North Korea’s State
Security Department [SSD] in North Hamgyung Province has been shaking down smugglers in the border areas to expose the identities of defectors now
living in South Korea, the Daily NK has learned.
“Provincial SSD agents have been obtaining
personal information on defectors in the South using the middlemen who arrange
money transfers into the North and set up phone calls,”
a source in the region told Daily NK by phone on Monday. “The persistent agents even actively seek out the smugglers to
extract information on defectors.”
Smugglers deal mainly in moving goods through the porous border between North Korea and China, but often work closely
with “brokers”, whose primary function is aiding in defections. Remittance matters often overlap between the two, as does a wealth of sensitive
information.
“The smugglers are well aware that even if
the SSD approves, without the go ahead from border patrol smuggling becomes
difficult. Despite that, they are still responding to demands from the SSD,” the source said. “These smugglers still
need to make a living, so it’s difficult for them to
simply disregard these requests.”
Most cave to demands from agents due to
the belief that they can enjoy freedom in their activities if they provide the
information asked of them. As a result, they report the conversations they have
with defectors in the South via telephone.
For defectors who have been out of the country for
five or more years, they verify their family members by asking where they
previously lived or where certain other family members are residing. In the
course of this, they end up revealing the identity of other members within the
family, the source explained.
Methods used by state agents to verify the
families of defectors are becoming more devious. “SSD
agents even tap telephone conversations and then check if it matches up with
what brokers are reporting,” he elaborated. “Some smugglers, unaware of this, have been accused of aiding
defector families after providing the agents with false information.”
“There have recently been fewer defectors
from the South sending money, so there aren’t that many
calls,” the source said. “But
as some families in the North attempt to reach members in the South, it exposes
more people involved.” He added that for this reason, “It’s better not to ask for details that are
too specific for the sake of those on either end of the line.”
A defector residing in South Korea also
told the Daily NK, “I was trying to get some money to
my younger sibling in the North, and while I was asking questions to make sure
it was her, she said that someone was listening in and because of that she was unable to speak properly.”
Defectors in the South maintain it is a well-established fact that smugglers often work with SSD agents
to report and arrest family members of escapees to ensure they do not lose
their livelihoods. As a result, the defector community continues to point out the need for anyone making phone calls to send remittances back home to exercise caution.
