Insufficient apple supply for Kim Jong Il's birthday celebration prompts investigation in Pyongyang

Following their investigation, North Hwanghae province's party committee punished the workers responsible for the insufficient supply of apples, according to an anonymous source cited by the South Korean portal Daily NK. "A team from the Central Committee's accounting department travelled to Hwangju County on the 7th of February, aiming to collect apples of an exceptional quality, known as category 8, in preparation for Kim Jong Il's birthday. The locals were, however, unable to meet the quota since many apples had gone rotten," relayed the source.

Category 8 goods are premium-quality products, typically sent as gifts to Central Committee officials on special occasions and major holidays. One such product is the apples from Hwangju. "The fruit must be meticulously taken care of if the accounting department intends to collect the anticipated quantity for the main holidays," the anonymous source from Daily NK pointed out.

The source exposed that the officials were furious when they discovered they could not provide enough apples for a holiday honouring the North Korean leader's father due to improper storage. "This incident was exhaustively reported to the Central Committee, prompting the Party Committee of North Hwanghae Province to impose disciplinary action against those managing the (local) quality control office," the source reported.

"The organisational department of the provincial party committee initiated an on-site inspection due to the improper management of category 8 products by the quality control office and delivered stern warnings and disciplinary measures towards the responsible parties, which included one senior and two junior inspectors. The senior inspector's dismissal was also decided," further added the Daily NK informant.

The workers faced criticisms for their inappropriate conduct towards North Korea's revolutionary leadership. Some of the apples rejected by the party officials were distributed to kindergartens, high schools, and war veterans to commemorate Kim Jong Il's birthday. The remainder were discarded.

Kim Jong Il, father to Kim Jong Un, was the leader of North Korea from 1994 until his passing in 2011.

Source: Daily NK