North Korea’s unhinged supreme leader Kim Jong Un has placed an entire city under lockdown until all 653 bullets that went missing during a military withdrawal are recovered.
The Daily Mail reported that two sources have said the dictator’s officials have been going house to house in Hyesan in search of the missing ammunition. The endeavor appears futile, as the city has a population of 200,000.
The assault rifle ammunition apparently went missing on March 7, when soldiers with the Korean People’s Army 7th Corps were drawing back from the area surrounding the Hyesan, which is located on the Chinese border.
The corps had been deployed to the location in 2020, as a way to secure the border during the COVID pandemic. When the ammunition first went missing, the soldiers reportedly attempted to locate them without reporting that they were missing.
"They [the soldiers] withdrew completely between February 25 and March 10, but an extensive investigation is underway because of a loss of bullets during the evacuation process," one anonymous resident said, located in the Ryanggang province, where Hyesan is located.
"But when the missing bullets could not be found, they notified the residents and began a rigorous search," the resident added.
The military and police have launched an investigation, locked down the entire city, and started going house to house in search of the missing munition.
"Those who have seen or picked up any number of bullets are required to report them as soon as possible," the resident noted.
Residents who know any information but do not report it could be punished, the source said, adding that Hyesan will "remain on lockdown until all 653 bullets are found."
"There have been no clues even after ten days have passed since this investigation began."
The Mail reported that a Ryanggang province official said that the residents are ready for the authorities to leave the area, noting that people will have even less freedom while the investigation is ongoing.
The official said: "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."
The official went on to say that after the authorities did not find anything after the first ten days, they started lying in an effort to spread fear among the public.
"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 official said.
North Korea recently fired two short-range ballistic missiles just a day before the US began moving an aircraft carrier strike group for military exercises with South Korea, according to NBC.
These recent missile launches are reportedly the seventh event of its kind this month, which is said to be heightening tensions between North Korea and the US-South Korea joint military exercises over the past few months.
