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
N. Korea uses “recorded calls” to better track down international callers
North Korea has recently begun to use recorded phone calls to improve efforts to track down international callers, Daily NK has learned.
“Signal detection units...
N. Koreans still defecting across the border in Ryanggang Province
Defections across the Sino-North Korean border in Ryanggang Province continue despite the North Korean government’s efforts to shutdown human traffic across the border, Daily...
N. Korean man sentenced to life in prison for attempted defection
On Mar. 23, a man in his 50s from Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province, received a life sentence following his arrest on suspicion of attempting...
N. Korea’s state-run smuggling activities continue despite coronavirus
With the COVID-19 pandemic showing no signs of abating, North Korea has intensified its disease control measures, especially for individuals engaging in state-sponsored smuggling...
N. Korean smuggler executed after crossing Sino-North Korean border
A smuggler in his 50s was recently executed in North Pyongan Province, sources told Daily NK earlier this month. The man was accused of...
N. Korean remittance broker arrested for cross-border activities
A female remittance broker in her 40s was recently arrested and is now in the North Korean court system awaiting sentencing, Daily NK has...
N. Korea refuses repatriation of defectors imprisoned in Dandong
North Korea's Ministry of State Security (MSS) has refused the repatriation of North Korean defectors currently imprisoned in a facility in Dandong, China, Daily...
N. Korea uses military law to punish smuggling on border
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently ordered that smuggling in the border areas as well as the abetting or concealing of such activities...
N. Korea’s security agency executes China-based informant
A North Korean informant in China was recently recalled by the Ministry of State Security (MSS) and executed in early February, Daily NK sources...
North Korean woman murdered in Hyesan
A woman in her 40s was recently murdered by an unidentified assailant in the Hyegang District of Hyesan, Ryanggang Province, and a task force...
