Dozens sent to gulag, border region crackdown dampens illegal trade with China
Entrance to the Jangmadang market in Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province. [Image / NK Times]
A six-week crackdown of illegal activity in the northern border area this winter netted over 30 people and has cast a pall over the region where people escape North Korea and where residents have long benefitted from informal trade with China.
The campaign by the Ministry of State Security and Defense Security Bureau was launched in December and ended in the middle of last month, according to sources in North Hamgyong Province.
The main focus of security forces attention were rumors, illegal videos, smuggling and distribution, and users of Chinese cell phones.
Authorities were especially harsh with those suspected of trying to escape the country and those aiding such activities.
The sources said that remittance brokers who were once involved in large-scale money transfers are now refusing to work, despite the fact that commissions are now as high as 60-70%. Remittance brokers are a conduit of cash into the country but suffer from periodic crackdowns.
In all, 17 people from Hyesan, 11 from Musan, and six from Onseong were arrested. The sources say that ten were sent directly to political prison camps without trials, after only ten days in detention.
Those sent to political prison camps for alleged anti-state and anti-government activities are in effect permanently isolated from society, making the camps a symbol of terror in the country.
“The crackdown is over, but the tension has not been relieved,” one source said. “People who were investigated but not detained are still suffering from the aftermath. They swear they will never repeat the actions that made them fall under suspicion.”
In connection with this, defectors outside of North Korea report that it has recently become much harder to get money to their family members in the country.
“Sending money is harder now than it was during COVID,” said Kang. “Since January, I haven’t been able to reach people I’m usually in contact with in North Korea. At this point, it seems that sending money might become as hard as reaching for the stars.”
Sewon is the North Korean-born founder and CEO of NK Times, a Seoul-based media outlet focused on North Korea. Drawing on his personal experience living there, he strives for transparency and accuracy in reporting, working to inform readers worldwide about the realities of North Korea.
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