North Korea has recently taken steps to further stamp out corruption in the country’s military, Daily NK has learned.
Specifically, a Daily NK source in North Korea reported on June 3 that staff levels were recently increased by 50% in the Investigation Division and Detention Management Division under the Military Security Command (MSC, formerly the Defense Security Command). The goal, the source said, is to strengthen the military’s capacity to deal with illegal behavior.
The MSC’s Investigation Division is responsible for investigations into incidents that take place in the military and cracking down on criminal behavior. The MSC’s Detention Management Division handles the processing and management of criminals in detention or who are undergoing preliminary examinationsAlso referred to as "pretrials," the preliminary examination... More.
The staff increase appears to stem from a comment made by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the recent expanded meeting of the communist party’s Central Committee on May 23. At the event, Kim said that “We must overcome a spate of deviant acts within the military and political activities of [North Korea’s] armed forces and make decisive improvements.”
North Korean military authorities have also taken the unprecedented step of elevating the military titles of the staff in these divisions. This means that, for example, if the head of the Investigative Division formerly held the rank of senior colonel or major general, he will now have the opportunity to be promoted to major general or lieutenant general.
The source noted that those lower down in the hierarchy will also have their titles elevated as a result, a rare development. Ministry of State Security officers in military units are also included in this promotion scheme and their staff numbers have been boosted by approximately 30%.
Based on all these changes, the MSC’s Investigative Division and Detention Management Division will likely hold greater authority and naturally come to play a greater role in investigations and enforcement related to corruption in the military.
“This measure suggests that those at the top intend to better manage corruption among soldiers,” the source said. “From now on, there will be stronger punishments for disorder in the ranks, as well as other incidents or accidents within the military.”
The source also noted that greater importance will be placed on the idea that all soldiers must “do their best” to fulfill their “missions and duties” as the “military of the Suryong and party.”
“A host of measures will be taken to instill this awareness in all commanders and soldiers so that the military is viewed as an organization to be modeled on,” he added.
The Defense Security Command was responsible for law enforcement, security and surveillance of the military during the Kim Jong Il era.
In the Kim Jong Un era, the organization played a leading role in the execution of Jang Song Taek in December 2013 and was later reorganized into the MSC in 2016.
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