Defense Security Command dispatches fresh inspection teams to border
North Korea’s military has dispatched a special surveillance team to areas bordering with China to crack down on not just residents but even patrol forces, and security agents that may be aiding and abetting escapes to China.
“An inspection team made up of officers in the military’s Defense Security Command [DSC] was dispatched to the border, where they’re carrying out intensive investigation,” a source from North Hamkyung Province said. “The team is made up of about ten people, and it will travel from Musan County in North Hamkyung Province to other areas in order to carry out inspections on illegal activities.”
The investigation, consisting mostly of questioning residents and guards in the border areas, are primarily focused on escapes, illegal crossing through the border rivers, and overseas phone calls. “The team is not only arresting those involved with outsiders (from China or South Korea) but also anyone who has turned a blind eye to related activities,” she said.
These officials are suspected of taking bribes to turn a blind eye to North Korean residents intending to defect and illegal crossing of the river, sometimes intended to defect but at other times to facilitate smuggling or business transactions. According to the source, illegal phone calls out of the country have also been part of the investigation.
The source dealing with the reactions of North Koreans said, "locals who have been subject to incessant inspections have expressed their disgruntlement, 'even for a single day I cannot live without worries and nervousness.'"
[Source: DailyNK]
