A fresh mandate from North Korean leader
Kim Jong Un has been handed down in the run-up to the 70th anniversary of the
Workers’ Party Foundation Day, which falls on October 10, ordering authorities
to step up penalization even for minor offenses. This comes as the leader is
pulling out all the stops to ensure no major incidents disrupt the celebration
of the day, Daily NK has learned.
“Not long ago, we received a mandate (from
Kim Jong Un) ordering officials to carry out strict punishments against even
the smallest offenses with only three months left to go until the October 10th
celebration of the 70th anniversary,” a source from South Pyongan Province told
Daily NK on Monday. “These orders were handed down not only to Pyongyang
officials, but all safety, law enforcements offices, and Party committees in
each province, city, and county.”
This news was confirmed a source in North
Pyongan Province as well as two sources in two additional provinces whose locations have been omitted to protect their identities.
It mandates a boost in law enforcement from
the Party and prosecutors to ensure not even the smallest of incidents break
out in any of the regions in relation to preparations for the 70th anniversary.
The orders also come with added emphasis on crimes and corruption, underscoring that such acts “must never be pardoned and punished harshly.”
Moreover, responsibility
and the extent of liability have also be extended to state agencies, Party
officials, and administrative authorities involved, according to the source.
“With this mandate, local safety and
security units in each province, city, and county have jumped into emergency
operation mode,” he asserted. “Party cadres who oversee state factories and
managers of those operations are terrified of the aggressive mandate and have
all eyes on their workers to make sure they remain under control.”
Officials have stepped up surveillance of
their local residents and state enterprise workers to curb any ‘regular
criminal activities’ such as drug use, gambling, fraud, and superstitious
religious acts [seeking out a shaman or acting as a shaman oneself]. Authorities are also on the lookout for ‘political crimes’
involving anti-regime activities such as handing out subversive leaflets and
leaving graffiti in public areas, with many officials in fact aggressively
looking to win recognition from higher-ups by cracking down on others.
If authorities are unable to expose such
criminal activities and they later come to light, resident officials and each
Party cadre charged with the district will have to shoulder responsibility,
said the source. In the case of factory workers, Party secretaries that oversee
the operation, factory managers and safety and security unit officials must all
face consequences, according to the mandate.
This new order follows a ‘100-day
anti-crime battle’ mandate issued to all law enforcement officials on the 1st
of this month. With this, related authorities have been wielding excessive
power, leading in some cases to strong opposition from local residents even in
groups, the source reported.
As these security organs tighten their grip
on surveillance and control, the source has witnessed brewing discontent among residents begin to bubble up to the surface and manifest in what he described as “signs of resistance.”
“A lot of it has to do with the notion that
authorities are treating everyone like criminals just because of one bad
apple,” he explained, adding there are mounting concerns that ‘guilt by
association’ enforced during Kim Il Sung’s era may be revived.
