Four college students in Chongjin, North Hamgyong province, were detained by security authorities after making critical remarks about North Korea’s “two hostile states” policy, which defines South Korea as an enemy nation rather than part of the same ethnic group, sources said.
According to a Daily NK source in North Hamgyong province recently, the four students were arrested in mid-August after someone reported their comments during a secret drinking session in their university dormitory.
The students, all in their twenties, had been drinking when they began criticizing authorities’ efforts to erase the concept of shared ethnicity under the two hostile states doctrine. They asked questions like “Why isn’t South Korea the same nation as us?” and “If the Workers’ Party considers South Korea a foreign country rather than part of our nation, does that mean we could become South Korean citizens just by applying for asylum?”
These remarks directly challenged North Korea’s policy toward South Korea and were classified as “subversive” statements.
Quick escalation to provincial level
A university youth league official who first learned about the incident through an informant immediately reported it to the responsible security agent, and the matter was subsequently escalated through city security departments to the provincial security bureau.
The provincial security bureau took the incident seriously, viewing it as a potential source of ideological division regarding South Korea policy.
The students involved in the drinking session were arrested and detained by security agencies. During questioning, they all explained that they “didn’t recognize the seriousness of their remarks and had spoken carelessly while drinking.”
Most Chongjin residents who heard rumors about the students’ arrest expected they wouldn’t survive after making critical comments about Workers’ Party policy. However, contrary to expectations, the students were released after just three days in custody.
Even more surprisingly, the students acted as if nothing had happened after their release, generating considerable curiosity and attention among local people.
“In fact, what the students said is something almost every person thinks privately but doesn’t dare say out loud,” the source said. “There’s talk among people that security agencies quickly closed this case because they have extensive intelligence reports showing that virtually all people are questioning ‘Why isn’t South Korea part of our nation?'”
The prevailing assessment is that security agencies, already aware of people’s critical opinions about erasing the concept of shared ethnicity, handled the matter quietly as if nothing had happened, fearing that punishing the students could trigger greater unrest.
