Kim Jong-un locks down an entire North Korean city for this unusual reason

North Korean authorities have locked down an entire city in the country due to 653 missing bullets.

653 missing bullets in North Korean city

The assault rifle ammunition went missing during a recent military withdrawal,two sources in the country told Radio Free Asia.

Soldiers with the Korean People’s Army 7th Corp were withdrawing from the area surrounding the city of Hyesan, which is located on the border with China. The troops were deployed there in 2020 to enforce the border closure at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

An anonymous resident of the northern province of Ryanggang told RFA’s Korean Service:

They withdrew completely between Feb. 25 and Mar. 10, but an extensive investigation is underway because of a loss of bullets during the evacuation process.

The source said that the soldiers did not initially report the missing bullets but rather attempted to find the ammunition themselves. He continued:

But when the missing bullets could not be found, they notified the residents and began a rigorous search.

The police and military began an investigation, locked down the whole city - which has a population of over 200,000 people - and started searching house-to-house for the missing ammunition, according to the source. An anonymous Ryanggang province official also told RFA:

Last week, orders were issued to factories, farms, social groups and neighborhood watch units in the province to actively cooperate with the ammunition-related investigation.

While the source said:

Those who have seen or picked up any number of bullets are required to report them as soon as possible.

However, he added:

There have been no clues even after 10 days have passed since this investigation began. The city … will remain on lockdown until all 653 bullets are found.

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Fears about how it will be resolved

The official corroborated the source's statement that the bullets still had not been found after 10 days. Consequently, the investigating authorities started lying to spread fear among the residents, the official claimed. He said, referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un:

They tried to put pressure on the residents by bluffing that the withdrawal was a maneuver related to the safety of the Supreme Dignity from reactionary forces.

The source said that anyone who finds the bullets but fails to report it could be punished. The official agreed, saying that the authorities had warned that:

According to that law, a person who illegally possesses or transfers firearms, ammunition, or weapons shall be punished by reform through labor for more than three years.

The residents fear that authorities may randomly punish someone completely innocent if the issue is not resolved, the official said. He added:

Some residents are saying that the authorities are raising the atmosphere of sharp military confrontation between the North and the South every day, even claiming that the South is provoking war. Because this incident occurred at a time of tension, residents are closely watching how the investigation will end.

Sources used:

Radio Free Asia: 'To find missing 653 bullets, North Korean city is locked down, houses searched'

Express: 'Kim Jong Un puts 'entire city on lockdown' pending the location of 653 lost bullets'