North Korean House of Cards

Chart 16: Command and Control of the Internal Security Apparatus After
Jang’s Purge
Guard Command
Kim Jong-un
Yun Jong-rin
KWP
Politburo/CMC
OGD
SSD
Kim Won-hong
National Defense
Commission
Jo Yon-jun
Kim Kyong-ok
Hwang Pyong-so
MPS
MPAF
Choe Pu-il
MSC
(Jo Kyong-chol)
Departmental Surveillance
Membership
Chain of Command
Administrative Oversight
Throughout 2014, reports continued to surface about residual operations
tied to Jang’s purge. Some of these operations were directly tied to dismantling Jang’s
network, while others were using the purge as an excuse to institute crackdowns. In
January 2014, sources began to discuss how the regime had begun to reach beyond its
borders in pursuit of regional traders. 530 These traders are a select group of individuals
from every province who are allowed to travel to and from China for cross-border
trading purposes. In the past, these traders had mutually beneficial ties with the SSD
and MPS, which allowed easy passage to and from China in return for kickbacks
and bribes. 531 Following Jang’s purge, the necessary visas and permissions were moved
from the provincial level to the local level, 532 where more strict surveillance on the
family of the regional traders could be easily linked to their travel. In other words,
530 Oh Se-Hyeok, “Jang Triggers Trials For Regional Traders,” Daily NK, January 23, 2014.
531 The system requires applicants to renew their visas, which are normally valid for six
months, twice a year. They must apply six months in advance for this process, which requires a trip to
Pyongyang. Bribes are an essential element. For instance, it is common practice for traders to pay for
sixtieth birthday celebrations for the parents of “gatekeeper” Party and security cadres as a precursor to
receiving a valid visa. For the traders, the new measures only add to the burden imposed by the corrupt
North Korean system.
532 According to one foreign currency-earner in Pyongsong, if traders want to get a visa issued, they
have to obtain the written consent of the head of security assigned to their local “People’s Unit” (In-min-ban).
Ken E. Gause
237