Certain areas bordering China in Yangkang Province have been labeled “danger zones” as the latest effort by the North Korean authorities to beef up surveillance and inspections in the region. This move, in conjunction with the installation of new radio wave detectors to track down those making international calls, is the latest measure aimed at preventing defections and information from spilling outside the borders.

“In a recent inminban [people’s unit] meeting, there was a lecture on how certain areas adjacent to the border such as Hyesan and Baekam County have been designated ‘danger zones’ by the State Security Department [SSD],” a source in Yangkang Province told the Daily NK on Wednesday.

In the meeting, people were informed, “Compared to other areas, anti-state crimes are more prevalent in Yangkang Province,” and “just like infected areas need to be cut off in order to prevent the infection from spreading, rebellious groups in society need to be discarded,” according to the source.

“Heads of enterprises and even their assistants were told to actively participate in recollecting lecture and study materials [distributed at the meetings],” he explained. “This is because there have been cases last year where people leaked sensitive political information and lecture material to the outside, so Party cadres are also being more cautious.”

In such cases, North Korean residents involved in smuggling goods in from China sell the sensitive documents to their Chinese counterparts, who then turn them over to the South Korean government for significant profits. Such incidents are rare, as anyone caught involved in such an operation would face the gravest of consequences.

“Upon receiving orders from the SSD, local security units have been reviewing their inminban logs with greater scrutiny. Previously, people only had to report the location of their accommodation or residence once a day, but now if there are any changes, they are required to report them immediately,” the source said. “Also, instead of simply registering people from other areas, inminban personnel now visit each household to carry out detailed inspections.”

“At 5a.m. you have security agents patrolling the streets,” he went on. “Homes on the special surveillance list are watched over day and night.”

He added that a number of residents in Hyesan had recently been caught making international phone calls and were immediately taken to the provincial unit of the SSD; they had still not been granted visitation rights or access to their clothing or other personal belongings during his conversation with Daily NK. “We haven’t heard of their release yet, so it seems they are still being interrogated,” he asserted.

This new environment of ever-increasing inspections has those dependent on smuggling the most concerned, “Smugglers who used to make calls out of the country without qualms are taking more precautions in making them and carrying out their illicit trade operations,” the source explained.

“The authorities are on edge with the recent fire that ravaged Samjiyon, so if you get caught this time around, they might use you to set an example,” some smugglers have said. “If they hit you, you have to at least pretend to cry,” warning each other to act accordingly and be as careful as possible.