North Korea’s new police commissioner, Pang Tu Sop, is trying to restore discipline in the force by warning that police substation chiefs who are too absorbed in protecting their status to protect people’s lives and property are on the chopping block. Pang’s remarks upon his appointment as top cop aim to get substation chiefs on their best behavior.
Pang was named head of the Ministry of Social Security, a key government department responsible for maintaining public order and safety, to replace Ri Thae Sop, who was sacked after flooding on the Yalu River in the 22nd Emergency Enlarged Meeting of the Political Bureau of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea at the end of July. Since Pang’s appointment, he has been busily seeking to restore discipline among low-level functionaries, casting a dark pall over the police force.
“The newly appointed minister held an emergency meeting of department directors on the afternoon of Aug. 4 and said there would be consequences for any substation chiefs who had failed to protect the lives and property of the people under their jurisdiction during the flooding,” a source in North Korea told Daily NK on Aug. 9, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Pang’s directives and warnings
“Dull-witted substation chiefs should prepare themselves to be relieved of their posts,” Pang said during the meeting. Pang has initiated a nationwide effort to assess and address the flood damage. He has directed each province’s social security bureau to send administrative orders to police substations nationwide. These August directives require substation chiefs to report the extent and severity of recent flood damage in their areas. Additionally, they must provide updates on the progress of reconstruction efforts and personally participate in the rebuilding process within their jurisdictions.
North Korean state-run media, including the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, reported on July 29 that leader Kim Jong Un had severely criticized the country’s police, remarking that “we will no longer tolerate the irresponsibility and complacency of the social security apparatus, which is the very organization that ought to be doing its best to protect public lives and safety.”
Kim criticized the Ministry of Social Security for severe irresponsibility, noting that the ministry’s inaccurate tally of the population in disaster-stricken areas had temporarily disrupted rescue efforts and that the number of people rescued by the Korean People’s Army was much larger than the figures provided by the ministry.
Kim’s criticism, which was widely reported in North Korean state-run media, was a significant event that highlighted the serious issues within the police force. Kim went on to describe these failures as serious political and ideological matters linked to the police agency’s attitude toward serving the state and the people. The supreme leader’s harsh criticism has led the newly appointed police commissioner to take proactive steps to restore discipline in the police force.
Consequences and expectations
“Police substations around the country are on edge over the orders. The assumption is that the ministry’s work this month will focus on restoring public trust in the social security apparatus, which completely fell apart during the flooding, and on reinstating the highest level of discipline there,” the source said, highlighting the fear and tension among the police substations.
The ministry sent a warning message to substation chiefs by mentioning that the substation chief of Songgan county’s township, in Jagang province, had been punished for holding a drinking party during the flooding despite the gravity of his role. The warning also mentioned that a substation chief in a neighborhood in the Potong district in Pyongyang had been relieved of duty for staying away from the flooding because he was sick.
“The ministry has ordered police leaders around the country, particularly substation chiefs, to apologize profusely to everyone harmed by the flooding,” the source said.
“The ministry has also promised to reinstate discipline in the police force by thoroughly investigating and strictly punishing substation chiefs in areas that suffered severe damage, which is a terrifying prospect not only for the substation chiefs themselves but all members of the force.”
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons.
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