A North Korean informant in China was recently recalled by the Ministry of State Security (MSS) and executed in early February, Daily NK sources reported on Feb. 13.

“A woman in her 40s was sentenced to death for allegedly selling state secrets at a hearing held the Hoeryong MSS office,” a North Hamgyong Province-based source told Daily NK. “She was executed the very next day.”

The source reported that news of the informant’s execution was spread by smugglers with knowledge of MSS activities.

“News is gradually spreading that the authorities recalled her back to the country despite the closure of the Sino-North Korean border,” he added.

WORKING FOR THE REGIME

The woman was originally from Hoeryong and reportedly came to the attention of the MSS in the early 2000s after she made two failed attempts to defect into China.

She became an MSS informant in 2015 and was sent to the Shanhe area of China (in Heilongjiang Province) after promising to assist the agency in arresting defectors in China, Daily NK sources said.

In short, the MSS “inserted” the woman into China to pose as an illegal migrant as part of efforts to arrest and repatriate North Korean defectors looking to head to South Korea.

The woman continued to stay in contact with the MSS while in China and reported on the movements of defectors in the area, sources said.

It is unclear why the informant was suddenly recalled and executed by the MSS. Daily NK sources suggest that she may have come under the suspicion of being a “double-agent” or that the MSS may have thought she was going to defect to South Korea.

“There are rumors she thought that the closure of the border would be a perfect opportunity for her to run away to South Korea,” a source told Daily NK. “Other rumors suggest that she was approached by Chinese agents and received money from them in exchange for information about North Korea.”

The source cautioned, however, that these rumors may have been intentionally spread by the MSS.

“Some people are saying that the woman was recalled because she failed to contribute much to the regime’s ‘loyalty fund’ and did a poor job of catching defectors,” he explained.

HARSH PUNISHMENT

If that’s the case, her execution provides a glimpse into how the MSS manages agents who fail to perform.

“The MSS has long demanded that informants in China contribute to the loyalty fund and has punished those who failed to do so,” a Daily NK source said.

“Informants who have to contribute funds to the party for Kim Jong Il or Kim Il Sung’s birthdays [on February 16 and April 15, respectively] are concerned [about their own well-being] after hearing about the women’s death,” he added.

After the woman’s execution was carried out, the MSS reportedly ordered that informants must again study a document calling on them to become the “unseen foundation of the castle” protecting the country.

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