Two Haeju residents were recently detained by the Ministry of State Security for allegedly making critical comments in private conversation about Kim Yo Jong’s statement regarding drones over Pyongyang.
According to a source in South Hwanghae province recently, their private conversation was overheard by an informer for the local branch of the Ministry of State Security.
The authorities took issue with several politically-charged comments the two individuals allegedly made. In private conversation, they expressed concern about recent tensions with South Korea, saying that “there must be a war for this country to collapse quickly, and that if there were a war, everyone would run to South Korea or China.”
The two people also expressed opinions about the North Korean government’s erasing of the concepts of “unification” and “nation” in propaganda materials. Comparing now with the times of former North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, they allegedly said that “everyone wants reunification, but the government no longer wants it. We’re left with half a country, and we’ve lost hope.”
The detained residents also allegedly mocked Kim Yo Jong’s leadership role and criticized her focus on military matters instead of economic and public welfare issues during the current hardships.
Thanks to the informer, all these comments were recorded in the Ministry of State Security’s reports.
The day after the pair’s arrest, the families of the two individuals suddenly disappeared.
“Locals were astounded when they woke up one morning and both families were suddenly gone,” the source said. “Local residents who knew the two families are worried they might get caught up in this incident as well.
“Haeju is close to South Korea, so incidents like this sometimes occur. Another Haeju resident was recently arrested by the Ministry of State Security after he criticized the state while drinking at a private gathering.”
Meanwhile, the Haeju branch of the Ministry of State Security has established plans to increase its number of informants and bolster surveillance of city residents, the source said.
Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
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November 07, 2024 at 05:30AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)