Intense Discipline Crackdown on North Korean Officials..."The Final Destination Is Anti-Party, Anti-Revolution"

[Anchor]

Let us talk more about North Korea with reporter Kim Ayeong.

Reporter Kim, is North Korea really cracking down hard on the discipline of its officials?

[Reporter]

On June 11 of this year, the North Korean authorities exceptionally disclosed the charges against a military official named Pak Hui-chol, stating that he engaged in buying and selling official posts and squandered state funds and materials.

Since then, signs of a high-intensity discipline crackdown targeting officials have been continuously detected.

I brought an article from the Rodong Sinmun published on August 1.


"Officials abusing their power and privileges means they have degenerated to the point of considering themselves special beings."

If such behavior continues, sycophants are bound to emerge, and the article features the expression, "The final destination of flattery is anti-party, anti-revolution."

In North Korea, being labeled "anti-party, anti-revolution" is defined as the absolute worst crime that can never be recovered from by any means.

That is how strong the warning is.

Through other articles and channels as well, demands are continuously being issued that "not even 1 millimeter or 0.001 millimeter of deviation" from the party's line is permitted.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) also reported on July 21 that North Korea is conducting massive inspections of key military officials, including those from the Ministry of National Defence and the General Staff Department.

[Anchor]

In a way, it seems like they are sending a strong message that "we are watching." Is the fallout from the Pak Hui-chol incident still ongoing?

[Reporter]

At the time, General Secretary Kim Jong Un convened an unprecedented joint meeting of the party, government, and military.

For comparison, it is as if the president gathered the ruling party, government, and military all in one place to reveal the corruption charges of a specific military official.

It is presumed that Kim Jong Un considered the matter grave, or judged that it was time to make an example out of him.

Looking at the announcement at the time, it states that the individual named Pak Hui-chol did not merely engage in corruption, but cultivated illusions about himself over four years, placing his loyal cronies and flatterers in key positions and thereby undermining the party's monolithic guidance system.

The earlier Rodong Sinmun article should therefore be seen as an extension of this.

However, North Korea has not specifically disclosed what punishment was handed down to Pak Hui-chol, the individual who allegedly committed such a super-large crime.

Judging by past precedents, there is a high possibility that not only he, but also his family members will face changes in their personal status.

(Video Editing: Choi Hye-ran)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.