The family of a North Korean defector in North Hamgyong Province who received a remittance payment was recently been apprehended by state security agents, Daily NK has learned. Of late, defector families have been dealing with a gradual increase in surveillance and prosecution by the Ministry of State Security.
“The family of a defector and a man in his 30s who was attempting to deliver money to them were arrested by state security agents in Hoeryong in early April. The defector’s family were nabbed by state security officers who had been tailing them,” a reporting partner in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
According to the reporting partner, one member of the arrested family had defected to South Korea. In addition, the family had been banished to a rural area in 2018 after being caught using a Chinese mobile phone with the WeChat app installed on it.
As a result, this family was under even stricter surveillance than other defector families. For those reasons, the money transfer broker apparently sent a male intermediary in his 30s to the family’s house instead of going in person.
After explaining to the defectors’ family why he had come instead of the broker, the intermediary then set a date, time and location for their next meeting. But the state security office was tipped off about a stranger visiting the house and began watching the family even more closely.
The family left their house and headed to the agreed-upon location, little knowing that state security agents were on their tail. After collecting the money from the intermediary, they were about to go their separate ways when state security agents burst in and arrested everyone involved, the reporting partner said.
“This just shows how defector families are in a horrific plight that’s even worse than jail. On top of strict surveillance from state security agents, anyone caught receiving a remittance has their money confiscated before they can even use it and faces punishment on top of that. What an injustice!”
Significantly, state security officials have recently been ratcheting up surveillance not only of defector families but also of remittance brokers. Even after collecting protection money from the brokers, state security agents will dispatch informants to monitor the brokers’ every step, the reporting partner said.
“The duplicity of state security agents is compared to fattening people up for the slaughter. People say the only reason they take care of remittance brokers is because they intend to bring them down one day,” the reporting partner said.
The remittance broker implicated in these events remains at large. After his intermediary was arrested, the broker went into hiding, fearing the worst, the reporting partner said.
Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of reporting partners who live inside North Korea and China. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
