The Chagang Province of North Korea is a rural region along the central-western stretch of the country bordering China. Like many parts of the country, the people there have been living in near-famine conditions for several years now. As if they didn't have enough to worry about already, they were hammered with massive flooding over the course of the summer, leading to the deaths of thousands of residents. While news is slow to filter out of the hermit kingdom, it's now being revealed that North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-un quickly swooped into action in response to the plight of the people of Chagang Province. But he didn't send in any significant amounts of food and supplies or reconstruction crews to rebuild the region's infrastructure. Instead, he ordered as many as 30 local officials to be executed. The officials were charged with corruption and dereliction of duty. The executions were reportedly carried out without delay.
From the NY Post:
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un ordered up to 30 officials to be executed over their alleged failure to prevent massive flooding and landslides in the summer that resulted in the death of some 4,000 people, according to South Korean media.An official under Kim’s regime said between 20 to 30 leaders in North Korea had been charged with corruption and dereliction of duty, with the state sentencing them to capital punishment, TV Chosun reported.“It has been determined that 20 to 30 cadres in the flood-stricken area were executed at the same time late last month,” the official told the outlet.
This story isn't attracting the sort of headlines internationally that it probably should. But it may at least prove to be a timely reminder of the reality that the world is dealing with today. Every time I find myself growing despondent over the impression that corruption and unequal enforcement under the law have crept into the highest levels of the American federal government (and they have, to be sure), I only need to look at what's taking place in North Korea, China, and other truly authoritarian states to recall how good we have it here, at least for now.
Just stop for a moment and reflect upon what happened in Chagang Province. Between 20 and 30 government officials were rounded up and publicly executed because a flood struck their region. They were charged with official corruption and dereliction of duty over what literally amounted to an Act of God. What sort of "corruption" could have been uncovered related to this tragedy? Were the officials conspiring with the storm clouds to determine where the flooding might cause the greatest damage?
The entire idea is nonsensical.
I suppose one might be able to make a case for dereliction of duty if part of their official responsibilities included flood control. But this was a flood of once or possibly twice-per-century proportions. Also, it's long been known that the outlying provinces in North Korea receive almost nothing in the way of resources and support when compared to Pyongyang and Kim's own luxurious haunts. Preparing for that sort of flooding would require huge investments in construction and emergency shelter. They were executed for failing to perform a function that they were never given the resources to address.
There is a more obvious explanation for the response from North Korea's tiny tyrant. The deaths from the floods were an embarrassment for Kim Jong-un and made his shortcomings as a ruler more obvious than ever. Causing embarrassment to anyone from the ruling family is a notoriously dangerous situation, to say the least. So Kim had all of the men taken into custody and killed, moving on with his life as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, the people of Chagang Province were left to pick up the pieces while still starving. Most of the world will never learn what becomes of them next. Yet, for the country's diminutive dictator, it was just another day at the office.
