North Korea authorities continue to bust rich donju (North Korea’s wealthy entrepreneurial class) and security agents in regions along the country’s border with China. People speculate that the authorities have launched efforts to get control of public sentiment and to tighten internal controls.
In a telephone conversation with Daily NK on Tuesday, a source in North Pyongan Province said an inspection team that arrived in Sinuiju from Pyongyang last month has been cracking down hard on people with money. He said their primary targets are donju and security officials involved in business dealings with China.
The source said the inspectors are dragging up illegal activities committed as far back as 10 years in the past. He added that powerful people in the provincial branch of the Ministry of State Security are nervous, too, while cadres rumored to have a bit of money are coming under investigation as well.
North Korea has been conducting sweeping inspections and crackdowns this year to eradicate “anti-socialist and non-socialist” thought.
Daily NK previously reported that in January, North Korea issued a set of internal law enforcement guidelines for the first quarter of this year to regional branches of the Ministry of State Security, Ministry of Social Security, and the “unified command on non-socialist and anti-socialist behavior,” i.e., “Unified Command 82.”
These guidelines called for an “active struggle” against anti-socialist and non-socialist behavior, bolstering the role of law enforcement to promote social order and safety, and establishing a culture of law abidance and strengthening the legal system.
In particular, given how donju doing business with China and powerful security agents who permit their illegal activities are the major targets of the inspection, the effort suggests the authorities are trying to get a grip on internal conditions prior to reopening trade.
North Korea is apparently moving to reinvigorate trade with the restart of China-North Korea freight train service. However, the country permits imports of only a limited number of items, while putting a firm stop to smuggling by North Korean officials in China or people living in border regions.
North Korean authorities appear concerned that should locals confuse the restart of freight train service for a complete opening of the border, efforts to maintain the country’s quarantine system could be adversely affected.
In fact, North Korea recently sentenced a security official who got busted during a smuggling attempt to 15 years of forced labor. The authorities have also threatened North Korean trade officials in China, warning them against engaging in smuggling.
Some North Koreans suggest that North Korean authorities are turning people with a bit of money into sacrificial lambs to promote regime cohesion. They say the authorities can bolster the state’s assets by seizing their property, while at the same time sending a warning message to ordinary people.
Meanwhile, the inspection team in Sinuiju is reportedly demanding huge bribes to cover up wrongdoing.
Earlier this year, branches of the Ministry of State Security and Ministry of Social Security nationwide signed a written pledge that they would not accept bribes or engage in other unjust behavior during public crackdowns. Yet even units up the chain of command continue to fall victim to the temptation.
The source said the inspection has been so harsh that Ministry of State Security officials are saying they would rather just quit. He added that there is anger, too, since life was difficult enough even before the inspections.
