North Korea Will Kill Some “Spies”
by Richardson ~ September 5th, 2007. Filed under: North Korea.Update: Link to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) article.
North Korea has announced the arrest of spies, but has not identified the country they allegedly worked for:
It said a foreign spy agency had trapped “some corrupt” North Koreans travelling abroad by using money, sex and blackmail and turned them into moles, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
“Recently, the National Security Service of the DPRK (North Korea) has arrested spies who were recruited by a foreign spy agency and its agent who was directing them,” it said.
The agent posed as a businessman, it said, adding the spies’ missions included taking pictures and drawing maps of key military facilities.
They were also asked to collect documents on military and state secrets and spread the ideas of freedom and democracy to key figures so that they would flee the authoritarian North, KCNA said.
Are those arrested actually spies? Or are they merely citizens who have gained some knowledge of the outside reality and are dissatisfied with their government? Some of the KCNA statements need translation:
Earlier, a spokesman for North Korea’s National Security Service told reporters in Pyongyang that an unspecified number of foreigners were caught as they were conducting espionage activities, according to Xinhua. Several North Korean nationals were also arrested for helping the alleged spies, Xinhua cited the spokesman, Li Su-Gil, as saying.
Translation: beware of dealing with any foreigners as the security services are watching.
“We arrested those spies when they were busy transmitting information, and they will be brought to justice under DPRK law,” said the spokesman.
Translation: using cell phones along the border may get you killed.
Li said the arrests of the spies showed espionage activities against communist North Korea were on the rise, despite a recent improvement in its relations with other nations.
Translation: expect more “impure elements” to be disappeared. Assume they were spies.
“The situation on the Korean peninsula seems to be easing up on the surface, but in fact hostile forces are intensifying their espionage against the DPRK,” Li said.
Translations: nothing has changed.
“The goal of hostile forces is to start a psychological war against the DPRK and overthrow socialism and the regime in our country. The people and security service will remain on high alert for this.”
Translation: remember, comrade, we are watching you.
It cold be years or decades if we ever find out if these or others accused and punished for such crimes were actually spies, or just disgruntled citizens to be taken care of.
What we can be fairly certain of is that they will be executed.
September 5th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
Like that is news. CNN had a documentary about killing spies. This is North Korea. Kim Jong il must get some twisted sexual thrill from it.
*shudders
September 5th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
You’re right that it’s nothing unusual. However, the timing and that it may be getting coverage inside North Korea as well may point to the normal preemptive sort of fear creation, or be a reaction to a slightly higher level of discontent by some.
September 5th, 2007 at 7:47 pm
The Xinhua report does mention ’several foreigners’. Will this ever come out? Is it true? Would they be Chinese, Russian, South Korean, Korean-born American christians, European business types??? It may have some very serious implications for current situation in Six-Party Talks and inter-Korean Summit…
September 5th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
[…] Checkout Richardson’s analysis at DPRK Studies. The arrests may be a less than subtle warning to the North Korean population that liberalisation […]
September 6th, 2007 at 7:30 am
Pathetic “translations”. Why do you people hate DPRK so much? Looking around on this site, the hatred must be pathological.
September 6th, 2007 at 8:15 am
First I’ll rephrase your question, which should be, “Why do you people hate [the] DPRK [regime] so much?”
Now I’ll answer it with this:
I guess I define “pathetic” differently, and might attach it to people who criticize while wrapped in ignorance, Per.
Any more questions?
September 6th, 2007 at 8:49 am
I dislike the regime the DPRK was founded on, the human rights abuses, abductions, terrorism, no freedom of movement, speech, religion or assembly.
You are free to love the regime all you like. In fact, you are more than free to go down there.
September 6th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Per:
“Pathological”? It’s not hatred Per, it a free country’s citizens exercising their right to free speech. Something you’ll never see come out of Pyongyang. There are no sites like this one in the DPRK….it’s not a coincidence. You can’t find web sites based out of Pyongyang that are anti-government or even slightly critical of Kim Jong-il. In fact, even if there unsanctioned web sites in the DPRK, YOU couldn’t surf them from outside the country because the government doesn’t allow the traffic. So what are they hiding or more importantly what are they shielding their citizens from?
Personally, I dislike any country’s government that doesn’t allow it’s own citizens the fundamental right of dissent. The DPRK wouldn’t stand if it had the kind of politicians that America has…..let 1 vocal committee member let it be known that they have a dissenting opinion from Kim-Jong-il & see what happens to that party member & their family. That’s why I dislike the evil regime of the DPRK.
As far as the spies go. Who knows what those poor souls are actually guilty of…..? There is no real due process because that’d raise too many questions, but there is a useful fear element to this story that the DPRK can use to reinforce desired behavior.
Per, we don’t hate the people of N. Korea, we pity them & hope someday they can prosper & live free without fear of starvation, gulags, reeducation camps & death like their kinsmen to the south simply for having their own opinions about life & government.
September 6th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
These are the diplomats who refused to send their kids back to North Korea a few months back.
September 6th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Per,
It is your denial that is pathological.
Your statement is completely defenseless and against the COMMON PEOPLE of North Korea. Almost all on this and similar blogs deeply want improvement for the North Korean people.
If you don’t recognize the sickness of the DPRK regime, then don’t expect anyone to take you seriously.
September 6th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
I am willing to bet these spies are probably Chinese-Koreans helping North Koreans defect into China if they are really foreigners at all. They may just be North Koreans helping other North Koreans defect but the regime is calling them foreigners.
September 6th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
GI, you’re probably right about who & what these “spies” are, but I wonder how much truth was in the news release about the “spies” having drawings & pictures of military fascilities? Most likely just propoganda? I never know how much to make of anything they say……it seems odd that the DPRK government would even admit to people that there were spies looking at military bases. On one hand I can see the government using this sort of event to further scare the snot out of anyone even thinking about freedom….but then I wonder why they’d even admit that their borders & bases had been breached…..almost admits a weakness. You & Richardson have more experience in this area, what are your thoughts? I’m genuinely puzzled….normally DPRK never admits a weakness. I must be missing something here? Richardson…thoughts?
September 7th, 2007 at 8:01 am
What did you guys have against Hitler and Stalin, anyway?
September 7th, 2007 at 8:57 am
Slim,
In a word, mustaches.
Some more education for “Per” via East-Asia-Intel.com:
September 7th, 2007 at 11:55 am
There was a story of East German people posing a citizens to keep a watchful eye. When East Germany fell, they found warehouses filled with full accounts on ordinary people. I can guess North Korea has the same thing. I am VERY interested to see what investigators find.
April 5th, 2008 at 10:23 am
[…] I need not elaborate on the penalty for those caught. Seven months ago, North Korea reminded us (ht) of how seriously it takes the surreptitious possession and use of a camera, and we’ve seen […]