North Korea’s central government recently ordered Pyongyang authorities to install decorative lighting on the city’s street as part of end-of-the-year celebrations. Some people, however, are saying that the authorities are wasting precious electricity on a useless project.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, a source in Pyongyang told Daily NK on Dec. 18 that “with the end of the year approaching, the central government ordered Pyongyang authorities to beautifully decorate the streets of the capital with lights.” Since then, people’s committees in each of the city’s districts have been working hard to install decorative lights.
The government also ordered that “each district must ensure that all street lights and decorative lights on every street in Pyongyang be kept on from 8 PM to 11 PM,” the source said.
In particular, the central government emphasized that the central district of Pyongyang and those districts that have politically significant structures should divide up available electricity so that the lights can be turned on and off at the correct times without incident.
With the knowledge that there is not enough electricity to keep street lamps on, the central government ordered districts to take special care in keeping the lights on in places where there are revolutionary historic sites or other major sites managed by the Workers’ Party, even if they have to take turns using the electricity supply.
At the same time, the central government explained that the purpose behind decorating the night streets of the capital with brilliant lights and keeping street lights on is for the enjoyment and convenience of Pyongyang citizens.
The government also warned that if relevant officials fail to meet the party’s expectations by not managing the electricity supply properly, they may face legal consequences.
Furthermore, the government warned that any criticism of insufficient resources or electricity by officials involved in the decorative lighting project would be considered a “political issue,” not just simple complaints.
This suggests that the authorities anticipated complaints about the decorative lighting project due to insufficient supplies of electricity.
Presently, urban management departments of people’s committees throughout the city have been installing flashing decorative lights on street lamps and trees.
Decorative lights are installed on Pyongyang streets at the end of every year. This year, however, the central government is emphasizing their importance even more than before; as a result, party officials are struggling to secure enough materials to complete the project.
Pyongyang party officials are even travelling to various regions, including Pyongsong, to obtain small light bulbs to use for the decorative lighting.
However, some Pyongyang residents watching the completion of lighting decorations on the streets are expressing their dissatisfaction about what they claim is a wasteful mobilization of manpower.
“Some people are saying that the electricity is pointlessly wasted on decorative lights for street lamps, trees, monuments, towers, and bridges. Instead, they say that we could power residential areas with more than two hours of electricity per day,” the source said. “The authorities are even installing decorative lights on the outer walls of apartments, but wouldn’t it be much better for light to come from home windows instead of forced light installations on building exteriors? The government is being counterproductive, completely unaware of what truly benefits the people.”
The source also said that the electricity supply situation in Pyongyang is so bad these days that only the areas where high-ranking officials live receive around two hours of electricity per day. Meanwhile, people in other districts have to rely on generators or batteries to power their lights and appliances.
Translated by Annie Eunjung Kim. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of sources who live inside North Korea, China and elsewhere. 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.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
