Correction: A previous version of this translated article did not make clear that the video mentioned in this article was created several years ago. Voice of Martyrs Korea released a version of the video with English subtitles in June 2019.
North Korean authorities recently circulated a ‘“civic education” video criticizing illegal religious activities committed by a woman in the country. The video, which is four and a half minutes long, also decried the woman’s superstitious beliefs, previous defection, and alleged espionage activities.
The video was created in the past, but the Daily NK reporting partner who provided the video said that the video continues to be used to educate North Koreans. In short, the regime appears to be recirculating videos created in the past with a view to warn them about taking part in illegal activities.
The video opens with an explanation how the woman, upon graduating college and struggling to survive during the Arduous March period, fell into superstitious beliefs and sought out fortune-tellers to try to improve her fortunes. The reference to the “Arduous March” suggests that the woman’s case detailed in the video is not a recent event but rather an incident from the past.
The video details the woman’s past and condemns her behavior point by point.
According to the video, one fortune teller told the woman that if she headed to the northwest, she would meet a spirit that could help her. Later, the woman crossed the border into a neighboring country (China) to visit her uncle in the winter one year. However, the fortune teller’s promise of a helpful spirit turned out to be a lie designed to convince the woman to “secretly cross the border” (defect) and the woman ended up wandering the streets in disgrace with no job and no place to go.
The video appears designed to prevent defections by instilling fear through stories of the supposed hardships suffered by those who defect, as well as to enforce discipline among North Korean citizens by warning of the dangers of superstition.
WALKING INTO A “TRAP” PLACED BY SOUTH KOREA
The video goes on to claim that, while in China, the woman happened to visit a church fabricated by South Korea’s intelligence agency. At the church, she was allegedly indoctrinated in anti-DPRK beliefs and began engaging in espionage.
South Korea’s intelligence agency allegedly tasked the woman with organizing an underground religious network, then she returned to North Korea and took advantage of the party’s benevolent leniency for her crimes to turn herself into the authorities. After that, she began her espionage activities.
During this time, the woman designated Sundays as a holy day of rest and held secret religious meetings, even in the midst of peak farming season. According to the video, she was eventually caught after an astute citizen alerted the authorities.
The video appears was distributed in order to stigmatize activities that the regime deems taboo, such as superstition, illegal border crossings, espionage and religion. At the same time, it lauds the generosity of the Workers’ Party and encourages people to remain vigilant against undesirable activities.
Translated by Rose Adams. 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.
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