The abduction of a four-year-old girl was reported to police on October 24, with the kidnappers demanding a large ransom for her release. Following an investigation, the perpetrators were identified and arrested on October 28.
“A group of individuals abducted the granddaughter of the manager of the Kumbyol Store in Ponghak-dong (neighborhood), Pyongyang, but were arrested by agents at the No. 10 Ministry of State Security (MSS) checkpoint on October 28,” said a Pyongyang-based source on November 7. “They are now in a local police detention center and will be tried in a public court after their preliminary hearing.”
According to the source, two people who were related to each other abducted the girl and called her mother, demanding 20,000 USD within two days or the girl would be killed.
The three-story, luxury Kumbyol Store was constructed with money invested by the wives of high-ranking MSS officials and is generally used by powerful officials and the wealthy. The store’s underground floor has a swimming pool and the first floor hosts a restaurant and cafe. The second and third floors sell clothes and accessories, respectively.
“The figure of 20,000 USD is not much from the perspective of the store’s manager,” said the source. “The kidnappers committed the crime because they knew that the family has a lot of money.”
The store’s manager and his daughter prepared the 20,000 USD as the kidnappers had instructed, but also informed the police immediately about what had happened. Security units throughout Pyongyang and nearby provincial cities, including the No. 10 MSS checkpoint, were told to keep an eye out for the kidnappers from October 26.
Checkpoints are present along the borders of all provinces and counties in North Korea. The No. 10 checkpoint strictly monitors the flow of all people and vehicles through its sector.
A separate source in Pyongyang explained that the two kidnappers had taken the young girl and were driving along the Youth Hero Motorway (also known as the Pyongyang–Nampo Motorway) four days after authorities had been informed of the crime, but were arrested by officers at the No. 10 checkpoint.
One of the kidnappers is from Nampo’s Wau-do district and it appears that they were trying to take the girl to that area because it was more familiar to them. Ultimately, however, they were unable to get past the thorough inspection of vehicles conducted by the No. 10 checkpoint.
“The abducted girl was immediately sent back to her parents and the kidnappers were taken to the Kangso County police station, where they are still in detention. They will likely face 10 or more years in prison, according to the head of preliminary hearings at the Kangso County police station,” he concluded.
