A Hyesan resident was recently arrested by North Korean state security agents after he delivered money to a defector’s family in Hamhung on the orders of a remittance broker, Daily NK has learned.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on May 21 that the Hyesan courier, who is currently in detention, was arrested five days after returning from Hamhung.
According to the source, the courier was often hired by the broker to deliver money to the families of defectors living in the interior of the country.
As usual, the courier delivered money to a defector’s family in Hamhung and returned safely to Hyesan. But complications arose when state security agents in Hamhung raided the house of the family that had received the remittance.
Defectors’ families are under close surveillance in North Korea, and state security agents raided the house one day after learning that a stranger had been there. The agents pressured the family to hand over the entire transfer, and also grilled them about the person who had brought the money.
The defector’s family told the agents that all they knew was the phone number of the courier, who was said to be from Hyesan. They gave the phone number to the state security agents, but it had already been disconnected.
“Since delivering money is illegal here [in North Korea], anyone caught doing so is severely punished, and the only way out is a big bribe. Once a job is done, most couriers burn the SIM card they used so they can’t be traced,” the source explained.
Security officials check bank records to narrow down suspects
With no leads on the courier, state security agents returned to the home of the defector’s family. This time, the family members remembered that the courier had mentioned picking up the money at the bank.
The state security agents immediately visited banks in Hamhung until they found a withdrawal matching the amount of the transfer, which enabled them to identify a resident of Hyesan. They then went to Hyesan and raided the courier’s house on May 10.
But then something strange happened. The courier’s family was surprised to see unfamiliar state security agents and immediately called the state security agent in charge of Hyesan, who also came to the house.
It was finally agreed that the case would be handled by the Hyesan public security department, which arrested the Hyesan courier who had delivered the money to the defector’s family in Hamhung and sent the Hamhung public security agents home.
“Before state security agents arrest someone in another region, they’re supposed to seek the cooperation of the state security department with jurisdiction there, but the Hamhung state security agents moved on their own without notifying the Hyesan state security department. Their plan to extort cash from the courier was foiled when the Hyesan public security agent showed up,” the source said.
“Rumors quickly spread that the courier was caught because of his bank transaction. People who already didn’t trust banks are now even more convinced that they shouldn’t use banking services. Since this incident, people have been whispering that state security agents can check individual banking transactions,” the source said.
“People are reluctant to bank because the state is encouraging them to use banks while at the same time putting them under surveillance. The courier who was arrested had used the bank because he thought the amount he was delivering was too small to be a problem. This makes more people think that he shouldn’t have used the bank in the first place.
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May 29, 2024 at 12:30PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)