In the lead up to the Nov. 26 local people’s assembly elections, North Korean authorities are re-examining citizens’ residency registration cards and cross-checking local and central government-issued ID cards.
The elections are held every four years to appoint representatives to local assemblies at the province, county, and city levels.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in Pyongyang told Daily NK on Friday that “from Oct. 30 through the first two weeks of November, Pyongyang authorities will be cross-checking people’s city ID cards in each district, as well as verifying local residency registration, in accordance with an administrative order from the Ministry of Social Security’s residency registration department. These checks are part of preparatory activities for the local people’s assembly elections.”
A source based in Nampo corroborated this claim, reporting that “since Oct. 31, the city of Nampo has been conducting a public re-examination of resident registrations and cross-verification of ID cards in order to guarantee the success of the [upcoming] elections.
“In Nampo, the Ministry of Social Security’s resident registration divisions in each ward and the police from each area have been working to identify individuals who have left the neighborhood watch unit listed on their resident registration. They are in the midst of contacting these individuals to instruct them to return to their locality as quickly as possible [to vote in the elections], and will be doing so until election day.”
These ongoing re-investigations of people’s residency registrations and cross-examinations of local and state-level ID cards, and the efforts to find and recall people who have left their registered locality, are typical of government preparations ahead of elections.
The source based in Pyongyang told Daily NK that “the Ministry of Social Security’s Resident Registration Division called for the authorities to ensure 100% voter turnout and unanimous approval for candidates in the provincial elections. The orders centered on the need for provincial security authorities to guarantee that as many people participate in the election as possible to spread the might of our people-first nation.”
With this being the first nationwide election since the COVID-19 pandemic, the government’s “turn-out-the-vote” campaign seems intended to guarantee the highest possible voter turnout and participation by any means necessary, including identifying people who have moved outside of their registered locality and summoning them to their hometowns before the election.
“In the three years of border closures, some people have died or gone missing as a result of economic hardship. These people need to be removed from the voter rolls, so the inminban [people’s unit] leaders in each residential area have even been forming investigative committees to identify who needs to be removed from the lists,” the Pyongyang-based source said.
The Ministry of Social Security has cautioned members of these investigative committees to be extremely cautious in their work so as to avoid accidentally letting the general public found out about any cases of missing persons.
“In the lead-up to the elections, there’s been an increase in the number of political events and gatherings, as well as lectures and classes at workplaces and other organizations. Yet, at the same time, this is an election where 100% of people have to vote in favor of the candidates who stand for election. People seem to just be resigned to it and hoping for this pre-election period to be over soon,” the Pyongyang-based source said.
Translated by Rose Adams. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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