State Security Ministry is now monitoring and restricting military counterintelligence agents—What’s going on?
Security officers in Pyongyang control the movement of residents. [Photo/NK Times]
The State Security Ministry (SSM) is reportedly monitoring and restraining even the activities of military counterintelligence agents from the Defense Security Bureau (Security Command) in an effort to block the inflow of external information and the leakage of internal data.
According to a source in Ryanggang Province, a 7th Bureau agent from the Defense Security Bureau stationed in Hyesan was caught by members of the SSM Radio Signal Detection Bureau (Bureau 11) using a Chinese cellphone. This led to what he described as an “embarrassing situation.”
The agent reportedly explained to the SSM personnel conducting the crackdown that he was “on an operation.” However, the SSM agents challenged him, allegedly saying, “Is chatting meaninglessly with women what you call an operation?” They cited intercepted conversations as evidence.
The source explained that the agent was not arrested on the spot, taking into consideration the fact that both parties belong to major intelligence agencies and that the agent claimed to be on duty at the time.
The SSM and Defense Security Bureau share the common goal of defending the regime. They are separate organizations responsible for overseeing society and the military, respectively. Nevertheless, the fact that the SSM has begun monitoring and restricting the activities of the Defense Security Bureau has led to speculation that the regime may have granted the SSM even greater authority in maintaining the system.
Following the incident, the SSM reportedly issued a warning to Defense Security Bureau agents saying that “unnecessary phone calls” would no longer be overlooked. As a result, agents have become more cautious about using Chinese cellphones, with some complaining that “it’s become a complete mess,” according to the source.
“These aren’t just ordinary residents,” the source said. “They are agents of the Defense Security Bureau. They used to be referred to as jieno (the highest rank). Imagine how humiliating it must be for them to be monitored and restrained in their operations in this way.”
“It seems the authority of the SSM has been significantly strengthened recently,” he said. “If this were not the case, how could one agency involved in state security surveillance monitor and reprimand another?”
Kang is a reporter at NK Times, a Seoul-based media outlet focused on North Korean issues. He was born in 1978 in Chongjin and graduated from Chongjin 1st High School in North Korea. After 10 years of military service in the 4th Army Corps, he attended Chongjin Agricultural University before defecting.
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