It was reported that two party executives who had been listening to the U.S. RFA Free Asia and VOA (Voice of America) radio broadcasts for over a decade were recently arrested by security authorities in Nampo, North Korea.
According to NK Times’ North Korean internal source on the 10th, in early October, two party executives were urgently arrested by the Security Department in Nampo City on charges of listening to the U.S. RFA Free Asia Broadcasting and VOA radio broadcasts.
The party executives arrested this time are seniors and juniors at Nampo City Party School and are Mr. Kim (50s, male), head of the organization department of the Nampo City Party Committee, and Mr. Park (40s, male), a member (instructor) of the Wau Island District Party Committee. According to an investigation by the Security Department in 2002, It is known that he confessed to listening to RFA Free Asia and VOA radio and talking about the government’s policies from until his arrest in 2023.
Regarding the background to their arrest by the National Security Agency, the source said, “In early March, Mr. Kim and Mr. Park were listening to the radio at Mr. Kim’s home without locking the door. However, Mr. “After seeing Mr. and Mr. Park listening to illegal radio, I reported it to the National Security Agency and ended up stepping on their tail,” he explained.
At that time, Mr. Kim said to Mr. A, “I turned on the radio to listen to Broadcast 3, but a strange broadcast came out and I was looking for our (North Korea) frequency…. If you have any difficult problems, please let me know at any time. He said, “I will solve anything,” and asked me to keep the situation a secret.
However, Mr. A immediately reported the suspicious activities of Mr. Kim and Mr. Park to the Security Department, and the Nampo City Security Department is said to have monitored their every move for over six months, including installing a wiretap in the home of Mr. Kim and Mr. Park and following them.
Eventually, the Nampo City Security Department discovered that Mr. Kim and Mr. Park listened to the radio together and criticized party policies, and in early October, Mr. Kim and Park were banned from watching and distributing TV and radio, and were placed under emergency arrest on charges of spreading ideology and culture to a hostile country. He was arrested, sources said.
The source also said, “Mr. Kim and Mr. Park were urgently transferred to the Ministry of State Security 6 days after their arrest by the National Security Agency,” adding, “This does not limit this radio listening incident to Mr. Kim or Mr. Park, but rather, they had a conversation with central executives before executing them.” “It appears that they are trying to expand the related investigation, including investigating the connection,” he said.
At the same time, he said, “I don’t know how far this investigation will expand, but the fact that the Ministry of National Security is directly discussing the cases of Mr. Kim and Mr. Park seems to be intended to sound an alarm to local and central executives,” and added, “This case “It appears that this will be used as an opportunity to once again strengthen the fight against anti-socialism and non-socialism, not only among social leaders but also among residents,” he argued.
Meanwhile, this paper asked a source about why he risked his life listening to radio broadcasts such as RFA and VOA at a time when North Korean authorities are strengthening punishment for those who access outside information.
Regarding this, the source said, “Young people like Korean movies and soap opera music, but executives and middle-aged people like Mr. Kim and Mr. Park are more interested in the outside world,” adding, “RFA Free Asia and VOA Radio “I like broadcasts because they explain the domestic and international issues we are curious about in an easy-to-understand and in-depth way, both in terms of content and depth,” he said.
He continued, “In particular, RFA Free Asia and VOA radio broadcasts accurately point out and point out the international situation and the situation in our country (North Korea) as they are, so executives and residents who listen to the radio sympathize with them.” He added, “Furthermore, the “The content is valuable information that cannot be heard anywhere else, and it seems that people are risking their lives to listen to it because it represents the feelings of us (North Korean residents),” he emphasized.
It is known that before the coronavirus outbreak in North Korea, it was easy to access various external information and culture through South Korean TV, DVD, USB, and SD cards.
However, after the Corona incident, it is said that the accessibility and choice of external information has been greatly reduced as the fight against anti-socialism and non-socialism has been strengthened through the enactment of laws such as the Act on Rejecting Reactionary Ideology and Culture (2020) and the Act on Guaranteeing Youth Education (2021).
In addition, considering North Korea’s insufficient power situation, listening to the radio can be said to be the safest means of accessing external information. This situation is due to the fact that North Korean residents most prefer listening to Radio Free Asia (RFA) and VOA radio broadcasts. The source added that it is one of the causes.
***This article is translated by GTP and may differ from the content of NK Times Korean service.
