Power to the people

Yanggang Province officials seek out bribes from people using electricity on the sly

Households in Hyesan receive just one or two hours of electricity per day, while other areas of the province get even less electricity

Yanggang Province authorities are carrying out frequent inspections of people’s electricity usage in areas along the China-North Korea border so they can shake people down for bribes, Daily NK has learned.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, a source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on Tuesday that “officials with electricity supply departments have been going around houses in Hyesan and other areas of the province to conduct thorough inspections as a ploy to get bribes, even if [all a household can offer] is just a pack of cigarettes.”