Last month, 30 key cadres, including those from the North Pyongan Province Party Department and Sinuiju City Party Department, were purged en masse for embezzling public funds. Five individuals from a fisheries company and banks were executed by firing squad. They were accused of embezzling $600,000 and depositing it into a Chinese bank. For Chinese officials, $600,000 is merely a trifle, akin to having a Vacheron Constantin ultra-thin watch, something quite common. However, in North Korea, this was considered a major case.
In addition to the five who were executed, the provincial inspector who had previously favored the corrupt officials self-mutilated, while the defense minister and more than ten central cadres from the Hyonchun district were dismissed from their posts. The lightest punishment was given to Kim Chol-ho, the organizational minister of the Sinuiju City Party Department, who was demoted to a civil servant in the Tongsong County. His lenient treatment was due to his father being Kim Pyong-hae, the central organizational minister. Truly, in North Korea, having powerful connections matters greatly. Choi Ryong-hae's father was Choi Hyon, a close comrade-in-arms of Kim Il-sung and former Minister of People's Armed Forces, who consistently supported Kim Jong-il during power struggles between Kim Il-sung's eldest son, Kim Jong-il, and his younger brother, Kim Young-joo. Choi Hyon enjoyed great favor from the Kim family until his death in 1982.
Starting in the mid-1990s, the Great Famine spread to the capital Pyongyang. Choi Ryong-hae used the underground entertainment venues at the Pyongyang bowling alley as a base to lead a luxurious lifestyle unimaginable to ordinary residents, until he was dismissed from his post in 1998 after committing offenses. Choi Ryong-hae not only squandered the foreign exchange earnings obtained by youth league-affiliated agencies overseas but also mistreated numerous female actors from various art troupes. To this day, Pyongyang residents and high-ranking military officers still spread tales about Choi Ryong-hae's extravagant life.
All corrupt officials face justice, but those with strong connections are promoted, while those without are not only sentenced to death but also shot 60 times each. It is reported that on the People's Army shooting range, each person executed is shot with 60 bullets. In 1998, when Kim Jong-il formally took power, he ordered the People's Security Bureau to "make sure the gunshots are heard." At that time, even thieves were executed. Like father, like son, Kim Jong-un has now started learning from his father, initiating mass killings with the directive "to let the entire nation hear the gunshots." North Korea governs through gunfire, ensuring no one dares to be corrupt. Perhaps it isn't so complicated; if you haven't embezzled $600,000, then fine, one bullet per $10,000! This is ruthless and seems more in line with Kim Jong-il's style.
(Note: The original text contains sensitive political content which might require careful handling depending on context.)