North Korean authorities recently renamed the “unified command on non-socialist and anti-socialist behavior” as the “Unified Command 82” in accordance with a decision by the Third Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee, which was held in June.
According to a Central Committee directive recently obtained by Daily NK, the authorities said the command’s future activities should be based on the basic goal of “thoroughly establish a unified command system in the struggle against non-socialist and anti-socialist behavior.”
The reason for the name change remains unclear. However, given that the organization focuses on snooping on people to see if they enjoy or smuggle South Korean cultural items or use Chinese-made mobile phones, the measure appears aimed at covering up what the organization actually does.
In fact, the authorities conveyed the organizational name change only to relevant government agencies. Ordinary residents remained uninformed, the source said. When Daily NK attempted to verify the information, it found that not even the Rodong Sinmun printed the new name of the organization.
It is also possible that authorities changed the name to “elevate” comments made by the nation’s supreme leader, a common practice in North Korea.
For example, North Korea’s best known organization in its war on South Korean pop culture, Group 109, got its name from the date — Oct. 9 — when late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il called for the “eradication of foreign-style capitalist ideology.” Group 114, the most notable organization formed under current North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, took its name from the Jan. 14 date Kim called for a crackdown on illegal publications and recorded materials.
There is speculation that the new name is related to preparations to transform the unified command from a temporary “campaign” to a permanent organization.
The source said authorities have strengthened regulations on Unified Command 82 branches at all levels, making them report to the Central Committee on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. “This feels like they intend to operate the organization until behavior opposed to the regime is completely uprooted,” he said.
The authorities also strengthened Unified Command 82’s duties and role. Likewise, they called on the body to wage an intensive “war of annihilation” through links and joint actions with regional organizations.
In particular, the authorities ordered that the group get tough on “violent criminals who seriously violate the personal safety of the people,” drugs, superstition and “impure illegal publications.” This suggests the authorities are calling for a “blitz” aimed at generating an atmosphere that would prevent similar crimes from occurring.
The authorities also underscored that they would harshly punish acts that introduce chaos into the system, including skipping reports and ignoring the command structure. On a basic level, this reveals that the authorities wish to prevent potential acts of corruption by emphasizing a sense of responsibility on the part of officials.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
