North Korea’s primary internal security and counterintelligence agency, known domestically as the bowibu. Established in its current form in 1973, the agency reports directly to the Supreme Leader and operates outside the normal judicial system. It is responsible for political surveillance, suppression of dissent, management of political prison camps, monitoring of foreign media consumption, counter-defection operations, and investigation of economic crimes. In early 2026, the agency was renamed the State Information Bureau, reportedly to project a more institutionalized image while expanding its intelligence mandate.
Tag: ministry of state security
North Korea sends new wave of workers to China as surveillance...
North Korean workers are once again filling factory floors in China, as large numbers of new arrivals replace those who returned home over the...
North Korean neighborhoods see rise of privately run makeshift stalls
Small, privately funded stalls are springing up on street corners across North Korea, giving people a convenient alternative to official markets for everyday purchases.
A...
North Korean man arrested for running job placement scam
A man who ran a scam targeting wealthy and well-connected Sariwon residents in North Hwanghae province, promising to secure state jobs for their children,...
As smugglers vanish from North Korea’s border, security agents’ lifestyles take...
North Korea's crackdown on smuggling along its border with China has cut off a key source of side income for state security agents who...
North Korea orders nationwide university crackdown after Kim Chaek arrests
North Korean authorities have ordered intensive inspections at universities nationwide, including in Pyongyang, after seven students at Kim Chaek University of Technology were arrested.
A...
North Korea remittance broker fees jump to 50% amid crackdown
North Korean authorities have sharply intensified crackdowns on illegal money transfers made using Chinese mobile phones. Remittance brokers near the country's border say their...
Two arrested in Wonsan for smishing, voice phishing crimes targeting donju
North Korea has arrested two people in Wonsan, a city in Kangwon province, in mid-July 2026. Investigators say the pair used a "smishing" scheme,...
North Korea revises criminal law, but old habits persist
North Korea's criminal law reform has moved through four revisions since 2021. Each one has added changes that look, on paper, like genuine gains...
North Korea revises criminal procedure law, mandates defense counsel
North Korea revised its criminal procedure law in 2022 and again in 2025. The changes shortened detention and investigation periods. They also required defense...
North Korea bans border gatherings, criminalizes talk of South Korea
North Korea has intensified controls on gatherings and private conversations in border areas, ordering that groups of three or more people be broken up...
