North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has launched a sweeping purge of party and government officials following his recent visit to China, with punishments extending from the workers’ party to the foreign ministry, according to sources familiar with the situation.
A high-ranking source in Pyongyang told Daily NK on Monday that Kim initiated comprehensive “cadre inspections” led by the party’s organization and guidance department immediately after returning from China on Sept. 5.
The inspections evaluate whether department heads faithfully performed their duties without incidents while Kim was abroad. Officials undergo written reports and individual interviews as part of the review process.
The party’s propaganda and agitation department suffered the most dismissals during this round of purges, sources said.
Criticism over documentary editing
Officials who edited documentary footage of Kim’s China visit faced criticism for producing content deemed “lacking in enthusiasm and sincerity.” The edited scenes showing Kim’s arrival at Beijing station and his reception by senior Chinese officials, including Cai Qi, secretary of the communist party of China central secretariat, and Wang Yi, director of the party’s central foreign affairs commission, appeared “meager and shabby” compared to Chinese media coverage.
Documentary editors also drew fire for including footage of Kim waiting in line with other world leaders during China’s 80th anniversary victory day celebrations. While Kim received second-to-last reception from Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan — directly before Russian President Vladimir Putin — indicating China’s highest-level treatment, showing Kim waiting in line was deemed damaging to the supreme leader’s image.
“Kim scolded them, saying ‘When I was making diplomatic efforts for the people under the scorching sun in Tiananmen square, you comrades were not fulfilling your duties. Even in capturing the propaganda canvas, you failed to carefully reveal each ideological will of our party,'” the source said. “As a result, many workers in the korean central television video editing department and party propaganda and agitation department received job suspensions or ‘revolutionization’ (forced labor) punishments.”
Military industry targets
Defense sector officials from the party’s munitions industry department and second economic committee also faced punishment during the inspections. Vice department-level officials from the munitions industry department and second economic committee, battalion-level officials from the missile general bureau, and deputy director and section chief-level officials from defense research institutes received dismissals or revolutionization sentences.
Kim accelerated weapons development and military-technical cooperation with China after witnessing advanced weaponry during China’s military parade, making the defense sector a primary target of the current purge.
North Korean authorities agreed to cooperate with China on machinery parts and materials following Kim’s visit, but related departments including the munitions industry department and missile general bureau failed to submit properly prepared working-level plans to superiors within the deadline, drawing severe criticism.
“Kim sacrificed everything and achieved results during his China visit, but the workers who should have immediately put those results into practice were lazy and didn’t do their jobs properly, ultimately leading to punishment,” the source said.
The munitions industry department faces particular pressure as it approaches comprehensive evaluation of the “five-year defense development plan” presented at the Eighth Party Congress, further intensifying the inspection atmosphere.
The foreign ministry also saw three officials dismissed, including one deputy director-level official, due to protocol failures during the China visit.
“Currently, officials in any organization are not making a sound,” the source said. “The cadre inspections are being conducted comprehensively across all sectors.”
