Rumors are running rampant among Party
cadres in the construction sector that North Korean official Jang Song Thaek,
who was executed more than a year ago, abused his powers and embezzled an
exorbitant amount of money. Massive funds recently released into the construction market have fueled this speculation, most presuming the cash flow to trace back to Jang.
“Earlier this year, rumors circulated within circles of Party cadres that the huge sum of money stashed away by Jang Song Thaek
would be used for investment in construction,” a source
in Pyongyang told Daily NK on Wednesday. “Huge projects
to build family homes are underway, and hearing rumors that the funds came from
Jang’s stash, we’ve seen a lot
of cadres shaking their heads and tut-tutting.”
Upon Jang Song Thaek’s execution, a large number of Party officials lamented the loss, expressing how unfortunate it was to have lost such
a smart member, according to the source, who remarked that this perspective has since seen a decided shift. Using a figurative comparison, one official described the amount Jang set aside for himself as “enough for the general North Korean population to live on for ten years.”
Accusations
swirling within these rumors rebuke Jang’s abuse of
power in the economic and military sectors, lambasting him for allegedly
stealing people’s hard-earned cash in the form of “loyalty funds.” Some have even gone as far
as to say there must have been a good reason for Jang to have been executed
despite family ties to Kim Jong Eun.
Other Party cadres shift the blame onto Jang
for being deprived of their rations and related hardships, concluding it to be patently obvious how much money he had stashed away given
the sudden surge in funds allocated to massive construction efforts.
Despite the groundswell of
criticism–gaining ever more traction as the rumors spread–the source said it must be noted that the state may have deliberately concocted the rumors
about Jang. This is because a contingent within the Party still believes that,
despite his precipitous fall, he was a competent and intelligent official.
“Up until now, Jang Song Thaek has been seen as a
capable individual, so it could be that the state is circulating these rumors
to taint his reputation once and for all,” she concluded.
