Efforts by cadres to be seen participating at work have increased following a series of visits by Kim Jong Un to provincial cities and criticisms of poor performance, report sources in the country.
“Cadres are now said to be making efforts to show leadership at project sites and there are more instances of them working at the sites than in the past,” said a North Hamgyong Province-based source on July 30.
“In the past, cadres would just say they were stopping by the project sites on the way to a meeting and would always ride up to the site in business suits and stand around for a bit before heading off. But now they’re wearing work clothes and come down to the project sites and try to show they are working, even if they don’t know what to do.
“At one seafood company in North Hamgyong Province, cadres were said to have actively taken part in fixing fishing nets and other tasks while also asking about the workers’ lives […] The workers said that just seeing the cadres show interest in them, even if they didn’t actually help much, was encouraging and improves the perception of cadres’ attitudes.”
“Workers at a farm were surprised when Party cadres and management officials, who were seldom seen during planting season, came down to the fields and helped pick weeds,” said a source in Ryanggang Province.
“The farmers are saying that the cadres’ changing attitudes are due to the significant criticism they have received from the Party and that the farms’ management has shifted away from past attitudes that led them to ‘refuse to increase help during the harvest season and to take away most of the harvest in the winter.’”
There are some, however, who are criticizing the cadres’ on-site visits, according to the North Hamgyong Province based source. “In the past,” she said,” the local district guidance officer or secretary-general would bring other cadres to the sites and force them to work, but now all the cadres are working.”
He explained that this has created an uncomfortable atmosphere for the Socialist Women’s Union who think their presence seems more like “surveillance” and are “unhappy with them being around.”
The source in Ryanggang Province agreed, saying,” The cadres are reacting to criticisms made by Kim Jong Un during his on-the-spot guidance at Samjiyon that they don’t go to the project sites and just sit at their desks in a way that is irresponsible and incompetent, and shows a chronic level of formalism and pointlessness.”
Last month, Kim Jong Un severely criticized Cabinet and Party officials during on-site visits to various economically-important locations in North Hamgyong and Ryanggang provinces, saying, “I’m at a loss for words. [The cadres’] attitude is completely out-of-touch.”
