Chinese authorities have intensified surveillance of North Korean defectors attempting to flee to South Korea, with city-level police departments now directly managing these cases.
“Surveillance has become much stricter for North Korean defectors in China who’ve tried to reach South Korea,” a Daily NK source in China said recently. “Even Shenyang’s police bureau’s foreign affairs department has begun monitoring North Korean defectors.”
This marks a significant shift from local police stations handling defector cases to city-level foreign affairs divisions taking over surveillance and management duties.
Recently, defectors living in Shenyang have had their mobile phone records and text messages inspected by the city police’s foreign affairs division. They were also required to provide their phone numbers and device information.
According to the source, a defector identified as A, residing in Shenyang, received a call from her local police station on April 10 telling her to “stay home because officials from higher up were coming.”
An officer from the local station and two city bureau officers visited A’s home, examining her phone’s call history and WeChat messages. They questioned her about her contacts.
A similar incident occurred on April 12 with another local defector, identified as B. Officers from both the local station and city bureau inspected her mobile phone records and WeChat messages.
Police asked if B maintained contact with defectors in South Korea and warned her to “live quietly and avoid associating with other defectors” before departing.
Defectors subjected to these city-level inspections report severe distress and fear.
“After the police left, my legs gave out and I was shaking all over,” A said. “I don’t understand why the city police’s foreign affairs division has started monitoring us.” B expressed similar fears, noting that police “knew everyone I met and when.”
B particularly lamented her situation, saying, “Others seem to be doing well in South Korea, but I’m trapped here living in constant fear.” She added, “Not having proper ID is stressful enough, but knowing I’m always being watched makes my skin crawl.”
Most defectors recently inspected had previous records of failed attempts to reach South Korea. The heightened surveillance appears aimed at preventing further escape attempts.
“The shift from local police stations to city-level foreign affairs departments handling defector surveillance shows that China now views defectors as ‘dangerous elements’ with negative social impact,” the source explained. “Defectors now face an increasingly oppressive surveillance regime.”
April 29, 2025 at 06:00AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)