Ministry of People’s

Security [MPS] officers in North Korea spotted using South Korean

products they have personally confiscated at the marketplace have recently come under fire from residents regarding their gross misuse of power. According to protocol, these confiscated items are to be stored in

evidence warehouses and later destroyed or sent to higher organs of power, but

this has frequently not been the case, Daily NK has learned.

“South Korean goods confiscated for being

illegal are being blatantly used at MPS units,” a source from Pyongyang

told Daily NK on Thursday. “People keep saying that

this act of using illicit South Korean goods shows that illegality reigns over

illegality.”

By way of example, she cited a personal case. “I bought South

Korean cosmetic goods, electronic appliances, coffee, and a few other items

during my trip to China last year; I sold them wholesale to a merchant to sell

at the markets, but they were all confiscated by the Ministry of People’s Security.” she said. “I was summoned for questioning along with the vendor, and when I got

there saw the officials drinking the South Korean coffee they had

confiscated.”

Since late last year, North Korean officials have been doubling their efforts to stamp out sales of South Korean products in the markets, according to the source, who explained that many foreign or South

Korean goods obtained by those who travel outside of the country are also being

seized.

“Vendors who are subject to crackdowns are usually those selling [South Korean] earrings, necklaces, cosmetics, electronic rice cookers, and even hanbok [traditional Korean attire],” she said, adding that because of the crackdowns the markets have been nearly cleared of South Korean goods.

Residents have pointed out these measures are simply the result of security agents wanting to use

the opportunity for personal gain. “They are trying to

reap profits under the guise of crackdowns,” the source

asserted. “High-ranking MPS officials are wittingly using the very South Korean cosmetics or other items that they confiscate, and even lower-ranking MPS agents are fully cognizant of the fact that South Korean goods are much

better than Chinese products, so they use this knowledge to their personal

benefit.”

Some vent their anger with mockery, saying,

“They won’t be able to use other shampoo after trying those from the

South,” while others jokingly speculate that officials have more South Korean goods in their homes than not.

People are perplexed as to the motives behind the sudden crackdowns given that the authorities have turned long turned a blind eye to the selling of South Korean goods at markets and department stores. “Some are holding on to their South Korean goods

saying it’s not the first time the state has been so fickle, hoping–and expecting– that such

measures will subside soon,” she said.

She elaborated that the state fears such

products will encourage the proliferation of capitalist ideas among residents,

who are increasingly interested in and implementing its principles, despite the state’s efforts to quash such sentiments. “It

seems the state has also launched these clampdowns out of fear that the high-quality

South Korean products may cause people to envy or develop positive perceptions

of the South,” she concluded.