North Korean House of Cards

the authority of the provincial People’s Security departments. The mission of these
squads is to seek out and neutralize foreign sources of negative information about
the regime.
Chart 23: Organizational Structure of the People’s Security Departments – the
Local Offices of the MPS
Chief
Security/Guidance Office
Chief of Staff
Chief
Departments
Local
Registration
Public
Registration
General
Surveillance
Air Defense Chemical Weapons
Training
Economic
Surveillance
Preliminary
Examination
Investigation
Secret
Documents
Accounting
Communication
Railway
National Lands
Guard Office
People’s Security departments are the backbone of the Ministry’s local
organization. Approximately 200 of these departments exist in the cities, counties,
and districts. Security offices also exist at the village level. These bureaus are
headed by either a senior colonel or a lieutenant colonel of police, depending on the
size of the population. People’s Security bureaus at each city or county and smaller
substations throughout the country are staffed with about 100 personnel each. 628 The
Ministry’s Railroad Security Bureau also maintains work and management offices at
the city and provincial levels.
iii. Role in the Regime
The Ministry of People’s Security has had mixed fortunes under Kim Jong-un.
At the beginning of Kim’s reign, the MPS was closely tied to Jang Song-taek and
was staffed by officers whose fortunes seemed tied more to the Kim Jong-il era than
the Kim Jong-un era. With the promotion of Choe Pu-il, a long-time Kim family
628 These bureaus play an especially important role in maintaining security in the border areas.
Attached to each bureau is a patrol team made up of twenty to fifty agents dedicated to capturing North
Korean escapees and conducting surprise inspections.
Ken E. Gause
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