prison, purge, north korea
Image: DALL.E

In a ruthless crackdown on dissent, North Korea has intensified its purge of party ranks this year, condemning officials who challenge state or party policies to political prison camps and other severe punishments. This aggressive campaign underscores the regime’s intolerance for even the slightest ideological deviation among its elite.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source told Daily NK on Monday that “unlike last year, many political party officials have been locked up in political prison camps this year as the country focuses on reorganizing the party with pure elements.”

“The party reorganization is the state’s strategic measure to strengthen the ideological purity, organizational unity and unity of action of the entire party by strengthening the solidarity around Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un,” the source said. “Under these circumstances, expressing opposition to the party’s policies will be punished as a dangerous factor destabilizing the regime and an anti-national act.”

According to the source, remnants of the Jang Song-thaek faction who had survived previous purges were sent to political prison camps. Party officials who expressed unwelcome opinions about North Korea’s satellite launches were also sent to prison, along with their families.

Local and workplace party officials who misspoke during Kim’s on-site leadership visits or failed to maintain secrecy about those visits were branded as reactionaries and sent to political prison camps, as were party officials who said state policy was to increase farm acreage for wheat and barley, the source said.

“Dozens to hundreds of criminals are being sent to political prison camps. Although they have committed different crimes, they are considered political criminals who must be separated from society.”

Purge of party officials includes their families

However, most of the criminals entering the political prison camps are still ordinary people.

“Overall, most of the new detainees are ordinary people, usually people who violated the law to eradicate reactionary thought and culture, engaged in religious activities, or tried to escape to South Korea from the North or overseas,” the source said.

“As the crackdown on anti-socialist behavior gradually intensifies, the state is socially isolating the ringleaders and even their families to protect the regime because it considers such people as factors threatening the system.”

The source emphasized that operating political prison camps is now considered “a paramount task to safeguard the state and regime.” He added that these camps serve to “provide ironclad protection to the party, nation, and leader by detaining and managing those branded for criminal or anti-state behavior.”

Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons.

Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

Read in Korean