A recent incident has acutely highlighted the high-handed behavior, namely violence under the pretense of inspections, of officials with the Chosun People’s Army [KPA] Defense Security Command [DSC]--an unceasing source of rage among residents.
“Six armed soldiers with the DSC barged into the train (bound for Musan from Pyongyang) in Musan Station, North Hamkyung Province and suddenly began conducting luggage checks,” a source in the same province reported to Daily NK on March 24th. “They unleashed a torrent of violence, hitting civilians and ordinary soldiers in the process. “
The source explained that the guards falling under the DSC are notorious for committing this brand of indiscriminate violence across the country. “It’s no surprise these guards have become a major source of fear and hatred among residents and general soldiers alike," he asserted.
Defense Security Command platoons are scattered across the country, concentrated in border areas to maintain control over guard posts, the floating population and vehicles filling those areas, main railway hubs, and the web of roads linking Pyongyang to the rest of the country. DSC officials wield far more power and authority than the military police, according to the source.
This behavior does not go entirely unpunished, however, at least for some offenders; resident-delivered justice often prevails--when officers previously affiliated with the DSC are discharged or enter military academies, they are frequently ostracized and/or undergo severe beatings at the hands of their former victims.
[Source: Daily NK]
