The manager of the March 23 Factory in the Musan Iron Mine was recently sacked and arrested on charges of embezzling supplies.
In a phone conversation with Daily NK on Thursday, a source in North Hamgyong Province said the manager, a man in his 50s identified by his family name of Pak, was arrested by the Musan branch of the Ministry of Social Security in mid-July. “He is being charged with having sold about four tons of diesel over several years,” he said.
The March 23 Factory manufactures explosives used in blasting at the mine. North Korean public security authorities believe Pak profited by selling diesel needed in the production of explosives.
However, local residents have a different take. They say Pak did more than just fill his own pockets, claiming he also provided food to the factory’s workers when the state failed to distribute rations.
In fact, Musan Iron Mine has reportedly been without food rations since 2019. Its workers have been living on proceeds made from selling herbs and wild greens gathered in the mountains or as traveling peddlers.
Nonetheless, the authorities continue to insist that illegal activity by mine workers cannot be justified, regardless of their miserable circumstances.
“The manager was one of the officials who cared the most about resolving the workers’ food problem,” the source claimed. “Absurdly, they are punishing a cadre who actually worked for the laborers.
“Also, given that the March 23 Factory — no ordinary plant, but one that makes explosives — is under tight surveillance and supervision by the Ministry of State Security and Ministry of Social Security, it’s hard to believe the manager carried out the embezzlement on his own,” the source continued, adding, “In a sense, a single administrative official is essentially taking the entire rap.”
