A group of 16 North Koreans has defected across the country’s border with China in North Hamkyung Province, in spite of a recent investigation into corrupt security officials designed to clamp down on the problem. The defection has been coined
the “three-family defection.”
“16 residents escaping at the
same time has cast the authorities into an emergency situation,” a
source in the province reported to Daily NK on August 8th. “It’s extraordinary that this kind of incident has occurred despite their efforts to deal with the problem.”
The source explained that the group defection is constituted of three families, none of whom is believed to have relatives in the South. It is therefore a relatively rare form of defection, which has incited yet more shock in the corridors of power.
With orders to “hunt down everyone
involved,” security officers fearing their own implication in the case are allegedly trying to cajole smugglers and traders into shopping others with the incentive of clemency, so desperate are they to track down anyone involved in abetting the action.
Some members of the group regularly declared their wish to leave, Daily NK has learned. Indeed, when investigated by the authorities,
neighbors reported that the group regularly grumbled that “every day is a struggle; it’s so hard to escape.”
Nevertheless, the source said that local neighbors were just as
surprised as everyone else when they left. “Just because they complained, we didn’t think they
would actually do it,” the source said.
People are stunned, wondering mostly how they even managed it in the current climate.
The group may have been aided by an absence of regular security officers, a significant number of whom have been detained for
questioning over past corruption charges. “It could be one of us some day. If only we
had brokers, there would be a lot of people leaving the country,” the source declared.
At the same time, many people are concerned that the state
will ratchet up their already-strenuous efforts to increase surveillance in light of the mass
defection incident. Rife with paranoia and displays of power, the Kim Jong Eun era has seen tightened border controls and the return of defectors achieved via threats and the cajolement of family members still inside the country; this
most recent incident is likely to exacerbate such issues.
“Although the state usually only
scrutinizes families with members who have defected , they will probably start watching everyone [and] pay even more attention to security details like
tracking outside phone calls,” the source alleged.
