Daily NK recently obtained a video that condemns drug criminals for “using all means and methods to spoil everyone ideologically, spiritually and even physically by making drugs rampant.”
North Koreans have easy access to narcotics, regardless of region, class, sex, age or income level. In particular, with medical supplies in short supply due to COVID-19, the misuse of narcotics has worsened, prompting special crackdowns by the authorities.
In the video, the narration slams drug crime as “not simply an illegal act, but as something that causes fissures in our ideology, system and single-hearted unity.” The narration also claims that drug-related crime is “an act that chimes in and colludes with enemy schemes to pull down the red flag of socialism in this land.”
The video’s narration further calls drug-related crime an “extremely dangerous anti-state and anti-socialist act,” warning that drug offenders “will be shown absolutely no mercy, and must be boldly and mercilessly wiped out, regardless of who they are.”
North Korea already treats drug crime as a direct challenge to policy implemented by the Workers’ Party of Korea and has been conducting mop-up operations against drug criminals. However, with these efforts yielding no decrease in drug crime, the country’s authorities appear to have distributed the video to take their warnings to the next level.
In fact, North Korea punishes drug manufacturing, drug smuggling and drug dealing with execution, just as it does with crimes related to conspiracies to overthrow the government, terrorism and treason. The country is currently conducting a widespread crackdown on drug crimes, including legislating a drug crime prevention law in 2021 to combat the rise in drug-related offenses.
NAMING NAMES
The video recently obtained by Daily NK even revealed the names and photos of people who have committed drug crimes, explaining that these criminals had “sowed insecurity and fear among the people by carrying out serious criminal acts like drug smuggling and sex-related crimes.” The video also said that the criminals in question had “received the people’s stern punishment for having a serious, toxic impact on socio-political stability.”
The video’s narration further noted that the criminals were “good-for-nothings who were lazy in their organizational and ideological lives and lived aimlessly.” It also called them out for other specific crimes, including getting together in groups of ten or so “to threaten people or assault people while brandishing knives.”
North Korea is working hard to eradicate drug-related crime, which suggests that the regime will continue to produce similar videos for the public going forward.
Last year, North Korean authorities produced an ideological education video that showed people being publicly shamed for having consumed or distributed South Korean TV programs or music.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of reporting partners who live inside North Korea. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.
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