Yanggang Province officials face investigations from above

After North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made critical remarks while inspecting a development project in Samjiyon on July 11 and 12, the Yanggang Provincial People’s Committee was placed under investigation by the Central Prosecutors’ Office.

“The Central Procuratorate launched a large-scale investigation into the provincial People’s Committee on July 15. With all departments of the committee under investigation, a somber mood has erupted not only in the committee but throughout the province,” a source in Yanggang province told Daily NK on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Since the Samjiyon development project is not only the responsibility of the city but of the entire province, the Yanggang Provincial People’s Committee cannot avoid the investigation, the source said.

“Yanggang Province managed to overcome the intractable problems that arose during the state-ordered construction of a tourist zone in Samjiyon, but now it is being investigated over the Marshal’s (Kim Jong Un) remarks. Officials are dismayed that they are being investigated for something that is actually not the province’s fault, as work is proceeding according to plans approved by the state,” the source said.

“Provincial officials have made great efforts to satisfy the marshal regarding the construction of the Samjiyon tourist zone, and they modestly expected to be congratulated during the marshal’s recent visit. It is all the more puzzling that the visit instead led to a serious investigation,” the source added.

Fear spreads among officials

Before the investigation began, the Central Public Prosecutor’s Office identified the officers’ morale as a direct cause of the delay in construction and promised to investigate the incident in depth. Provincial officials feared that this could be “the worst investigation ever.”

The officials are said to be particularly nervous because the investigation is apparently also intended to include a review of their political and ideological suitability.

“The Central Prosecutor’s Office’s investigation will last a month. Prosecutors will interrogate people during this period and then report their findings to the Central Committee when their work is completed,” the source said.

“The Central Committee currently views this investigation as an important step toward resolving the delay in the construction of the Samjiyon Tourism Zone and increasing the work efficiency and responsibility of officials, as well as an opportunity to adopt a new and more progressive approach to management and supervision.”

Rodong Sinmun reported on Kim’s on-site leadership at Samjiyon on July 14. “Comrade Kim Jong Un sharply criticized the top officials for the irresponsibility shown in the construction process and the series of serious prejudices that resulted from it, and ordered them to take necessary measures,” the newspaper’s report said.

According to the report, Kim denounced laziness in the bodies responsible for construction supervision and ordered the minister and vice minister of the Ministry of State Construction Supervision to be suspended from their posts and handed over to law enforcement authorities for questioning.

Kim also ordered the suspension of the entire construction inspection committee of the Samjiyon construction agency, the demoting of the deputy director of the Central Committee’s Department of Organization and Advisory Services (who is in charge of the construction policy working group), and a review of the skills of vice premiers and senior officials in the state planning apparatus.

Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons.

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