Mr. Shin, a North Korean man from Musan, has been sent to a political prison camp after the authorities claimed his wife and daughter fled to the South and gave a press conference.
June 24th – An inside source in North Hamkyung Province said in a phone conversation with the Daily NK, “Around the end of April, it was confirmed that the father who had remained in the North was taken to a political prison camp as punishment for his wife and daughter having gone to the South. As a result, families of defectors in Musan have been anxious.”
According to the source, the man is question is a Mr. Shin Chul Ho (50) who had been residing in Musan, North Hamkyung Province. He was confirmed as a trader in Daehongdan County in Yangkang Province.
The source said, “Mr. Shin’s daughter disappeared three years ago. However it was never verified whether she actually went to South Korea or is still residing in China.”
The reason for the incident became more serious, was the sudden disappearance of Shin’s wife. The source said, “Mr. Shin, concerned about the possible trafficking of his wife, reported the disappearance to the People’s Safety Agency and the National Security Agency and demanded a course of action. However, the NSA questioned whether the family had conspired to defect beforehand and severely harassed Mr. Shin. He fell ill as a result .”
“During the investigation, Mr. Shin was forcibly taken by the provincial NSA branch, who stormed his home on April 27th, leaving the neighbors wondering about his whereabouts. Only recently did they hear the news that he was taken to a political prison camp, spread by word-of-mouth of the NSA agents.”
According to the source, the NSA agent in charge said, “Mr. Shin’s daughter went to South Chosun (Korea) and committed the anti-Republic (North Korea) act of taking her mother with her. He paid for the crimes of his wife and daughter, who also held press conferences in the South, etc.”
However, a spokesman of a defector organization in South Korea informed the Daily NK that, “It is customary for recent defectors to refuse press conferences, and it is hard to imagine that someone who had left a family member in the North would have held one. We are not aware of a mother and daughter named Shin being disclosed in the media.”
The spokesman emphasized, “It is not clear who the wife and daughter of Mr. Shin Chul Ho are, and whether they really ended up in South Korea. In other words, it seems that the North sent Mr. Shin to a political prison camp as a protective measure in anticipation of his wife and daughter’s defection to the South, but we are incredulous.”
