There have been significant repercussions following North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s harsh public criticism of officials during on-the-spot guidance visits at construction sites, including the Orangchon Power Plant construction site last month.
After he visited the plant construction site, Cabinet officials were dispatched to the farms to interact directly with farmers. North Korean sources have now reported that a task force has been established under the control of the Korean Workers’ Party (WPK) Organizational and Guidance Department (headed by Chae Ryong Hae) to conduct oversight in North Hamgyong Province.
Alarms have gone off within the OGD following Kim’s repeated criticism that the department has been neglecting economic projects under its management. During his visit to the Orangchon Power Plant construction site last month he pointedly stated, “The Party Central Committee Economic Department and OGD Guidance Departments have problems.”
“After the Marshal [Kim Jong Un] conducted on-the-spot guidance visits in North Hamgyong Province, an oversight task force made up of students from ‘Kim Il Sung Elite Party School’ and the ‘People’s Economic University’ together with OGD officials started arriving in the province from early August,” a source in Pyongyang told Daily NK.
According to the source, the joint task force is managed by the OGD and is focusing on investigating projects run by the province’s most powerful organ, the provincial Party Committee, along with those managed by the provincial Ministry of State Security (MSS), the police, and the provincial People’s Committee.
Kim Il Sung Elite Party School is an important institution that “re-trains” officials affiliated with the Central Party. Students attending the school generally have significant experience as government officials and are considered well-suited to conduct oversight activities related to provincial government agencies.
A source in North Hamgyong Province corroborated the news, stating, “The task force is investigating the anti-Socialist actions of the Party organs and People’s Committee [in North Hamgyong Province. They are currently soliciting tips [from those living in the province] regarding corrupt practices by unit managers and government officials.”
The task force has nearly reached the end of its initial investigation. After finishing the first phase, it appears the task force will move to investigate corruption in Ryanggang Province. This move, however, has not been confirmed.
The OGD is the Party’s most powerful department and manages the huge bureaucracy’s human resources. The investigation is being managed by the OGD, so if any acts of corruption are discovered, those responsible will likely be severely punished, which can include expulsion from the Party or getting fired.
The OGD is considered the “power above the power” in North Korea. Officials in North Hamgyong Province are reportedly extremely nervous because the authorities will likely make an example of anyone accused of corruption by handing down severe punishment.
The Rodong Sinmun reported on August 21 that Kim publicly criticized officials at the Myohyangsan Medical Device Factory during his visit there, saying, “The reason the factory is in such a state of disrepair is because the OGD and departments related to the Science and Education Department have not shown any interest in the decisions handed down by the Party.”
Kim’s public denunciation of the OGD may be aimed at tightening discipline within government ranks and there is a possibility that the OGD’s oversight activities in North Hamgyong Province may expand to the rest of the country.
