Ministry of People’s
Security [MPS] officers in North Korea spotted using South Korean
products they have personally confiscated at the marketplace have recently come under fire from residents regarding their gross misuse of power. According to protocol, these confiscated items are to be stored in
evidence warehouses and later destroyed or sent to higher organs of power, but
this has frequently not been the case, Daily NK has learned.
“South Korean goods confiscated for being
illegal are being blatantly used at MPS units,” a source from Pyongyang
told Daily NK on Thursday. “People keep saying that
this act of using illicit South Korean goods shows that illegality reigns over
illegality.”
By way of example, she cited a personal case. “I bought South
Korean cosmetic goods, electronic appliances, coffee, and a few other items
during my trip to China last year; I sold them wholesale to a merchant to sell
at the markets, but they were all confiscated by the Ministry of People’s Security.” she said. “I was summoned for questioning along with the vendor, and when I got
there saw the officials drinking the South Korean coffee they had
confiscated.”
Since late last year, North Korean officials have been doubling their efforts to stamp out sales of South Korean products in the markets, according to the source, who explained that many foreign or South
Korean goods obtained by those who travel outside of the country are also being
seized.
“Vendors who are subject to crackdowns are usually those selling [South Korean] earrings, necklaces, cosmetics, electronic rice cookers, and even hanbok [traditional Korean attire],” she said, adding that because of the crackdowns the markets have been nearly cleared of South Korean goods.
Residents have pointed out these measures are simply the result of security agents wanting to use
the opportunity for personal gain. “They are trying to
reap profits under the guise of crackdowns,” the source
asserted. “High-ranking MPS officials are wittingly using the very South Korean cosmetics or other items that they confiscate, and even lower-ranking MPS agents are fully cognizant of the fact that South Korean goods are much
better than Chinese products, so they use this knowledge to their personal
benefit.”
Some vent their anger with mockery, saying,
“They won’t be able to use other shampoo after trying those from the
South,” while others jokingly speculate that officials have more South Korean goods in their homes than not.
People are perplexed as to the motives behind the sudden crackdowns given that the authorities have turned long turned a blind eye to the selling of South Korean goods at markets and department stores. “Some are holding on to their South Korean goods
saying it’s not the first time the state has been so fickle, hoping–and expecting– that such
measures will subside soon,” she said.
She elaborated that the state fears such
products will encourage the proliferation of capitalist ideas among residents,
who are increasingly interested in and implementing its principles, despite the state’s efforts to quash such sentiments. “It
seems the state has also launched these clampdowns out of fear that the high-quality
South Korean products may cause people to envy or develop positive perceptions
of the South,” she concluded.
