Daily NK has recently acquired the complete text of North Korea’s Autonomous Defense and Security Act, enacted in 2022.
The law’s ostensible purpose is to protect the lives and property of North Korean citizens. But its actual purpose is to increase mutual surveillance inside the populace to prevent theft and other crimes and block defections and access to foreign information.
The act consists of a total of four chapters and 46 articles and was adopted in the 21st plenary session of the 14th Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly on Aug. 7, 2022.
Article 2 of the law defines “autonomous defense and security” as “efforts by citizens to defend their streets, neighborhoods and workplaces, through their own capabilities, against the incursions of various enemies and impure elements.”
The phrase about “various enemies and impure elements” is taken to include groups connected with “hostile states” such as North Korea and the U.S., would-be defectors and individuals engaged in activities that North Korea has defined as reactionary, such as bringing in information about the outside world.
In December 2022, after the law’s enactment, North Korean state security agents held a public criticism session in Hoeryong, North Hamgyong province, for a woman who had attempted to defect across the Tumen River late at night.
During the struggle session, the audience was urged to obey the Autonomous Defense and Security Act. The head of the Hoeryong state security department said the woman had only been able to make her defection attempt because her neighborhood watch unit had not been patrolling the area, in violation of the act.
“Now you know why the government enacted the Autonomous Defense and Security Act and why we need greater vigilance,” the head of the city’s state security department warned.
In effect, Hoeryong residents were blamed for the woman’s defection attempt because they had neglected their self-defense duties.
As this indicates, the Autonomous Defense and Security Act is focused on reinforcing the system of mutual surveillance at neighborhood watch units and workplaces and preventing citizens from ideological deviation.
Law tightens control over movement
One noticeable feature of the act is the restrictions it places on visitors to neighborhood watch units.
Article 16 says, “Neighborhood watch units shall keep a visitor log at the guard post and accurately record the identity of visitors and the families they visit and the times of their arrival and departure. When a visitor’s identity cannot be readily established, the police should be consulted for verification.”
The same article states that “members of a neighborhood watch unit who intend to leave their homes must inform the unit’s guard post.”
When this law was enacted in 2022, the North Korean regime was restricting movement between different areas in an attempt to stem the spread of COVID-19. The regime appears to have stepped up surveillance on North Korean families on the pretext of preventing viral transmission.
Article 22 provides guidance about the conduct of security guards. “Security guards may not engage in any activities that hinder performance of their guard duties, such as consuming alcohol either before going to work or while at work, playing chess or other games, reading books, watching movies or listening to music on their mobile phones, taking a nap or leaving their guard posts.”
This section warns about the possibility of guards on night duty engaging in improper behavior while nobody else is around.
Articles 44, 45 and 46 detail fines and other administrative and legal punishment for various violations of the autonomous defense and security system.
“The original purpose of the Autonomous Defense and Security Act is for North Koreans to voluntarily engage in guard activities. The law stipulates not only fines but criminal punishment to make autonomous defense and security activities a national requirement. That ultimately shows that North Koreans are being dragooned into guard duties to maintain the regime,” said Hwang Hyun-uk, senior researcher at Daily NK’s AND Center.
“Superficially, the law is supposed to protect people’s lives and property, but its ultimate purpose appears to be maintaining the security of the socialist system. The law provides the legal basis for intensifying surveillance and control of the population,” Hwang added.
The Korean version of the law can be found here.
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 05, 2024 at 04:49AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)