North Korea warns traders in China: protect your secrets from surveillance!

In early December 2024, North Korea's Ministry of State Security arrested a manager of a water park situated in Pyongyang. The apprehension occurred during a weekly study session on December 4, when state security agents suddenly interrupted and detained the man, who was in his thirties. According to sources, he was accused of engaging in anti-state activities, explicitly suggesting that he had leaked national security secrets during his contact with foreigners. However, the authorities did not articulate the specific secrets involved or identify the foreigners he supposedly interacted with, leaving many perplexed by the severity of the government's response. Following the manager's arrest, the atmosphere within the Bureau for Affairs with Diplomatic Corps, which oversees various amenities for foreign diplomatic staff in Pyongyang, turned tense. Employees who regularly interacted with foreign nationals began to scrutinize their communications and behaviors. This heightened state of caution stems from a pervasive fear of repercussions for seemingly innocuous interactions with embassy personnel. Colleagues of the detained manager expressed bewilderment, questioning the plausibility of the accusations, given the limited nature of his role at the water park. They noted that as a manager, he would have had constrained access to sensitive government information, making the accusations appear groundless and exaggerated. In parallel developments, North Korean officials issued a directive to their trading officials in China about the growing threat of information leakage amid ongoing Chinese surveillance. On December 7, the state security bureau at the North Korean diplomatic mission in China alerted traders stationed in Beijing and Shenyang to remain vigilant against potential spying efforts by Chinese authorities. The warning highlighted that the Chinese Ministry of State Security was actively monitoring the activities of North Korean traders, scrutinizing their academic and professional backgrounds, financial statuses, and personal connections. Concerns were raised regarding the effectiveness of these surveillance operations, as reports revealed that the Chinese MSS was gathering substantial intelligence on North Korean traders' unofficial dealings and communications. This increase in scrutiny is believed to stem from China's interest in controlling and understanding the dynamics of North Korean trading activities, especially in light of the country's dependency on China for economic trade. The fear among North Korean traders of being targeted by Chinese intelligence has led to significant changes in behavior, with many opting to limit their interactions and maintain tighter security protocols in their conduct.