The North Korean authorities are reportedly trying to get travelers making legal visits to relatives in China to report the whereabouts of defectors, an
inside source has revealed. Any informant who provides information that leads to arrests is apparently offered future opportunities to return to China.
The move is the latest in a string of measures designed to track and punish persons who have, or intend to, leave North Korea illegally, an act that has been branded a betrayal of
the country and Kim Jong Eun himself. Furthermore, the public nature of the process is intended to instill fear in others in the border region, with the ultimate goal being to forestall further defections.
The source from Yangkang Province told Daily NK on the 1st
that travelers have been under orders to trace defectors in China since the end
of last year. This request comes in
addition to those tasks that they are already expected to carry out: providing Party officials with rice, oil and cash during the transit visa acquisition process.
“As far as I know, security agents are giving verbal guarantees during the application process, promising that anyone who reports on the whereabouts of
defectors will be given another opportunity to travel,” the source alleged. “Agents even explain to them about Yanji, Dandong and Changchun, the places where most defectors end up residing.”
At the same time as attempting to weed out defectors
illegally in China, the source claims that further orders have been handed down to
trace travelers who travelled north legally but never
returned.
However, the popular response has been predictably lukewarm. “People are sneering at the offer. It’s because you never know what could happen; if things get bad for you, you might have to leave your family to make money in some other land,’” the source recalled.
Commenting on the news, one high-ranking North Korean defector told Daily NK,
“In 2010, North Korea started to seek out and arrest important people failing to return, particularly anyone with inside knowledge of the state or connections to the security forces. Introducing measures like these that utilize ordinary people travelling to visit relatives is meant to incite fear and send a message that people who
betray their country could pay the price at any time.”
However, the defector concluded, “No matter the extent of surveillance
and control, people will always find their way around it and discover ways
to cope.”
