A recent incident in Hamhung revealed tensions between the Ministry of State Security and Ministry of Social Security as they competed to arrest a broker who facilitated foreign money transfers using Chinese mobile phones.
The Ministry of State Security handles counter-intelligence, political crimes and border control, while the Ministry of Social Security functions as a domestic police force handling ordinary criminal cases and general law enforcement.
According to a Daily NK source in South Hamgyong province recently, a money transfer broker and a North Korean defector’s family were simultaneously arrested on Oct. 31 in the city.
The broker, a man surnamed Kim, had traveled to Hamhung to deliver money to a defector’s family at the request of their relative in South Korea. Unable to locate the exact address, Kim asked a passerby for directions, claiming to be a relative of the family.
Upon arrival, Kim delivered $1,000 and recorded a video confirmation of the transaction using a Chinese mobile phone. As Kim prepared to leave, two state security officers burst in and arrested him for illegal foreign money transfer activities.
The complexity of the situation escalated with the arrival of two police officers, resulting in a jurisdictional dispute. This event underscores the escalating enforcement actions against Chinese phone users and international money transfer brokers.
The source suggested that the rivalry among departments arises from the need to demonstrate outcomes prior to year-end assessments. The state security department, having authority over matters related to espionage, eventually assumed custody of both Kim and the family of the defector.
“Surveillance has not only intensified for the families of defectors but also for regular households,” the source said. “It feels like living in a barless prison, under the watchful eyes of neighborhood watch unit leaders, security officers, and their informants.”
Kim has been moved to the local state security department for an investigation, and the family of the defector is likely to face punishment in a labor camp.
Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
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