N. Korean coal mines face dearth of managers to run them
North Korean party officials are refusing appointments to some of the country’s coal mines because of falling productivity and profits due to international sanctions on North Korean coal exports, Daily NK has learned.
“The cadre department [human resources department] in the Kaechon Area Coal Mining Complex’s party committee is currently unable to appoint a primary party committee chairman,” a South Pyongan Province source told Daily NK on Jan. 28. “Every candidate they approach is making excuses not to go, so [the cadre department] is full of worry right now.”
The source explained that the previous primary party committee chairman of the mine was dismissed for failing to effectively meet state-set quotas. A successor has yet to be found.
AN UNENTICING POSITION
In the past, chairmanship of a coal mine’s primary party committee was a highly coveted position because it came with opportunities for significant financial gain. Such positions have lost their glamour in recent years due to the negative impact of protracted economic sanctions on the productivity and profitability of coal mines, Daily NK sources said. ......
[Source: Daily NK]
