As part of efforts to respond to Typhoon Bavi, North Korean authorities have quickly deployed members of the Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB) to protect against damage to important bureau-managed structures in Pyongyang, Daily NK has learned.
The RGB is known to manage much of the country’s clandestine operations.
The decision to deploy the RGB was made during an expanded meeting of the politburo on Aug. 25, according to a Daily NK source yesterday. North Korean state media made no specific mention of the deployment, only reporting that the meeting discussed “national emergency measures concerning the prevention of damage from the typhoon.”
In line with the order, one battalion under the RGB (around 500 people) was urgently deployed at around 10 AM on Aug. 25 to gas stations, fuel storage sites, RGB villas, and “virtual [military] training sites” in Pyongyang. In short, the authorities have deployed RGB troops to protect facilities managed by the RGB, not to protect the lives or property of ordinary people.
According to the source, who requested anonymity for security reasons, the RGB troops have been deployed to ensure that “secret military facilities are not damaged by the typhoon” and to “quickly handle [storm] recovery [efforts].”
It is rare, however, for the RGB to be deployed as part of broader efforts to deal with a natural disaster. Typically, the First Brigade Construction Unit of the Korean People’s Army, which manages construction of structures idolizing the Kim family and the family’s villas, has taken the lead in protecting and repairing critical state-owned structures.
“[The authorities] view it as undesirable for secrets surrounding the RGB’s training facility and villas to be revealed,” the source said, adding, “It’s highly likely that [the RGB] will select and deploy its own officials to [take care of] the RGB’s military-related facilities in the future as well.”
The Pyongyang Defense Command, Artillery Guidance Bureau and other military units based in Pyongyang are protecting other critical facilities in the capital city, except for facilities located in Nakrang District and other nearby districts. The authorities have reportedly deployed one battalion to each of the city’s “central districts.”
Soldiers from the West Naval Fleet and one battalion from the army’s Third Corps have also reportedly been deployed to Nampo Port to protect critical infrastructure.
According to the source, the “Rear General Bureau” has ordered to provide supplies to the deployed soldiers. The bureau, which handles supply-related matters for the military, did not initially have enough “rain ponchos” for the soldiers; however, the bureau recently ordered factories to operate at full capacity to make and distribute them, the source said.
During the politburo meeting on Aug. 25, Kim Jong Un ordered his officials to “implement immediate measures to prevent damage from the typhoon across all sectors.”
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