Following the group defection of 13 of its
overseas restaurant workers to South Korea, Pyongyang has scrambled to tighten
the noose around its other workers, claiming that the mass defection was merely
a ploy by South Korean intelligence and warning them against establishing
contact with any South Koreans, Daily NK has learned.
“Rumors
about the group’s escape have spread not only through North Korean restaurants
in China but also among residents living in the (Sino-North Korea) border
area,” a source close to North Korean affairs in China told Daily NK on April
11.
“There’s a lot of restlessness since rumor is that the cadre
responsible for supervising the other workers was the one that led the group in
their escape to the South, and this could spark ideological instability among
other North Korean cadres.”
Assistant managers of North Korean
restaurants in China’s Dandong began ‘education sessions’ on Monday morning,
telling their North Korean staff that the escape was a scheme plotted by the
South’s National Intelligence Service (NIS). They described the escape as
“nonsensical” given the unlikelihood of all 13 agreeing to leave their parents
and relatives behind in the North and cited that in itself as being “evidence
of the group being tricked into the escape,” according to the source.
“The workers were told, ‘Starting from
today, you must keep up your guard with all customers, as there may be spies
from South Korea who will watch your movements and then send out false media
reports’,” she said, citing a restaurant employee with whom she spoke.
She added, “They were also threatened and
told that if they’re not careful about what they say and do, they may end up
taking part in slander against the ‘highest dignity’ (Kim Jong Un) without even
realizing it.”
A separate source in China visited a North
Korean restaurant called Ryugyong near the Zhonglian International Hotel in
Dandong on Monday for lunch and described the workers there being “more than
vigilant,” making it difficult to chat with her. This was despite there being
only three tables occupied at lunch time.
The North Korean authorities are trying to
stop the rumors from spreading further, but news has already traveled back to
market vendors in the North, having been disseminated by traders.
“The news began to spread via wholesale
vendors who had received goods from trade workers on the day (of the 8th),” the source explained. “Within a few days, it spread via wholesale vendors who collect
goods from Sinuiju to sell in the markets across different provinces, and it
has now become marketplace gossip.”
The gossip centers heavily on concern about
a “looming purge,” as most restaurant workers are children of cadres.
Some have commended the manager who led the escape saying it was a “smart
choice.”
Following international sanctions against
the North, Pyongyang Koryo Restaurant, Arirang, and Songdowon among others have
managed to keep their businesses relatively stable, while Sinuiju Restaurant
was recently shut down due to bad performance, added the source.
