Soldiers in Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province keep watch at a guard post.
Image: Daily NK photo archive
Anti-espionage
officers, operating under the auspices of the Korean People’s Army
Defense Security Command, is carrying out a generational transition by
bringing in college graduates in their twenties to join its ranks. The
team is responsible for providing espionage and security support.
With
an active diplomatic agenda, including a surprise trip to China and
upcoming summits with South Korea and the US, the regime is in dire need
of such personnel. In the midst of a rapidly changing geopolitical
environment, the country is modifying the makeup of the KPA’s
anti-espionage team.
“Recently, Kim Jong Un
issued a special order to place loyal and high performing graduates of
Security University and Political Security University in the country’s
intelligence agency and Defense Security Command. First, the
anti-espionage members deployed overseas were changed, and now team
members in Pyongyang and other regions have almost all been switched
over," a high-ranking source in Pyongyang told Daily NK on April 4.
“The
order emphasized that it is necessary to have young and skilled support
members running things, as the anti-espionage team acts as the
indomitable bodyguards for the top leadership. The order also indicated
that we need to focus on building overseas teams that put talent and
ability first."
When asked about the reason for
the transition, the source characterized it as a “Kim Jong Un-style
generational change.” Kim Jong Un wants to break out of the patterns
shaped by his predecessors. This includes making a meaningful change to
the makeup of the officers responsible for protecting the regime. The
generational shift is also seen as an attempt to consolidate power.
“Kim
Jong Un regularly commands that fifty and sixty year old agents be
replaced by younger entrants. He believes that older people are unable
to handle incidents well,” the source said.
There
are also observers who believe the motivation for this type of order
could be explained by a concern that the older generation could be
expressing loyalty but harboring dissent on the inside.
“Anti-espionage
officers have been ordered to conduct more foreign currency activities
because of international sanctions. Staff have been unhappy as a result.
Recognizing this, the authorities are trying to recruit new officers
for these duties as a way to cover up the frustration," said a separate
source in Pyongyang.
“Perhaps because of this,
the authorities are prioritizing loyalty over songbun [class ranking
denoted by family history and political loyalty] when evaluating the
candidates. Next, they are carefully looking at each applicants’ skills
related to espionage."
A source in South
Pyongyan Province added that Kim Jong Un’s hurried attempt to fulfill a
generational change in key posts may also be seen as a preemptive
measure to ensure that the country’s younger generation does not drift
away ideologically. By placing power in the hands of the “jangmadang
(market) generation,” he may be seeking to placate individuals who
generally care more about material wealth than ideological purity.
“[Kim
Jong Un] recognizes that young people have an appetite for wealth and
power, and this can be seen as a move to satisfy those desires. He
believes greater loyalty from the younger generation will arise as a
result,” he concluded.
SOURCE: DailyNK
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