Ministry of State Security arrests phone user in Hoeryong
A source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Friday that the Ministry of State Security put a woman in her 20s—identified by her family name of Han—under emergency arrest in Hoeryong in early July. “In the end, Han was recently sent to a political prison camp on charges of espionage, her family was exiled to a rural area and their house was confiscated,” he said.
Given that North Korean security authorities have generally punished only the offender in illegal Chinese-made mobile phone cases, the confiscation of Han’s home and the exiling of her family are considered quite extraordinary.
According to the source, Han handed over money to the family of a North Korean defector in early July. Basically, this means she was a “remittance broker,” transferring the funds through Chinese-made mobile phones. On her way home, however, she was reportedly arrested by the Ministry of Social Security.
The authorities charged Han with having “transferred money” since February of 2018 and, in the process, conducting espionage by leaking dozens of pieces of domestic information in return for money. The source said Han was further charged with being a “middleman” connecting the border region with the country’s interior and delivering “operational expenses.” ......
[Source: DailyNK]
