The police department in Hoeryong has recently criticized its officers for brutal policing practices, drawing resistance from members of the force.<\/p>\n
According to a source in North Hamgyong province recently, the Hoeryong police department ordered officers to cease using brutality against those caught engaging in “non-socialist behavior” while emphasizing the importance of officers’ moral character.<\/p>\n
These directives came from North Korea’s Ministry of Social Security, which oversees the country’s police force and had previously stressed that officers must maintain social order and protect citizens’ lives and property through exemplary conduct.<\/p>\n
The orders were prompted by officers’ tendency to drink on duty and harass street vendors. “Police officers have grown increasingly violent,” the source explained. “They routinely accuse vendors of illegal business practices, demand money, verbally abuse them, and sometimes become physical.”<\/p>\n
The situation has worsened with vendors reporting confrontations with intoxicated officers on patrol. “Business is already difficult for street vendors, but police officers constantly harass and chase us away,” the source said. “Some officers hurl insults when drunk, leading to confrontations with vendors who threaten to report them to precinct chiefs.”<\/p>\n
As evidence mounts that officers’ misconduct is creating more disorder than order, North Korean law enforcement authorities are moving to regain control. However, officers are resisting these measures, arguing that street vending outside designated marketplaces is explicitly illegal and that enforcement sometimes requires forceful action.<\/p>\n
“Beat officers contend that cracking down on illegal activity is crucial to their job performance,” the source explained. “They say they must be harsh with street vendors or face criticism in their reviews, potentially affecting their reputation throughout the year.”<\/p>\n
Officers defend their actions by claiming vendors rarely comply with fines willingly and sometimes offer unsolicited bribes. Regarding alcohol use, officers argue they don’t drink by choice but rather to cope with the emotional burden of confronting people who are simply trying to survive.<\/p>\n
While the city police are implementing stricter controls on officer conduct as directed by the Ministry of Social Security, the source noted that real change seems unlikely as long as officers remain under pressure to meet performance metrics.<\/p>\n
“The drinking and brutality may be targeted for elimination, but the fundamental attitude toward street vendors won’t change while officers’ performance is tied to enforcement statistics,” the source concluded.<\/p>\n