A provincial cadre was recently demoted for drinking, “debauchery,” and breaching the country’s strict coronavirus prevention rules, North Korean state media said, in a highly unusual report that could hint at a broader anti-corruption drive by Pyongyang.

In an article titled “Let’s find a lesson from the complacent, idle, and privilege-seeking acts among Chonnae County officials,” ruling party daily the Rodong Sinmun reported Saturday that one cadre — who was not named — had been “expelled from the party.”

“Recently among some officials of Kangwon province’s Chonnae county, complacent, idle, and privilege-seeking phenomena arose in which… [some officials] were negligent of their duties and committed drinking debauchery,” it reported.

The official was described as having “gathered many people and encouraging drinking and delinquent behavior,” which authorities had later determined was “disobedient of the super-special quarantine measures.”

The report did not reveal the fates of others involved in the alleged crimes.

According to the report, an enlarged meeting of the Kangwon province party executive committee was held following the incident, with some local senior functionaries of the province joining in the format of a “video conference.”

The meeting was led by an unnamed vice-director of a department of the ruling party, and saw officials review evidence of the accused official’s “inappropriate” behavior.

A decision by the ruling party central committee’s inspection committee then expelled the official from the party ranks, the Rodong reported.

The article reiterated the December ruling party decision underlining that “corruption and graft will be sternly punished,” as well an enlarged Politburo meeting last month emphasizing the need for stricter implementation of nationwide quarantine measures against COVID-19.

State media in its report on Saturday said the official in question had “disregarded the spirit” of those meetings, the Rodong said.

“The meeting offered a serious lesson that… officials regarding themselves as special… will eventually fall down as the losers of revolution.”

Experts agreed that Saturday’s Rodong article on the punishment of a local official was highly unusual.

“It seems like they’re trying to make examples out of actual people, and this time they’re making an example of a local-level official,” Minyoung Lee, a senior analyst with NK News‘s sister site NK Pro, said.

“Let’s remember, this man was removed not just for violating quarantine regulations but for other things as well.”

The article comes amid broader domestic messaging underlining the importance of the country’s “national emergency” quarantine measures, warning against corruption, and promoting a “law-abiding spirit” among citizens.

Last month’s Politburo meeting saw leader Kim Jong Un dismiss two top officials for “corrupt” acts, criticizing them for “abuse of power, practices of privileges, indulgence in bureaucracy, corruption and irregularities.”

Reflecting this trend, a Rodong Sinmun editorial (sasol) on Monday emphasized the importance of citizens “thoroughly following the state’s law and regulations.”