China has intensified surveillance of North Korean defector women in the cities of Siping and Tonghua since Dec. 1, following orders from Jilin province’s police agency. This heightened monitoring has left defectors increasingly anxious, while some police stations devise creative ways to reduce their workload.
According to a Daily NK source in China, police must now photograph North Korean-born women living with Chinese men at least weekly, up from the previous monthly requirement. These photos must be submitted to provincial police authorities.
Police enforce this policy through various means: summoning defector women to police stations, requiring them to appear at village head offices, or conducting unannounced home visits. Some stations have begun showing up at arbitrary hours without prior notice, causing significant distress among the women.
“One police station in Tonghua makes random calls demanding women appear at designated locations, or they simply barge into homes without warning to take photos,” the source said.
In Siping, some rural police stations require women to be accompanied by their village head or local women’s association leader when reporting to the station, creating inconvenience for Chinese residents as well.
Some police stations have devised workarounds to minimize the burden while appearing to comply with provincial demands. One station in Siping, for example, has women bring multiple outfits to a single session, photographing them against different backgrounds to create the appearance of separate weekly visits.
Local observers expect these measures to continue at least through the Lunar New Year and Jeongwol Daeboreum holidays.
“These policies are creating severe psychological pressure,” the source said. “One woman in Siping tearfully explained that she lives in constant fear, experiencing anxiety at even the sound of passing cars. She said she can’t even look forward to the New Year because of the constantly changing police requirements.”
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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December 18, 2024 at 07:00AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)