being caught and punished by the authorities. Some parents of high school-aged children in Chongjin now worry about punishments their kids could receive if they are caught watching South Korean movies and TV.
Full article in Korean by Lee Chae Un here.
Summaries by Nick Seltzer. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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