Kim Family Security Agent Killed by Soliders

An agent from Escort Command died in Pyongyang
last month in a violent clash with soldiers from the 7th Bureau of the Chosun
People’s Internal Security Forces, Daily NK has learned.

“In the early hours of September 7th, five
soldiers from the 7th Bureau were in the Sadong district of the city,” a source
from the North Korean capital told Daily NK in a phone interview on September
29th. “Their goal was to rob someone, and when a man on his own walked by they
took his money and killed him.”

Escort Command is one of the main units that
guarantees the security of North Korean leader Kim Jong Eun, the wider Kim
family and top elites, so the case reportedly led to great consternation for
those who know about it. The Chosun People’s Internal Security Forces is part
of the Ministry of People’s Security, the North Korean equivalent of the
police, but has multiple other duties including construction projects.

“If the soldiers had known he was high ranking
they probably would not have assaulted him, but it was in the small hours so it
would have been impossible to tell. They most likely just attacked him because
he was carrying nice things,” the source went on. “The State Security
Department has been trying to keep a lid on it all while they conduct an
investigation into related personnel.”

Thanks to its role, Escort Command has long
been among the most privileged of all units in North Korea. South Korea’s
Ministry of National Defense believes it to have a total of twelve brigades
encompassing roughly 60,000 troops, all of whom are charged with protecting the
Kim family and high-ranking party officials. It is no coincidence that, just
two days after the death of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi during the
Arab Spring, Kim personally visited the unit with his son, Kim Jong Eun.

According to Daily NK’s informant, the story
began when a small number of staff who had not visited their hometowns in
recent memory was instructed to go home over Chuseok, the traditional harvest
festival that is celebrated in autumn in both North and South Korea. The
individuals received packages of gifts to commemorate the occasion, including
bottles of imported liquor.

Meanwhile, a significant number of soldiers
from 7th Bureau is currently in Pyongyang working on construction of housing
units. In particular, this number has risen in recent months as work on a
stalled project to construct a total of 100,000 homes in the capital has been
partially revived in the Pyongchon district of the city.

Ultimately, even though the 7th Bureau
exercises considerable authority in terms of state construction, the assailants
are likely to face severe consequences for killing the man. The source relayed
rumors that they could face execution, but added that this cannot be
guaranteed.

“If their parents were to be Party cadres,
they would probably be able to get away with dismissal from their posts,” he
pointed out. “It would also then be unlikely that they
would be shipped off to a reeducation or political prison camp.”