State security officers in Hoeryong have intensified pressure on defectors’ families, forcing them to confess to receiving illegal remittances. Under relentless intimidation, many families are not only admitting to these transactions but also surrendering portions of the money as bribes to the officers.
A Daily NK source in North Hamgyong province said recently that the Hoeryong branch of the Ministry of State Security is demanding defectors’ families disclose detailed information about any contact with remittance brokers in recent years, communication with defectors, or receipt of funds from abroad.
This crackdown aims to isolate citizens from outside influence while addressing concerns that defectors’ families enjoying better living conditions creates social discord, according to the source.
Security officers demand bribes from these families, threatening to place uncooperative households on exile lists destined for remote mountain regions.
“Officers tell defectors’ families they can do whatever they want if these families wish to avoid exile,” the source revealed. “Even in a provincial city like Hoeryong, being sent deep into the mountains means facing extreme hardship where money becomes worthless—these threats terrify the families.”
Targeting “dangerous elements”
Essentially, security officers exploit this fear to extract confessions and bribes. North Korean authorities have long classified defectors’ families as “dangerous elements” for maintaining contact with relatives deemed “traitors to the fatherland” and receiving foreign money. Recently, this scrutiny has dramatically increased.
Some families have resorted to writing detailed confession letters about their past interactions with remittance brokers and overseas relatives, while paying substantial bribes to security officers from their received funds. Last month, one Hoeryong family paid agents 10,000 Chinese yuan (approximately $1,400), while another surrendered 6,000 yuan (about $840).
These confession letters typically detail how families received funds and include pledges to report future remittance deliveries.
“Previously, defectors’ families would deny receiving remittances when questioned by security officers, claiming ignorance about such matters,” the source explained. “But with the recent harsh crackdown and numerous broker arrests, more people are confessing and paying bribes after facing exile threats.”
Unlike before, many now turn away remittance brokers, abruptly telling them to leave. Worn down by intensive surveillance, families are voluntarily cutting outside ties, preferring to “live in peace, even if they starve.”
“Some families severed external connections long ago but still endure the same scrutiny,” the source added. “Whether they received money or not, defectors’ families face surveillance simply because of their status, making their lives harder than ever before.”
