emergency
Rodong Sinmun reported July 29, 2024, that State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un personally visited flood-damaged areas in Sinuiju and Uiju county, North Pyongan province, the previous day (July 28). Kim directly supervised rescue and evacuation efforts for residents in disaster-stricken areas and regions at risk of flooding due to heavy rains. (Rodong Sinmun-News1)
North Korea is conducting a serious investigation after reports that more than 10 workers mobilized for reconstruction efforts following deadly floods in North Pyongan province last year have gone missing.
A source in the province told Daily NK recently that the Ministry of State Security only learned about the workers’ disappearance in late February when briefed by the provincial state security bureau.
“The leaders of the ‘shock troop’ unit from which workers disappeared are in serious trouble for being too afraid to report the incident promptly,” the source said.
According to the report from the provincial state security bureau, the missing shock troop members were evenly divided between men and women.
The missing workers shared a common pattern: all had suddenly complained of being too ill to work. Some were sent home on medical leave; initially they told their managers they needed more time for treatment before eventually stopping all communication. Others simply vanished from the workplace without permission.
The report also noted that most of the missing workers had been assigned to shock troops because they had difficulty adapting to organizational life and needed additional indoctrination. Similar issues were reported for workers who had lost their parents and were sent to the shock troops immediately after graduating from orphanages.
After receiving the report, the Ministry of State Security immediately distributed the list of missing workers to state security departments nationwide and ordered agents to locate them by the end of the month. The ministry also directed that any individuals whose whereabouts remained unknown should be officially classified as missing.
“Municipal and county state security departments where the missing workers are registered are treating this as a serious loss for the state. They’re determined to track down these workers,” the source said.
The source reported hearing state security agents make comments such as: “Even considering these workers are quite young, disappearing without a trace from a state-managed shock troop unit is a serious matter.” “Their disappearance should be viewed as a political issue.” “We’ll need to conduct a thorough investigation considering all possibilities, including that the workers fled, had an accident, or encountered hostile elements.”
Civilians learned about the workers’ disappearance while state security agents were following leads about their location.
“Shock troops don’t perform ordinary labor—they risk their lives. It’s not surprising that some people would escape when they’re working so hard without enough food,” the source quoted one individual as saying.
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