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Samjiyon officials publicly exposed underage drinkers and their parents during a recent ideological lecture, revealing the regime’s extreme tactics to control youth behavior.
“On July 5, an ideological lecture was held for teachers and parents at Samjiyon Hall in the presence of officials from the municipal party committee. The lecture focused on strictly controlling the problem of teenage drinking and promoting the healthy development of children,” a source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
According to the source, the lecture was organized by the municipal party committee to draw attention to the serious social problems of small groups of teenagers aged 13-17 drinking alcohol and teenage couples walking around holding hands in the evening, and to discuss ways to solve these problems.
The municipal party committee noted in the speech that young people who refuse to drink or date often find themselves ostracized, while stressing the need to combat these harmful practices.
The municipal party committee urged teachers and parents to be mindful of their behavior, given their responsibility for teenagers and the importance of the guidance they should provide on such issues. Since children imitate their elders, the lecturer said, adults should refrain from drinking alcohol or holding drinking parties when children are present.
“If [young people] follow the example of adults who hold drinking parties, they may end up imitating the corrupt and dissolute lifestyle of capitalism and become traitors instead of heroes,” the lecturer said.
The source told Daily NK that “in the lecture, the municipal party committee announced that it would strictly regulate alcohol consumption and drinking parties by teenagers, while urging the participants to give priority to teaching and guiding teenagers at school and at home, given the importance of strengthening social education and control.”
City party committee names and shames underage drinkers
The municipal party committee released the names, ages, schools, grades and classes of six teenagers recently caught drinking alcohol, as well as the names and workplaces of their parents.
This public shaming was apparently intended to send a warning to teenagers, parents and teachers alike.
“Today, we have dealt with statements and training, as well as naming and shaming. But if this kind of problem occurs again, the municipal party committee and police will thoroughly investigate these offenses and impose legal and administrative punishments,” the committee said.
“Since parents and teachers have been ordered to take full responsibility for teenagers’ drinking, it’s expected that all households and schools in Samjiyon will take strict measures to monitor and control children and students,” the source said.
The lecture concluded with a call for all households, schools and members of society to work together for the healthy development of teenagers, the source said.
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons.
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