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2017.06.28
| Won | Pyongyang | Sinuiju | Hyesan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exchange Rate | 8,070 | 8,050 | 8,095 |
| Rice Price | 5,800 | 6,000 | 5,900 |
The North Korean authorities have stepped up their repression of families of defectors in and around Musan in North Hamkyung Province. The move follows an incident on the 14th, just one day before the anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s birth, when a prominent mosaic of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il near Musan Station collapsed in strong winds.
The collapse was said to be down to shoddy construction borne of corruption, rather than deliberate sabotage. However, the authorities appear determined to make an issue of it, and are using the case to instill fear in the local defector community.
One North Hamkyung Province source told Daily NK on the 25th, “The provincial National Security Agency has been stepping up its monitoring and interrogation of defector families, saying that ‘We must totally destroy enemy forces and safeguard the Suryeong with our lives.’”
The source went on, “Investigators from the provincial NSA have a record of the whereabouts of defector families and their illegal phone calls at the time of the mural collapse. They’ve sent a list of defector families to the 2nd Department [of the provincial NSA, which handles transit permits] so all travel of any kind to other regions for those on the list have been banned.”
“They are closely monitoring their every move as well, and a growing number of such families are being dispatched to other regions,” the source went on, asserting that three defector families from Musan were expelled to a remote area of South Hamkyung Province on or around April 20th.
The defector families are allegedly not allowed to know why they are being expelled from the Musan region. Other families in a similar position are understandably concerned that they may be next, especially given the random nature of the case.
Meanwhile, aware of claims that the mural actually collapsed in strong winds following poor construction, many people are cynical about the case, noting that the authorities should be pursuing those responsible for the corruption surrounding the construction project, not repressing innocent local civilians.
The collapse was said to be down to shoddy construction borne of corruption, rather than deliberate sabotage. However, the authorities appear determined to make an issue of it, and are using the case to instill fear in the local defector community.
One North Hamkyung Province source told Daily NK on the 25th, “The provincial National Security Agency has been stepping up its monitoring and interrogation of defector families, saying that ‘We must totally destroy enemy forces and safeguard the Suryeong with our lives.’”
The source went on, “Investigators from the provincial NSA have a record of the whereabouts of defector families and their illegal phone calls at the time of the mural collapse. They’ve sent a list of defector families to the 2nd Department [of the provincial NSA, which handles transit permits] so all travel of any kind to other regions for those on the list have been banned.”
“They are closely monitoring their every move as well, and a growing number of such families are being dispatched to other regions,” the source went on, asserting that three defector families from Musan were expelled to a remote area of South Hamkyung Province on or around April 20th.
The defector families are allegedly not allowed to know why they are being expelled from the Musan region. Other families in a similar position are understandably concerned that they may be next, especially given the random nature of the case.
Meanwhile, aware of claims that the mural actually collapsed in strong winds following poor construction, many people are cynical about the case, noting that the authorities should be pursuing those responsible for the corruption surrounding the construction project, not repressing innocent local civilians.
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