State security officials in Yangkang Province have stepped up education on North Korean cross-border travelers to whom temporary permits are issued to visit relatives in China, teaching them that ��all South Koreans are spies from the National Intelligence Service [NIS].�� This is the latest in persistent efforts by the authorities to stymie both information leaking out of the country and infiltration of outside news by residents.

��Travelers received prior education on the [ideological] basics at the provincial security department��s foreign affairs division before leaving for China,�� a source based in Yangkang Province told the Daily NK on November 21st. ��There were orders to be careful not to fall into traps of South Koreans, who are spies from the NIS.��

In the past, the State Security Department [SSD] conducted special ideological training sessions for those temporarily visiting China, followed by an intense interrogation upon the travelers�� return. The line of questioning always centered on if they met anyone from the South, and if so, detailed descriptions were demanded by the interrogators. However, according to the source, the latest measures are a decidedly enhanced form of the previous instructions.

��You can buy products for cheaper prices from South Koreans, but it could be a trap set by the South��s spy agency,��  travelers were told in the recent sessions. ��Among those who seem to be sympathetic and offer to donate old clothes, there could be the evil influence of the intelligence service, so to remain vigilant against such things,�� the agents were said to warn.

��In order to find work, these travelers often work at Korean restaurants, and there they come in contact with South Koreans. But there��s where the influence of the NIS is,�� the SSD personnel went on. ��Remember that even in China, your country [the North] is watching over you,�� they threatened, according to the source.

Many of the North Korean residents in possession of these special permits, lacking sufficient Chinese language skills, opt to work at restaurants or factories run by ethnic Korean-Chinese or South Koreans, according to the source. Oftentimes, ethnic Koreans residing in China and South Koreans, cognizant of the abject conditions in the North, offer them second-hand clothing.

The SSD, fully aware of the situation, has been reinforcing the punishment awaiting these travelers if they come in contact with ��outside forces.��  The source, however, points out that this generally fails to serve as a deterrent for residents making the trip. ��People still feel that they would rather have access to clothes at cheap prices even if it means they'll be punished,�� she said. 

Most do so to ensure the trip is profitable. ��We have to at least take back whatever cheap second-hand products we can to make up for the costs of going on the trip,�� they point out, drawing on a wealth of experience, ��When have we ever benefited from listening to what they [SSD] tell us to do?��