North Korean Administrative Officials Voice Discontent: “We Bear the Burdens, While Party Officials Reap the Rewards”
Lee Seung-hyun
Research Fellow, Sand Research Institute Ph.D. in Public Administration
North Korea is increasingly highlighting the dedication and sacrifice of party officials in state propaganda, in what appears to be an attempt to quell growing resentment among administrative officials. The regime’s messaging stresses that party cadres not only lead but also accept responsibility for failures, even as many North Koreans perceive a sharp disparity between rhetoric and reality.
On August 19, the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), published an article titled “Reflecting on the Impressive Scenes from the Drama ‘The New Spring of Baekhak Valley’.” The piece praised the drama for “vividly depicting the attitudes and responsibilities of party officials who bear political responsibility for the people’s lives.”
One scene described a farm manager caught falsifying documents after illegally manipulating land grades. In the drama, the local party secretary assumes responsibility, declaring: “We are all in the same boat. If the boat strikes a reef, would the helmsman jump off to save himself?” The Rodong Sinmun reported that the farm manager, moved by the official’s sense of duty, wept with emotion.
Another episode portrayed a wayward young man, once prone to violence and facing legal punishment, who—under the persistent guidance of a party official—ultimately matured into a skilled technician and junior Youth League cadre.
Yet, according to accounts from within North Korea, these portrayals are starkly at odds with reality. In practice, party officials are widely seen as deflecting responsibility onto administrative officials while claiming credit for accomplishments. Administrative cadres, who bear the brunt of construction projects and crisis management, are often scapegoated when problems arise. Among themselves, party cadres are derisively referred to as “nobles,” while administrative officials are likened to “dung beetles.”
The Rodong Sinmun itself indirectly acknowledged these grievances, conceding in the same issue that “there are officials who shift responsibilities they should bear onto others,” warning that such conduct risks alienating cadres from the masses.
The underlying reason for this propaganda campaign lies in the mounting frustration among administrative officials. Sources indicate that they are tasked simultaneously with apartment construction, rural housing development, factory projects, and flood recovery efforts—all under conditions of severe material shortages. Rural housing construction illustrates the problem acutely: each county has reportedly been ordered to build 116 units annually, but the state provides only 20–30 percent of the necessary resources, forcing local officials to bridge the gap.
Factory quotas impose further burdens. Managers often pass costs onto workers, who, to avoid compulsory labor, sometimes pay 100,000 to 150,000 won per month in lieu of participation. When shortfalls persist, managers resort to pledging their personal property as collateral for loans. These burdens recur annually, compounded by mandatory river maintenance projects and national construction mobilizations. Managers who attempt to resign under pressure are reportedly threatened with assignment to punitive “labor training units,” effectively preventing exit from their roles.
In contrast, party officials are seen as insulated from these hardships. As one source observed: “Administrative officials provide the money and shoulder the blame, while party officials enjoy the benefits. That is why they are called ‘dung-covered badgers’ in North Korea.”
The regime’s promotion of dramas showcasing “responsible” party officials is therefore best understood as a political maneuver aimed at dampening discontent among administrative cadres and reinforcing loyalty to the party. Whether this propaganda can contain the frustrations of overburdened administrators—the so-called “dung-covered badgers”—remains an open question.