Documents similar to the ones described, as obtained by Daily NK in early 2013. | Image: Daily NK

A woman who attempted to get sensitive internal documents smuggled out of North Korea was recently arrested and is under investigation, Daily NK has learned.

¡°A box meant for fish but which contained a booklet called ¡®Political Knowledge¡¯ and the outline of lectures for the military was discovered by border guards in Musan,¡± a source in North Hamkyung Province reported to Daily NK on the 16th. "Cadres are all hurrying to get their workplace lectures done and return their lecture materials."

According to the source, a woman in her 40s who planned to convey the box across the Sino-North Korean border is now under interrogation by the provincial branch of the Department of State Security (alternate name: Ministry of State Security).

It appears that the truth emerged when a member of the Border Guards, who had agreed in advance to pass the box across the border, dropped it and spilled the contents. A second member of the Border Guards, who also had prior knowledge of the situation, was also detained. 

¡°Naturally, officials from the relevant unit and those from the enterprise involved are now very tense,¡± the source said. "Since those who fail to immediately return materials after delivering lectures are likely to fall under the gaze of the security forces, most are being more careful than ever."

The booklet ¡°Political Knowledge¡± is published regularly by the Chosun Workers¡¯ Party, and contains information on Party policy at the time of publication. Party officials of low rank in administrative and labor organization positions view the contents and use them to organize study sessions for ordinary people.

The lecture outlines for military units are used to enforce political and military ideology, instill antagonism against the United States and South Korea, and foster loyalty to the regime of the Kim family. As is the case for military propaganda worldwide, they tend to be extreme in tone and content.

The production of lecture content falls under the remit of the Workers¡¯ Party Propaganda and Agitation Department, which then conveys it to all units, where it may be stored temporarily by subordinate sections. Military units receive their lecture materials from the General Political Department of the Chosun People¡¯s Army. Following the delivery of lectures and study sessions, the materials must be returned to superior units by a day specified on the materials themselves.