North Korean House of Cards

ˏˏThe Operations Bureau manages the operational affairs of the
provincial security bureaus. It also directs civil defense at the
provincial level. This includes providing shelters for the public in
case of an enemy air attack, evacuating factories and enterprises,
and overseeing civil defense training for the general public.
ˏˏThe Railway Security Bureau is responsible for the security of
North Korea’s railroad tunnels, bridges, rail lines, rail facilities,
military supplies at rail depots, and freight and passenger trains.
ˏˏThe People’s Security Political College, also referred to as the
University of Politics, is responsible for the education of senior
cadre. In addition to the college, the Ministry has a Cadre Training
School, a General Training School, and an Engineering College. 618
• Political Bureau. The Political Bureau is responsible for monitoring the
lives and activities of Party members. The Bureau consists of approximately
ten departments, led by the organization, propaganda, and cadre
departments. 619 While the Political Bureau exists within the Ministry’s
chain of command, it is also under the control and guidance of the
KWP OGD. 620
• Security Department. This Department is located within the MPS but
reports to the SSD. Its stated purpose is to guarantee the safety of the
Ministry, its affiliated organizations, and personnel. However, its more
important mission is to monitor the Ministry for anti-revolutionary
elements, spies, and opponents to the regime. This Department also
allegedly contains the Penal Affairs Bureau, which oversees systems of
both prisons and detention camps. These traditional prisons, sometimes
referred to as “Indoctrination Houses,” are for persons convicted of
common crimes.
• Anti-Socialist Inspection Team. Soon after the execution of Jang
Song-taek, the MPS issued new judicial instructions aimed at
618 The last publicly identified President of the University was So Chun-bong. The Rector is Kim
Jang-kil. In October 2012, the University was renamed the Kim Jong-il People’s Security University.
619 Lee Keum-Soon et al., White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea 2008 (Seoul: Korea Institute
for National Unification, 2008). To work for the MPS, applicants must undergo a very thorough
background check, extending to six degrees of family relationships. No relatives up to and including one’s
second cousins can have served time, even in a correctional center. According to one defector, background
checks within the Ministry have become significantly less strict in recent years, but people who
have personal or family backgrounds tied to South Korea are not able to get positions in the Party.
620 The Political Department is headed by Ri Pyong-sam. The Vice Director is Paek Kye-ryong.
Ken E. Gause
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